Bike Theft in Toronto

If your bike is stolen, you're more likely to get it back if it has been registered.

To call what Igor has a shop is disgusting.

From my experience there is no shop just a hole in the wall and backyard with mounds of bikes.

You have to call him to see if he has a bike for you, there is no shopping, no looking at bikes, and the phonecalls are hostile since he's a cunt.

What we have here is a serious structural problem in the law. I wonder if Mr. Mucha has ever been to Igor's shop and I wonder if the police have ever witnessed Igor following due process when buying a bike.

This story is drivol, the fact of the matter is that the police don't care. If you call 52 division and ask to speak with someone in bike theft you are quickly shut down by the desk Sgt. or constable saying that "if they find anything they will contact you" this means either a) that there are so many thefts that they cannot keep up with them. b) that there is no one working on bicycle theft or c) to not waste their time.

Bicycle theft is not treated with the adequate seriousness that it should be and it is unfortunate that as victims of bicycle theft our own police service prefer to protect the rights of known criminals.

Another example, my bicycle was stolen out from under CCTV cameras yet I was not allowed to see the video that was captured or even still images. My tax dollars have paid for those cameras and the polices' salaries, my hours at work paid for my bike, and now as a victim I am left high and dry. Why are the victim's rights secondary to those of the theif? Privacy act, give me a break thats because like in so many kitsch Charles Bronson movies the police dread having the public expose their ineptitude by bringing about their own justice and vigilanteism.

I'm not saying the police are on the whole useless but when they are understaffed, and the problem exists at a much larger policy and structural level in the city they are rendered useless. Give the police more power, ban the sale of bicycles without original receipts, or close down stolen bike shops like Igors.

These measures are draconian but at least I and the 12,000 others who have their bikes stolen each year would more than likely still have their bikes.

An enterprise may embrace the esthetic of a junkyard, reflect the proprietor's unflattering eccentricities, and still be founded on the right side principle.

Remember Polly's? Ever been to Parts Unknown -- scored a fine set of 25 year old Randonneur bars there for $5 last week? Similar to junkyards of old -- oops, that would be Automotive Recyclers, nowadays -- these outfits allow cyclists to benefit by cheap, often high quality, parts.

So a dusty, disorganized, jumbled shop isn't necessarily synonymous with criminality. Inexplicably, many bike shops eschew altogether 'previously used' wares; I supposed it doesn't conform to their business model. Too bad. Injecting used goods back into circulation a la CBN and George in Kensington Mkt. benefits those most in need most of all.

Frankly I'm surprised that Igor obliged the Sun's enquiries; he had nothing to gain by doing so.

Has anyone ever had a bike returned that was registered?

I locked my bike up outside on King at Spadina in front of the mini dealership. I usually bring it in but that I intended to run some errands at lunch.
Anyway, the day got away from me and I didn’t get out of the office until 5pm, and to my disappointment my bike was stolen! After a brief breakdown in front of a coworker and
phone call to my parents to cry to them I decided what’s the point of being upset…..So I decided to walk down Queen Street W to get home. I figured I should at least
walk by Igor’s (across from Trinity Bellwood’s Park) I know most people know of the place because he’s always blocking the sidewalk fixing bikes.

From about a block away I saw my bike, I knew it was mine even from a block away! As I marched up I claimed it was mine and said I could prove it.
He challenged me. So I said, “see that combination lock under the seat that keeps my seat from being stolen for the 3rd time?” guy says “yes” I said
“I know the combo”. I proceeded to unlock it and heard a gasp from the crowd of customers. I then said “now I am taking my bike and want a new lock for the one
that was busted to get it here”. Igor didn’t argue and gave me a new lock. I told him he was lucky I didn’t call the cops. And I didn't call the cops because there was no way to prove that Igor knew he was buying a stolen bike......nothing would have happened.

My story had a happy ending, I was lucky. Apparently the bike had been dropped off only 15 minutes before I got there.

Hi vaft,

I have heard no stories of bikes returned because of being registered. If you read the article, it says that all second hand shops have to report the serial numbers to the police, so if they're on the level, you would get your bike back. Also it only takes a minute to fill out the form, so it can't hurt.

I have my name, phone number and email on a laminated card deep in the seat tube of all my bikes, and my wife's. Do have to get around to doing that bike registry thing.
http://www.bikeregistrycanada.com/registerbike.html

Remember to use two locks of two types, both locked to something too hard to move, and keep the bike in a public area. I put a U through the frame and front tire, and a locking constricting cable through the seat, frame and back tire. That's for my fixed city bike (a $1200 quality build, but it's all black, so looks a lot less - also key). At night, work and home, I bring it inside: full stop. My $1700 road bike is never locked anywhere outside.

I wish I read this article before I had a bike stolen, then I would have gone to Igor's immediately.
If he gives back the bike for no charge when you prove it's yours, that's a valuable service.

Long ago I had about a hundred music CDs stolen and I tracked them to a neighbourhood used CD store. The owner offered them back at the cost he paid, the police didn't do anything even though they were etched with my name.

Okay, normally I do have downtown work envy but not needing to worry about bike theft is one advantage of working out here in Mississauga. I've been leaving my $1500 commuter bike locked up outside (one lock frame and front wheel only) for the last couple of years and on Tuesdays when I'm racing after work I leave my $3000+ race bike locked up in the same place without incedent.

Hello all,

Well yesterday I had my bike stolen for the second time. The first time I had it locked with a decent U lock at U of T library that was about 3 years ago. I just got the bike I had stolen, it might be 4 5 months old. I can't believe the gall these theives or dare I say - crackheads - have. I lock my bike up everywhere. But when I went to my friends house to drop something off I just set my bike on his porch halfway in the door with the doors wide open. With my helmet still on I walked inside to say hi and checked back about 10 seconds to make sure it was there, I looked back again about 15 seconds later and it was GONE! That's right some crackhead snuck on the porch with me 5 feet away, doors open, and left his crappy bike and stole my OK mountain bike. This is gretty just out of control. How is anyone to feel safe about anything if crime is that pervasive everywhere. How could anyone feel safe with their children. You can't even leave them unattended on your porch for 10 seconds. They could take your kid and leave you their crappy bike.

Anyway, I went to Igor's by trinity to see if my bike was in there and I can tell you that is THE MOST BS BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT I have ever seen. I'm simply amazed that someone like that can even own a business. I tried to get to see some bikes as if interested in purchasing, and Igor was the biggest prick I've seen he wouldnt show me anything unless I showed him cash. Just so you know he keeps all the recently stolen goods in his junkyard of a store. So you need to walk over his crap through some junk, and then hidden behind he has all the bikes you can imagine that he most likely pays for with crack rocks? Don't believe me? Go over there and try to have a normal conversation with Igor....in fact just ask him what his business is and if he sells bikes, ask him if he can show you some and that you're interested, careful you'll never get those 20minutes of utter confusing bs back again. Also take note of his pals that sit outside with him - also pretty sure these guys are the thieves. IGOR is a total criminal and the Toronto Police are lazy for not going in there are recovinging the 80% of stolen stock he carries.

Police don't do jack about bike theft, in spite that it's a HUGE problem, and when they aren't chasing crackheads on their own bikes, their busy trying to look busy. I think the only way this bike thing will get better is if people start petitioning and rallying - demanding harsher laws for bike theft, teams finding these theives, busting up chop shops, and whatever else it takes to make our STUPID EXPENSIVE city safer.

On a final note, there is so much talk about green energy and curbing our dependence on oil and gas. How the are people going to want to even attempt to get rid of their vehicles or at least try using them less, and using a bike instead when the theft is so utterly OUT OF CONTROL.

A disgruntled Toronto resident,

This is a BS story. That or Igor was really high on something. I talked to this guy and he's so careful about showing anybody any bikes that I don't think he'd give you anything but maybe a bit of a brawl to get your bike back. Second, judging by the outside and inside I'm confident that that place does not sell any new locks of any sort. It's all stolen junk. If you did somehow get a lock, Igor and his buddies probably have the key. lol.

Not sure if the above comment is in regards to my story posted July 14th.
If it is, it's not bs. I was lucky, extremely lucky.
I know I had horseshoes up my ass that day.
The lock he gave me was new, he took it out of the wrapper in front of me and gave me both keys.
I too was surprised he had something new there. Regardless, I don't use the shitty no name u-lock, I bring my bike inside my office everyday and will not lock my bike up outside unless I get a better heavier duty lock. I just wanted to make sure Igor was out more than the 40 bucks he paid for my bike, that's why I insisted on a lock.

I know my story doesn't sound true, but it is.

Man, Igor is a jerk!

It's true he is a jerk. It takes about 5 seconds to detect that that business is a total sham. I'm still surprised he sells locks - seems contradictory to his business venture. lol. They probably fell off the back of a truck as well. The main problem with bike theft is guys like these. Why? If there is no where to get rid of stolen bikes (especially quickly and locally - cause they are usually stolen for drugs) then there isn't much point stealing them. As long as chop shops like these exist, Toronto isn't even remotely serious about helping bikers out. Just look at Toronto's infrastructure, does it at all surprise you that a problem as to become a complete catastrophe before it is finally addressed, most often too late.

Not firsthand, but someone told me she got a call from the police about a year later to let her know they had recovered her stolen bike.

My boss was quite happy to tell me and repeat again and again the story of how he reported his bikes stolen just days after he had registered them, and how he got them back within a week. So if they are registered you do have a much better chance of getting them back.

The problem is so few people register bikes. Igor's was busted quite a lot a few years back and they looked at every single bike's number to try to find a match in one of about 25 bike registries from across Canada. Of about 800 bikes they matched ten bikes. This is quite discouraging to the police, so they've given up busting Igor.

My aunt took her bike into a store but didn't lock it, it was gone before she made it back to the front of the store.

The two bikes I've had stolen had cheap locks on them, and weren't registered.

Lessons learned:

• Bikes should be registered to have any chance of being recovered
• Not enough people register bikes to make it worthwhile for the police to look for stolen bikes
• If the bike is not between your legs it must be locked.
• Bikes locked with cheap locks are easy steals

Anecdotally 'I've also noticed that bikes that are decked out with baskets and other crap on it, and bikes with scratches, rattle-can paint jobs, stickers or anything else that marks it as unique and/or an older bike make the bike less attractive to thieves. New looking bikes and bikes without any special markings seem to be specially targeted by thieves.

In case, the Toronto Sun removes the article or puts it behind the password-protected wall, here's a copy of it:

Bike thefts 'really big problem'
More than 50,000 have been reported stolen since 1997 -- 4,600 last year alone
By BRETT CLARKSON, SUN MEDIA
July 13, 2008

It's 3 a.m. on a Sunday and Steven MacLeod is done his shift at the Big Bop, a Queen and Bathurst Sts. dive that caters mainly to the punk crowd.

He expects to find his bike nearby on the street where he left it locked up.

Thieves, however, would have other plans.

"The only thing left was the U-lock on the ground with a two-by-four," MacLeod says. "They actually used a two-by-four to wrench the U-lock off my bike."

Despite the late hour, the intersection is still teeming with a motley mix of Goth and punk kids, well-dressed clubbers, and the usual cast of drunken characters camped out on the steps of the old bank building on the northwest corner.

MacLeod, a 37-year-old doorman/sound guy, can't believe his $400 bike was ripped off in full view of the busy intersection on a Saturday night.

"Unfortunately, we live in a city where people turn a blind eye to bike theft. It's pathetic," McLeod says.

It's a frustrating scene all too familiar for the tens of thousands of cyclists who have had their bikes stolen in Toronto over the past 10 years.

"I would say bike theft in Toronto is a really big problem," says Dave Hoyle, a mechanic at the Community Bicycle Network on Queen St. W. "I think that's fairly obvious to everyone. I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that, because there's just so many people who have had their bikes stolen.

"It just happens all the time."

According to Toronto Police, more than 50,000 bikes have been reported stolen in the city since 1997. Last year alone, 4,585 bicycles were reported stolen in Toronto.

NOT EVEN CLOSE

But everyone, including police, cycling advocates and average cyclists on the street, believe those numbers are nowhere near accurate because most people don't bother to report their stolen bike.

"The percentage of stolen bikes that are reported to police is not even close to the actual number of bike thefts," says Staff-Sgt. Laurie Jackson of the Community Response Unit of 14 Division, the west-end division that saw the most reported stolen bikes in the city last year, with 589.

Jackson is so blunt because she -- along with pretty much the entire Toronto Police Service -- wants to see more cyclists registering their bikes on the Toronto Police Bike Registry Database, which has so far logged 50,000 bikes.

Sean Wheldrake, the city's bicycle promotions coordinator, estimates the real number is closer to about 12,000 stolen bikes a year.

But Wheldrake also adds that while the number is cause for concern, it's relatively low compared to the number of cyclists in the city.

"Here in Toronto we have 2.6 million people and probably a million cyclists, yet we're having 10,000 or 12,000 bikes stolen a year, so I wouldn't call it a big problem," Wheldrake says, adding that the oft-repeated mantra that Toronto is the bike-theft capital of North America simply isn't true.

According to bike-lock maker Kryptonite, Toronto isn't even in the Top 10 worst cities for bike theft, a list that includes Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York in the Top 3.

"It's totally unfounded," Wheldrake says. "Bike theft is directly related to property theft, so there's obviously a lot of U.S. cities that have a lot more (bicycle) theft than we do."

But still, nobody with even a passing interest in cycling denies that bicycle theft is a pervasive problem here.

So just where do all the stolen bikes go?

Igor Kenk stands amid the mountain of hundreds of bicycles piled up in the backyard behind his Queen St. W. store.

If you listen to the word on the street, this is where stolen bikes go to die.

"Clearly I'm the most infamous loser in this city as far as bike theft goes," says a sarcastic Kenk, who squirts oil from a dirty plastic squeeze bottle on to some of the bikes. A shred of tissue paper that doubles as a bandage is stuck to a bloody cut on his blackened, greasy forearm.

Kenk, 49, owns Bicycle Clinic -- though there's no sign on the store -- at 927 Queen St. W. For years, the Slovenian bike mechanic has been a fixture on the sidewalk outside his shop across from Trinity Bellwoods Park, with his long stringy hair, hip pack, and the tools he uses to fix up or "recycle" old bikes.

"I am devoted to bikes. Bikes are the best machine, the best invention ever," says Kenk, who opened up his first store in 1992 at 986 Queen St. W. before moving to his current address in 1995 after buying the building for $85,000.

Recently, he's been offered as much as $600,000 for the property, a price tag he's turned down.

"What am I going to do with all that money? Stick it up my a--?"

Judo-trained and admittedly "out there," Kenk knows full well that since the early 1990s he's been suspected of being the go-to guy for thieves hoping to unload stolen bikes for $50 a pop.

In fact, mention bike theft to anybody who has any interest in cycling, whether it be bike shop staffers, cycling advocates, city licensing officials, the cops who arrest the thieves, or even just the average-Joe cyclist, and Kenk's name is mentioned -- without fail.

"I'm a thief, I'm the darkest nightmare in the western hemisphere," says Kenk, again sarcastically, poking fun at his own dubious reputation.

The truth is -- and Kenk acknowledges this -- some of the bikes piled up in his backyard and in his store are most likely stolen. Some, not all. The same thing would be true for every pawn shop in the city, he says.

But according to both Kenk and Richard Mucha, the city's manager of licensing, Kenk is operating legally and doing everything by the book.

Kenk keeps the city-issued registry book -- second-hand shop owners must fill it in every time somebody sells them a used item -- near the door of his shop when he's working, and says he always asks for two pieces of ID from would-be sellers. Any information about the bike, including its serial number and physical description, is logged, along with the seller's information. The information is relayed to police frequently, Kenk says.

"Bikes that have been floating around the market end up here, and end up in the (registry) book," Kenk says. "They (the police) get the ledgers, they get what they want."

And still, the thieves roll up on bikes to his shop. It's a Monday night and a clean-cut young man wearing a baseball cap pulls up on a mountain bike.

"This guy got pinched already, so I'm not going to buy from him," Kenk says quietly to a reporter before walking over to inspect the bike.

Within moments, the man is riding off down Queen St. W., perhaps to another pawn shop.

"He got pinched so now he can't (sell to me). It's a piece of sh--," Kenk says about the bike the apparent thief was trying to flog. "I don't like these new wave, disposable $99 bikes."

Back outside, Kenk mentions that the occasional angry theft victim will come by the store hoping to find their bike, including a raging man who attacked him recently and was rewarded with a punch in the head for his aggressiveness.

Theft victims will occasionally find their bikes at Kenk's shop, and he said if they can prove he has their bike, he'll give it back to them.

Kenk agrees the current system may be too lax and despite the fact stolen bikes find their way to his store, he says bike theft needs to be addressed somehow.

"Nobody's willing to work on the issue. They just know that I'm the 'bandit' and that's that. I don't give a sh--," Kenk says. "My job is to put (the stolen bike) in police hands, and I challenge anybody that's barking -- I challenge them. Let's go to work, I agree, it's a mess. It's a mess, all this sh-- floating around."

He uses new locks to lock up extra bikes around the city when he can't fit them all into his "store". I actually tracked down almost a dozen bikes around town that had NOT been stolen, after sitting for months on end, all locked up with the same short-shank U-lock (the one with the yellow locking bar). They turned out to be Igor's. I encountered him on the street and he admitted it.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/07/17/6181516-sun.html

A well-known Queen St. W. bike dealer is facing charges after he was arrested at his store last night by plainclothes cops who alleged they watched him direct a man with bolt-cutters to cut the locks off two nearby bikes and steal them.

Igor Kenk, 49, owner of the Bicycle Clinic at Queen St. W. and Strachan Ave., was put in handcuffs just after 7 p.m. by Consts. James Rowe and Craig Meredith, who were watching the corner as part of a "bait-bike" sting.

More at: http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/07/17/6181516-sun.html

Bikers rejoice!

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2008/07/17/6182146-sun.html

Today is a good day!

What's the best way to get the police to act on this and raid his store? Who are the police accountable to? Is it worth contacting a local councillor?

We had a bike stolen recently and the police, whilst sympathetic, showed no particular interest in arranging to go down to Igor's and have a look around inside.

"What's the best way to get the police to act on this and raid his store?"

I think we now know - get a journalist involved. The Sun publishes that article and a couple of days later reports the bust.

"Sean Wheldrake of the City's Bicycle Promotions office counters this perception of an epidemic with the fact that though bike theft may be in the range of 12,000 per year, it is still far less than the million cyclists that live in Toronto. Toronto's not even in the top 10 of North American cities in terms of bike theft."

10, 000 RECORDED thefts, and it would only be bad if it was in the top 10? How about top 100? How about dead last? How about some ambition?

How about the bike promotion office find a way to get TTC to allow bike racks - not lockers, just simple racks - inside those stations where there is ample empty space, like Coxwell? (Although that would imply the collector would do something about it if he saw a theft on the premises, considering a supervisor couldn't be bothered dealing with a complaint of a person urinating in the bus bay 20 feet away.)

How about the bike promotion office ask the citizens of Toronto to not stand idly by while people take 2x4s to bike locks?

Just spoke to Cst. Rowe at 14 Division. He says if you think your stuff is in Igor's, now that he had been arrested, call the Major Crimes Unit at 808.1400 on Monday and tell them that there is a good chance your stuff is there. You must be able to make a positive ID on it though.

While Igor seems like an Eastern European Barbarian descending on the good ship Toronto, it is existing law that spurned the enterprise that now exists on Queen West.

Before his string of shops existed, Igor lost a bike to theft in Toronto when he newly arrived to Canada. The bike was later discovered at a Queen West bike shop. When Police were contacted, the response was that unless he could prove the bike was his, tough luck...
What's this??? Certainly not Eastern European style, where you'd just smash the thief.
Combine one motivated entrepreneur pissed with the Law, and exploiting the lameness of the existing Pawn Laws in Toronto, you get the perfect storm.

Igor's old shop at 986 Queen West was raided over 10 years ago. The Police took everything. Igor was super pissed, yet remained open for business.
The police, holding out a branch of hope for the bicycle community, offered the public a chance to come to their storage warehouse on Strachan Ave. to try to recover their 'stolen' bike.
Folks ended up going in, having a look around and securing a general description of a particular bike. They would then go outside, relay the info to a friend. The friend would then go inside to 'describe' their lost bike to the Police, who would then find it in the pile and hand it over. Premeditated theft in the first degree.

If you are one of the 12,000 cyclists who have lost a bike in the last year, organize and protest. 12,000 bodies makes one hell of a parade.
If your bike IS stolen, even if you think that there is no chance of recovering it, REPORT IT TO POLICE. Perhaps 40, 000 bikes are being stolen every year, if a huge surge like that happened, I bet the Police would find the budget to hit back.

p.s. Locking tips:
1. At Minimum, get a KRYPTONITE NewYork u-lock if you are locking up your bike anywhere in Toronto
2. Use the lock always
3. when available, lock your bike to a solid fixed object.
4. you might loose a seat, light or wheel but these are less costly to replace than a complete bike.

Hey!

This is Brett Clarkson. I'm the Sun reporter who wrote the bike theft feature for Sunday and also the story about Igor's arrest.

Regarding the above comment, the amount of reported stolen bikes in the city last year was 4,600. Wheldrake, along with everybody else including the police, says that number is wholly inaccurate because many people don't report their stolen bikes. So, Wheldrake's estimate is that the number is closer to 12,000.

Also, I'll be following this story in the coming days/weeks, so if anybody has anything to add about their experiences with Igor Kenk, or bike theft in general, please don't hesitate to email me at brett.clarkson@sunmedia.ca

Thanks,

Brett

maybe the CRA could check his tax returns....probably on the dole, and dealing in "cash" only.....hmmmmm.....

My bike was stolen out my backyard last night. I went online and did some research about this Igor asshole last night. I called the cops and asked why they didn't do something about him. And now he's arrested. SWEET REDEMPTION! I'm going to see if my bike is there.

My bike was stolen out my backyard last night. I went online and did some research about this Igor asshole last night. I called the cops and asked why they didn't do something about him. And now he's arrested. SWEET REDEMPTION! I'm going to see if my bike is there.

The CRA would have no use investigating Igor, he owns his store/building outright, so unlike his rent paying neighbors who need to generate certain levels of legitimate income as well as make an income for themselves, Igor's situation is very different.
He needs only to cover minimal overhead, taxes, utilities ect. and it is apparent that there are no costly renovations going on there. And could you audit an inventory of what at first glance seems like a scrap heap? To the CRA it would be a real time waster, we're not talking big dollars here...

Right now.

Apparently there are onlooking cyclists cheering. Go Toronto's police!

I am disappointed with the recent developments that have transpired, leading to Igor's arrest but I will not pass judgement until all the facts come out.

You call him a cunt? how progressive of you!

Igor may be rough around the edges but I know him to be a kind compassionate person, who has donated bikes to needy people and been involved in other charitable acts.

He has employed people that others would turn away and given them opportunities to learn how to repair bikes and other skills.

You seem to be judging him by the appearance of his shop. He has some good quality bikes there that he did obtain legally but if you want to be hounded by a uniform wearing salesperson in a meticulously clean store that will no doubt have you paying more, SportChek awaits you.

Hey "Kathie!", he was caught by cops in the act, after years of rumours. Give us all a break (Igor?).

You know what, I only ride my bike for two things: long rides without taking a lock, since I’m not going to stop; and shorter rides somewhere I can bring a bike inside, like to a friend’s. The reason I have never lost a bike is I hardly ever use one for errands. What horse*&#$! For errands I’ll walk 3km, use Autoshare or the TTC. I have just realized I have modified my cycling behaviour to the fact that there are few effective deterrents to bike theft in Toronto. How nice for me.

No wonder there were cyclist cheering on the cops doing something about his store. Had I known, I'd have been there with a few dozen donuts for the boys (and girls).

The Toronto Police are never under pressure to appease the public.
I have never heard of them planting evidence or lying or setting anyone up.
Just unheard of.
Stories about some of them abusing their power and beating people to a pulp or buying crack are just lies.
I am so surprised they did not taser Igor.

This is easy. There were several people out on the street watching the police remove many bikes and parts from Igor's. The police could plant a couple of stolen bikes, but one presumes that the police don't have a large stock of stolen bikes to be used as fake evidence when framing people who have untidy shops.

So. I propose the following. If none, or only a small percentage of the intact bikes from Igor's shop turn out to be stolen (lets say 5% or less), I (and I invite anyone else who currently thinks that he's a low-life thieving scumbag to join me) will spend an hour handing out leaflets to people in Queen West explaining how Igor has been a victim of scurrilous rumours and police harassment.

However, if a significant number of the bikes turn out to be stolen (lets say 20% or more), or, if he is successfully prosecuted for knowingly receiving stolen goods (he's not a poor or stupid man so I think that we can trust his lawyers to expose any planting of evidence), you will go down to your nearest police station with a large bunch of flowers, some cookies and a cake to thank them for doing a good job and removing one of the sources of demand for stolen bikes in Toronto.

Deal?

This sting was arranged because Brett Clarkson finally embarrassed Toronto cops into action. This is newspaper reporting at its best - exposing problems in the community. Without Brett's timely article this low-life would have continued plaguing the bike owners of Toronto. It always amazes me that police are so short sighted. Mayor Giuliani in New York was right about this - clean up petty crime and vandalism and other major improvements occur. Pawn shops around the city must be looking over their shoulders.
Well done Brett!!

Brett...thank you for taking time to write about this guy, and the problem with bike thefts in our city. I had my bike stolen from my condo last week. I only owned the thing for 3 weeks! The police definetly needed a little motivation!

'The truth is -- and Kenk acknowledges this -- some of the bikes piled up in his backyard and in his store are most likely stolen...'

Most likely?! Fuck me. I live on Gore Vale Ave on Trinity Bellwoods Park just north of Igor's cache of stolen bikes. I have witnessed Igor riding 'his' bike down my street at 5 am while shuttling another bike that was still locked to an uprooted city bicycle post, no-doubtedly on it's way to his shop to be liberated. I've also witnessed his army of addicts snap kryptonites and nervously hand over high-end bikes to Igor for some hand-shake cash.

I've personally had a dozen bikes stolen from Queen W over the last 15 years and I ALWAYS check Igor's place first. Good riddance and may he ride into eternity without a bike-seat.

Some of the posters on this forum are insane, and unwilling to help themselves.
Waaah! Police, help me, I can't / won't do anything to help! Shut up.

My bike was stolen from outside the eaton centre in broad daylight on a sunday morning.
Months later, my seat and seatpost off my new, locked bike were stolen at Queen & Yonge, as the sidewalk was teeming with pedestrians doing their christmas shopping. No one saw or said anything. No one cared.

I went to remove a seat and seatpost from one of the derelict bikes locked to a post and ring just a few feet away. I made a real commotion attempting to wrench the seat out of a derelict bike that was clearly not mine. I even said "I'm trying to steal this seat!! Arrgh!" My co-workers laughed at me. No one stopped to ask what I was doing. No one offered to help. No one even batted an eye. Ppl don't care about bike theft.

Bike theft won't stop until ppl take action into their own hands. Bike theft is acceptable to Toronto because we allow it, we permit it by ignoring the activity, and not bothering to do anything about it ourselves. Whining to the police does nothing.

wake up and take responsibility, Toronto.

Whatever Batman. You may think it honourable to risk bodily harm in the name of a bike seat but you missed the point entirely. Making a citizen's arrest on a crack-head doesn't work. Shut down the crack-house.

Whatever, Anonymous,

coward. pussy. You're one of those typical Torontonians who would avoid getting involved in any problem. Don't help, you might get hurt yourself. Selfish. Dishonourable. At least I'd try to help. But not you. That's what your tax dollars pay police to do. Not your problem. But it is. Hypocrite.

I'm not talking about citizens arrests, drug users, or busting premises. Your excuses are pathetically typical. And have nothing to do with citizens taking responsibility for dealing with a problem.

Ppl need to take responsibility for themselves, and call attention, discourage actions that negatively affect others and their property. Bike thieves keep working because we allow them to. Because no one will stop to stop them. because people like you propogate the myth that we are powerless, unable, and at risk.

Please. I'm not the hero you're looking for. He dosn't exist. You are the answer, we all are. Wake up. Do something.

give it a couple of days and Igor will be out again working from his shop.
If the police take all the current inventory it will be soon replaced.
Remember, innocent until proven guilty, and the charge is of an alleged theft.
What really transpired is to be determined in court, the press Igor received only adds to his infamy.
Judging by the posts above, he is a pretty famous guy, (infamous?) 8)

it is a well known fact that registering your bike does not make any difference as to weather you will get it returned or not.. the police do not care. this has been going on for decades in this city and this is the first time the police have ever made a crackdown that I am aware of.

I have had lots of bikes stolen while living in this city and I have never seen any of them ever again. the police act as if they do not care when you repot the theft to them.

I have also known people who have found their missing bikes at shops like Igor's on Queen St, and when they went to the police to tell them they had found it, the police told them that they were going to have to buy it back. This does not even fit with the way the laws are written in this country, ( if your TV was stolen and you found it at a pawn shop, the owner of the pawn shop would be charged with possession of stolen property, but because it was a bike, that requirement of the law was being overlooked, and instead the victim of the theft was left with no legal recourse but to "buy back" their own stolen property.)

Until recently the police would simply make up anything on the spot rather than uphold the laws that are currently in place for the protection of cyclists. it was an absolute policy to oppress the cyclists in this manner. When questioned about it, the police would simply stand in solidarity behind the cop who had made the wrong choice, rather than admitting hat he was wrong and to actually deal with the law as it is written. it was if there were no laws for cyclist at all.

If there was an accident, no matter what the circumstances, the police would always find a way to make the cyclist at fault, even if they had to make up a law on the spot . anything they could do to make the cyclist at fault, if a cyclist was hit by an opening car door, (the door prize) they cyclist would be found at fault for having been riding too close to the parked cars.

if A cyclist was hit by a car that was passing them, the cyclist would be found at fault for riding to far out from the parked cars. in reality there is no legislation in place that says how far out a cyclist is to be from the parked cars. also there are laws about opening your door into oncoming traffic and bikes are traffic too. there are also laws about passing slow moving vehicle's, and if a car hits a bike while passing it, then the motorist has disobeyed the laws for the safe overtaking of one vehicle over another. These laws do exist, but are regularly overlooked, for oppression to the cyclist who is seen usually as a menace, rather than the clean environmental angel that her or she truly is.

As a result of all of this, I personally find it surprising that the police would do something like this raid on Igor, it goes against everything they have done for the last 2 decades. I can only guess, with the rising cost of gasoline and smog levels, that attitudes are shifting in favour of the cyclist, and many who saw bikes as problematic before are now beginning to see them as the viable alternatives that we cyclists have known them to be for years.

Derek Birch

Most questions about Toronto bike theft can be answered here. Featuring Igor.

http://playlistor.com/play.php?pl=Dx3hp9H7wzut9i9

Ppl need to take responsibility for themselves, and call attention, discourage actions that negatively affect others and their property. Bike thieves keep working because we allow them to. Because no one will stop to stop them. because people like you propogate the myth that we are powerless, unable, and at risk

My bike was stolen in the middle of the night from our front porch, approximately 6 metres from where I sleep, where it was locked up (2 thick cables secured with ULock, which was clearly a mistake but, still, not insignificant security).

I didn't wake up. If I had woken up, I'd have been confronting, unprepared & naked, a bike thief on my front porch wielding a reasonably large pair of bolt cutters. Maybe they would have run away, maybe they would not have. In what way was I not "powerless, unable and at risk"?

Yes, clearly people should report bike thefts that they see happening in front of them, and it's important to use good security, but in spite of that, motivated thieves will still steal bikes. In the light of this, complaining about police inaction on bike thefts and the industry that encourages them is entirely reasonable.

Thank you FRR!

That was the best work of journalism I've heard in years!! It takes a bit of time to listen to the entire two parts, but it has a lot of info.

In Part 1 freerangeradio interviews Bike store owners (Jacob & Igor) Igor mentions two cops who did "arrest pretty much everyone" and put a serious dent in bike theft about a decade ago.

Part 2 is an interview with one of the officer mentioned by Igor, and that officer reveals a great deal of info about bike theft. Summarized in the following 4 points.

1) Bike registries usually did not (and may still not) go outside of the city limits. So many bikes just get shipped to the next nearest city. (The officer being interviewed gives a lot of credit to another officer who has since "worked his butt off on a new registry" so maybe the new registry go beyond the
current city limits)

From what I gather, the best defense is to engrave (weld) onto every part of your bike, your drivers license number (or that of someone you trust who drives). That advice is not given in the audio interviews but seems better than a serial number. Serial numbers are apparently all over (head tubes, bottom bracket, seat stays, sometimes just painted on). When they are on the bottom bracket they are often covered in filth. In short it's a pain to check for and difficult to read the serial numbers so they are rarely consulted.

2) Do not give your address or phone number to bike stores. In the officer's experience dishonest employees or just dumpster divers, have, in the past, made lists from addresses they collected of people who bought high end bikes. Then thieves worked from these lists (or sometimes they just drove around at night) and they checked what bikes were visible at night. The thieves then recorded the locations and tools required to steal the bikes, and later came back and stole multiple bikes at once. Other thieves were less organized opportunists.

3) Judges often let thieves get off free, whereas they're often more harsh on thieves who take car radios. This "let the wind out of his sails", after a great deal of investigative work.

4) To the general public don't buy stolen bikes. If it's too good to be true, it's likely stolen.

Joel,

I like the new moniker you've labelled me with. "Whateverman". I'll wear it proud.

How many of you dumbasses sleep naked without a pair of shorts and a shirt close by? Ski suit in the front closet? Ever wonder what happens when your smoke detector or fire alarm goes off in the middle of your sleep? You put on the first available clothing, and get out! And guess what, that would also proactively prepare you for buddy on the front porch, to throw on the lights, grab a baseball bat or frisbee or camera, and ask in a loud voice, "hi, can I help you?" I betcha he'd run. I betcha you could hit him hard enough with the frisbee to buy enough time to slam the door shut. Wimp. Leaving clothes by your bed won't earn you a scolding from your mother. They just might save your life, and your property.

how many of you web savvy tech heads backup all your data to a portable hard drive? Just after donning clothes on your way to escape, you grab the HDD. All your docs, emails, photos, porn, mp3s you've ripped; safe, with you, as your home is filled with smoke, water, flame. Learned that one after my laptop got stolen with two years worth of my life onboard the internal hard drive. Never again. Call me certifiable, but at least I'll be the one with soft copy documentation of that.

Who keeps their passport near the door? And, perhaps, for those of us who are truly mindful of our health and dont' own drivers licences; the Health Card? It's photo ID, you know. Kinda helpful when proving your identity after everytthing you own has burned or been obliterated beyond recognition. Do you carry your health card on you? How will paramedics and doctors know who you are if you cant' tell them? Huh?

none of this is heroism, it's just common sense preparedness. we should be teaching it to grade fivers, so they can help their helpless, SUV driving soccer moms and their Crackberry-addled power daddies coming home from the golf course. no, wait, we should be teaching grade fivers Highway Traffic Act. yeah. and then maybe they'll get it straight that bicycles are vehicles, and stealing a vehicle is a big no-no, because we all have to get somewhere, sometime.

wake up, put your clothes on, and help yourselves, you excusionist apologists.

Whateverman

The most fitting way anyone could rally against bike chop shops like Igor's and Uncle Jacob would be to just steal the bikes back. I'm thinking like the same wild group that blocked up the Gardener last month would be perfect. All these bicylced wild men & women could bust into the shop late at night and liberate all those damn stolen bikes, a la the ALF. Return of the stolen goods could then be orchestrated calmly as it isn't like Igor can necessarily prove he owns those bikes. If it's got a serial number, then just file it off.

Since you've embraced the title I'll address you by it. Whateverman, your digressions about backing up HDDs, data loss, "Crackberry-addled power daddies coming home from the golf course" and baseball bats and frisbees notwithstanding you've little if nothing to offer in the way of insight or practical advice.

The fact is, his inclinations aside, Joel couldn't help himself because he was unaware of the theft as it occurred. Since he took the effort to secure the bike before the fact he WAS helping himself, that is, taking measure and responsibility for himself. Apparently that's not enough though: now it's your fault that you didn't have enough locks, or that you were sleeping while the bike was stolen, or that you lack the wherewithal to convene a nocturnal welcoming committee and swat the felon upside the head with a frisbee.

Whateverman, try a little empathy on for size: a middle aged woman living alone has justified apprehensions in confronting a criminal under such circumstances. But then, she's a wimp, probably doesn't back up her data either -- what a waste of skin. Right.

Ironic though, I lived your advice back in the day: during my courier days I beat the living sh_t out of a couple of crackheads pinching bikes. Didn't accomplish a thing; the next day they were again liberating bikes from their owners. I shirk at the liabilities and costs of such behavior practiced on a regular basis; such a creed adopted at large tends to create more problems than it solves.

So Joel what are you to do? Since Whateverman is not advocating "citizens arrests, drug users, or busting [suspect] premises", what's left? How about engaging the police? I mean, this is, after all, their raison d'etre. "coward. pussy. You're one of those typical Torontonians who would avoid getting involved in any problem. Don't help, you might get hurt yourself. Selfish. Dishonourable. At least I'd try to help. But not you. That's what your tax dollars pay police to do. Not your problem. But it is. Hypocrite." Joel, looks like you're SOL. I suppose for some it's too difficult to apprehend that expecting the police to do their job is not synonymous with rolling over and doing nothing?

Strange, the police actually doing something about bicycle theft is taken for granted in Japan. Expecting the police to treat a crime against you seriously IS both taking and expecting responsibility; if you don't agitate for action on their part you ensure that you've no recourse other than your own resources in such cases.

But what do I know? Call me a wimp. I don't sleep with a set of clothes beside my bed in the expectation that I might have to dress hurriedly in case of fire. Under such circumstances I don't give a f_ck if I wind up on the street in my birthday suit, as long as I'm in one piece and my bike is where I left it.

Gotta go now, time to back up my HD.

Hey Kathie, sounds like a plan however it's flawed for the simple reason people don't think about registering a bike until they lose one. Who's to know the story behind many of those bikes...

http://torontoist.com/2008/07/recovering_from_clinical_depression.php
The cops have the bikes at one location for a look-see. Take some kind of proof.

I took photos of mine, and registered them today at: http://www.bikeregistrycanada.com/registerbike.html

1/2 price if you use 'MEC' as the promotion code (Mountain Equipment Co-Op).

Igor is a maggot, if we all took his cue and sold drugs/ripped off bikes for a living, wouldnt we like in a Eutopia. Igor, what goes around comes around, now its your time to bend over for the soap in the Don jail. fuckface.

Alleged criminals like Igor Kenk support international crime syndicates. From what I have observed, crackheads and other bums steal bikes in large volumes. I suspect that through this shop he sells a few to walk-in business and the rest go into large industrial containers that get shipped overseas - Eastern Europe and maybe even Asia. If this is so, he deals with ciminals that ship drugs, stolen goods and human trafficking (sex and other labour). This shop used to be under the radar, but recently ramped up business (gained a new market) and this neigbourhood started to gentrify.

Igor lives in Yorkville on Berryman Street. I suspect that the most expensive bikes get sold locally to enthusiasts (some as expensive as $5000) and the rest go on a cruise.

http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85-563-XIE/85-563-XIE2004001.htm

Of the 228 bikes on display, 31 have already been reclaimed and 10 more have been identified as stolen.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/07/20/6209676-sun.html

That means at least 17.9% of Igor's stock was stolen. It's likely to be much higher - one presumes that only a small proportion of people who've had a bike stolen in Toronto have gone down to the warehouse so far to look for their bikes.

Do we get to call Igor a nasty names yet or are you going to continue sticking up for him? More importantly, are the police going to get their cake and cookies (or were those 31 bikes all planted in his shop?)

Whateverman (I'm pleased you like the name) - you might be confident that every time you swing a baseball bat in someone's direction, they will run away, unfortunately, I'm not. I'm sorry that you think that makes me a wimp, I think that it makes me realistic. And anyway, the point is that I'd like to live in a society which reduces bike theft without expecting its citizens to have to resort to (threats of) random acts of violence.

Joel

PS I was amused that the main thing you picked up on was my literal nakedness and not the unpreparedness and the danger of confronting an unknown person in the middle of the night.

You typical Torontonian accusers. Holier-than-thous. WASPs never rode bikes so slickly lubricated with their own spittle. Where is your patience, tolerance, and complacency? Oh, it's absorbed by the Sun and CP24, where you get fed the same fast food news you've been nurtured on since the 80s. Dimwits. Imbeciles. Opinionated narrowminds.

Igor has not been convicted of anything yet, (not that I'm defending him, either) but ppl still accuse him blindly, and sling personal epithets towards him. Prejudicial cowards. I went down to 9 Hanna Avenue today, there's a lot of seized bikes there. I was surprised at how many high end bikes were there. Who would be so stupid to leave a valuable bike like that unattended anywhere!?! wow!? But anyhow...

I personally saw one elated cyclist reclaim her vehicle. So far, that's one strike. One piece of proof that I have seen that proves to me he's been caught in possession of stolen goods. Illegal? yes. Deserving of justice? Sure. But wait - it also proves...he's done more than you apologists ever have : he developed and sustained a niche business, he maintained an inventory and provided on-demand service, and he promoted an environmentally-friendly, congestion-solving mode of transport. Aha, there's many sides to every story, hey!?! huh!?

I've never swung a baseball bat at anyone. I havn't had to. Because I don't make, or label myself, a victim. I diddn't complain to anyone when my bike got stolen; it happened, I reported it, and I did immediately go and check a few suspect places in the downtown core, including Igor's. And guess who suggested I go check Igor's? The police. Great help that was. I still havn't found my bike; moreover, I'm okay with that. It's just a thing. I hope the person using it is enjoying it, accomplishing good things and exercise with it, and is getting out of it what I would have. Peace be with you. Does that sound like violent heroism? Wake up. Put your riding shorts on.

What I was getting at, about taking responsibility, is the same as living in that utopian society you yearn for, a world without violence. But we rarely help ourselves or actually do anything to achieve that goal. That's why Anthony Robbins is doing so well. because we complicate our lives and invent excuses for not doing things, to the point where we become brainwashed, dependant, and helpless. Your literal nakedness, Joel, is your choice - you chose to be that way. Confronting an unknown person is not dangerous; it's a part real life, it's how we make friends, there's little we can do to prevent it.

Oh wait, there is. Lock ourselves in a small room. Which is exactly what some of the eager posters on this forum intend for Igor : jail. He should be so lucky. I kinda envy that, he'll finally be absolved of real responsibility - no rent, no grocery shopping, no fretting over whether the debit card will work, no filling out tax returns in april, no avoiding loser classmates on facebook, and no dodging City of Toronto trucks on the busy streets. Sounds like the perfect ending, a great retirement.

Keep creating excuses for someone else to solve your problems. And until you actually speak with Igor, hear his story, live in his shoes, see the evidence...shut up. Opinions are like genitals : everyone has them; but they tend to be used without consideration or regard for others.

I'll be checking in to 9 Hanna Avenue later this week, disguised as a mild-mannered cyclist.

Whateverman

According to the Toronto Sun, after one day of being on display, we know that at least 41 of the 228 bikes the police recovered from Igor's are stolen. 31 have been reclaimed, 10 have been identified as stolen based on registration information.

That's already a large proportion of bikes that were definitely stolen. In the half hour that my girlfriend was there, she saw about 30 people (how many did you see?). Assuming that that's representative of the numbers who attended throughout the day, only a small percentage of bike thief victims have been down to look for their bikes, so we should expect that many more bikes on display are actually stolen.

Now, I didn't see this with my own eyes and so we could start talking about how much we trust the Toronto Sun and the police and my girlfriend, but that would be bullshit scraping of the barrel, so I won't. He's a thief.

We get other people to solve our problems all the time. I didn't build my own house, I wouldn't self-administer a root canal, I don't make my own clothes. The reason is that there are other people who do all these things much more safely and efficiently than I could manage. Similarly, the police are capable of performing some crime prevention techniques (like arresting people who launder stolen bikes) and repairing the effects of crime (like raiding that person's shop and recovering the stolen bikes) much more safely and efficiently than I could do too. This isn't utopia, it's the real, modern world, where, like it or not, each of our quality of life depends on the specialised skills of many other people.

So when the police don't act, I complain. And when they do act, I applaud them. And because I let specialists deal with problems that I'm unskilled to tackle, I have more time to spend doing things that I am capable of doing safely and efficiently. Like responding to dimwit internet trolls.

PS "Opinions are like genitals : everyone has them; but they tend to be used without consideration or regard for others". Err, no, not me. Did you actually think about that, or did you just write it because it sounded cute?

The use of DataDot Technology helps to prevent theft by marking your property with hundreds to thousands of Microdots. Law enforcement officials only need to find ONE dot to find the rightful owner. Watch the video.
http://www.datadotcanada.ca/videoframe.php?VID=ShawVideo1

FUCK YOU IGOR

You sold my bike two weeks after it was stolen.

Canadian Tire and similar box stores contribute to these thefts, all the locks sold in their stores are grossly inadequate to secure a bicycle for even 5 seconds, and they know it.

Also why aren't the stores selling bikes make registration part of the bike sale process, then provide the police with the list weekly or montly.

I am a reporter at the Globe and Mail in Toronto, and if anyone out there is willing to talk about direct dealings they've had with Igor Kenk, feel free to contact me by e-mail today. Thank you.
Anthony Reinhart
The Globe and Mail
areinhart@globeandmail.com

Interesting debate. One side has factual, firsthand, eyewitness information, and the other insists on conjecting, supposing, assuming, trusting media, and still calling names. Very Torontonian. And now the newsmedia are getting in, because they smell...OPINIONS! ooh! I'll touch on those in a minute.

Taking responsibility for ourselves includes understanding what we're buying from those specialists whom we so dearly depend on to build our lives. If you dont' know how a shirt is made, or where those shorts you're wearing were stitched together, how can you know that you're not supporting criminal sweatshop operations? If your builder buys lumber for your house that comes from clearcut BC forest, but doesn't tell you, isn't that aiding and abetting, or is it convenient ignorance? Huh? If you buy a really good used bike for a cheap price, how do you know whether that bike is stolen? You trust the word of the vendor. So easy.

So many Torontonians aren't aware, don't have relationships with the people they depend on. How many of you know and interact with your local precinct police officers? And how many of those coppers would you trust to respond as quickly as you "expect" them to? If you knew how much you could do to assist them, wouldn't you be doing so!?! It's common sense! Oops, sorry, that excludes those who can't afford common sense. My apologies. NOT. So many Torontonians excuse their responsibility because they assume to "trust" and depend on others. It's a fallacy.

Speaking of phalluses, my point about opinions and genitals was bang on. They are both purposely designed and used for self-aggrandizement, or waste elimination. Nature pulled a really good joke on us by situating a sewage plant right next to a playground. Some ppl don't know the difference.

A troll, am I !?! Trolls are akin to giants; remember we had a moral leader named The Friendly Giant!!? Nothing like the noble Hunchbacks you purport to combat. Igor was Frankenstein's faithful servant, doing the Doctor's bidding, collecting the parts needed to build the Monster. Read the whole story. Our Igor fulfilled a demand, took care of himself, and in the end is accused and labelled guilty even before justice has followed it course. But wait, here's a question that the Court and Igor's jury of peers should ask : if ppl hadn't wanted to buy cheap, sed bikes, where would Igor be today? Supply and demand, my friends and opponents. How convenient. Seek and ye shall find. The inconvenient truth is out there. Way out there.

Whateverman

Its infuriating, but those CCTV cameras don't seem to be available when you have a bike stolen. I've had 4 bikes stolen, almost one a year, and now I am not going to ride to the GO station or anywhere I have to leave my bike outside. Once my bike was stolen outside the TD center and the security dept would not let me have tape for the 1 hour period I knew it was stolen in. I saw the prick too, he was acting all weird and commented on my bike. I should have heeded my instinct and found another place to park . I hear its mostly crack heads who do this.

I hate to blame it on crack heads, linda - but it's hard not to. I've had countless bicycle sellers tell me it is exactly that.

However, I was also told that said 'crack heads' are always looking for the easy target. Please make sure you're using new generation locks with double bolting, etc. It's very difficult, if not impossible to get those off without an electric saw - something only the very serious thieves generally have.

At least so I'm told. I'm not trying to say you're negligent with your bikes. It's just that you've had so many stolen this year that I'd be negligent myself not to pass on this info.

I had my bike ripped off near Igor's. He was closed, but I called the posted number. Sure enough he had my bike. I was lucky enough to have the original receipt and serial number. When I went to claim my bike, the cops were waiting. He called them to cover his ass, as he likes to operate on the margins of the law (but apparently also crosses the line). He had stripped it down, so it cost a few bucks to get it back in shape.

I asked the cops (who were in charge of bike thefts) why they didn't shut him down. The cops response? "Well this way its easier because we know where to find the bikes." I guess Igor and the cops had a cosy relationship.

I had a similar response as those cops when they finally took him down. "aww, now where do we go to look for our stolen bikes? Igor was like the stolen bike depot!"

Igor is my friend, you shouldn't judge him unless you know him. He's really a good guy. He doesn't send anyone out to steal bikes for him and that's the truth.

I can't believe what I'm reading, except the person/s who wrote about Igor that really knows him has the details about who he is pretty close.

If you're nieve enough to leave your expensive, new, shiny bike unattended or lock it up with a cheap lock then you're only adding yourself to the victim pool instead of helping to fight crime. Yes, crime is out there but don't welcome it with open arms. Be smart and prevent the theft. Yes it's more work but that's life. Maybe buying a recycled bike that no one else wants but runs way better than the new one you just bought at the store is a good way to help the situation and the environment as well!

If Igor is sent away, where will you find you're stolen bike? where will you learn how to fix your bike?, where will you pay such good prices?, where will you get such an honest, straightforward answer?????

They've got the wrong charge against this person!

If you don't know him, don't judge him.

Never met him, so I can't use his 'cover', whatever that means. I'll judge him by the more than 1500 stolen bikes on his properties, and the fact that I can't ride my bikes anywhere in this city except for training, since I can't leave them locked outside. Can you shut up now?

Anonymous. On the first day that the bikes were on display, 41 of the 228 being shown were identified as stolen. That's despite only a small proportion of the victims of bike theft having attended to look for their bikes, so we should expect that many more of those 228 will eventually be identified as stolen. But in spite of that, that's probably at least $10000 of stolen property. Since then the police have recovered 6 times as many bikes from his property. The only question now is whether Igor is just a small time bike thief (for which we have irrefutable evidence), or is he running a huge bike theft racket, (for which we have some very suggestive evidence)?

In answer to your questions:

Q: If Igor is sent away, where will you find you're stolen bike?
A: When I went to ask Igor whether he'd seen our stolen bike, he was rude and unhelpful. However, the main point is that hopefully by removing Igor from the city for a while, it will be a little more difficult for addicts to turn bikes into cash and so they will I'm a little less likely to need to look for my stolen bike in the first place. There will also be fewer Igor's directing people to steal bikes, which is what the police claim he was doing when they arrested him.
Q: Where will you learn how to fix your bike?
A: At any of the legitimate do it yourself bike clinics around town (they're mentioned elsewhere on this website), or from a book or the internet or by chatting to the technicians at the urbane cyclist, or by just working it out.
Q: Where will you pay such good prices?
A: I won't, because I won't be buying a stolen bike. I will sleep better, though.
Q: Where will you get such an honest, straightforward answer?????
A: Not sure what you're getting at here, but, as I say, when I asked Igor about our bike he was anything but straightforward. It's yet to be seen whether he was honest.

On my front porch are some garden tools, a small barbecue, several large planters and a bag of potting compost. None of these are locked up and none of them have been stolen. Our bike was stolen from the front porch, despite being locked up. The garden shit has not being stolen because no-one would give a thief any money for it. The bike was stolen because people like you will give people like Igor money for a bike because it's "such a good price".

Here's my question for you:

I'm assuming by your third question that you bought a bike from Igor. It's now clear that Igor was selling stolen bikes. When you bought a bike from him, you encouraged him to keep stealing bikes. Maybe you weren't aware of this at the time, but that's the consequence of your actions. Given your shaky ethical position, rather than accusing the victims of bike theft of being naive, wouldn't it be better to just apologise for your mistake?

Whateverman - sorry, I've given up. But, anyway, I thought you'd like this post because I talked about taking responsibility and consequences.

You narrowminded opinionists.

This forum is worse than China. Democracy -hah! You've already acted as victim, police, judge, jury, and corrections officers. Shame on you. I'm ashamed to live in this supposedly-world-class small town. You citizens are embarrasing. Shut up. Go hide under your beds. Don't help. It's not your problem. Pathetic. Typically Toronto.

Everyone on this forum that has judged Igor should sign up for jury duty. It seems there are a plethora of citizens eager to apply justice blindly. Go for it, kids. I dare any of you to go to Old City Hall and sit thru a few hours of Ontario Court. Learn something about justice before attempting to drive it. Idiots.

AnonymousIgorsFriend is right. If you're stupid, naieve, thoughtless enough to leave a high-end bike unattended after your training laps, then you get what's coming. I got it, I was stupid, I learned. But you "ooh, I should be able to leave my Birks Diamond necklace on a ttc bench and come back to find it..." you're stupid. That world exists only in your feeble little minds. Go buy a beater, leave it unattended and care free like the rest of us street-savvy riders. But leaving your Cannondale or Ellsworth or Opus or Cervelo locked outside Downward Dog will only earn you a long walk home, and days wasted on the phone with your insurance company. If you have insurance. Congrats, stupid. Dream on.

Go look at the bikes at 9 Hanna. They clearly reflect the stupidity, self-indulgence, and foolishness of the "victims". That's one side of the story. That Igor could carry on his business so successfully speaks volumes about how careless, ignorant, and anti-social some of our citizens are in buying used "recycled" bikes. "Who cares? it's a cheap, good looking, high end bike! I got it for $50 dollars! hahah!" Those are the kinds of comments that make me swing a mic stand...at my own friends and coworkers! Wake up.

I give up too, clearly most ppl here are not ready to learn new things and change a pattern of behavior. Good luck Joel. Keep your shorts unknotted and ready to go, you'll remember me the next time you have to escape a fire alarm in the middle of February. And don't forget to lock your expensive bike and leave it unattended! Do your part to help Toronto maintain its "Bike Theft Capital of Canada" title! Woo, we're soo world-class! Yawn.

Whateverman

...feeding the troll. He does not need to be enabled any further!

Another 200+ bikes found. Sigh.

No point in feeding the troll, but it needs to be pointed out that his whole argument is based on blaming the victim. "It's your fault Igor (or whoever) stole your bike".

Whateverman Defines Troll

Cut and pasted from Wikipedia :

The term troll is highly subjective. Some readers may characterize a post as trolling, while others may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. The term is often used to discredit an opposing position, or its proponent, by argument fallacy ad hominem.

Often, calling someone a troll makes assumptions about a writer's motives. Regardless of the circumstances, controversial posts may attract a particularly strong response from those unfamiliar with the robust dialogue found in some online, rather than physical, communities. Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her, because responding tends to encourage trolls to continue disruptive posts — hence the often-seen warning: "Please do not feed the trolls".

Recently, many websites have openly welcomed and encouraged trolling amongst their members.

Trolling is a deliberate, bad faith attempt to disrupt. (Really!? Has Whateverman actually done that??)
Ignorance is not trolling. Genuine dissent is not trolling. Biased editing, even if defended aggressively, is in itself not trolling. By themselves, misguided nominations, votes, and proposed policy are not trolling. They are only trolling when they are motivated by a program of malice rather than ignorance or bias. This requires a judgment of the personal motivation for another's action. Such a judgment can never be made with anything approaching certainty. This fact should always be kept in mind when one is tempted to label someone a troll.

When you try to decide if someone is a troll, strive to assume they are not. Explain errors politely and reasonably; point them towards policies, the manual of style and relevant past discussions. Do not conclude they are a troll until they have shown complete inability or unwillingness to listen to reason or to moderate their position based upon the input of others.

Even in that case, it is likely better to remain silent and let others conclude the obvious instead of calling someone a troll and creating even more mayhem. It is better to humor a troll for too long than to drive away a sincere but misguided user.

Whateverman moderates, concedes, and rests his position.

And please note I did not use foul language, purposely disruptive phrases, or inappropriately malicious language. Each paragraph I wrote has a relevant point, some small bit of helpful information, if the reader chooses to look for it.

This discussion does not solve anything, or fix a problem. I am a teacher, an educator, many of you actually know me in person. I challenge any of you to try to detect, correct, and prevent. THAT's what I mean about taking responsibility. Too bad so many students these days choose the easy way out. Very telling of the state of our streets. Enjoy your rides, safeguard your property and well being. You are the answer.

Whateverman

You did completely derail the debate with your lecture on trolling though.

Good riddance Igor, you blighted, bitter, greedy man.

I have been living in the area since 1991. Since 1992, I have known Igor as a bike shop owner. A Duke's customer, I have not bought bikes or bike accessories from him. But every once in a while he would fix my flat tire or pump up the tubes for me. And every time I stopped by his shop I saw very reputable looking people asking him to find a specific bike for a better price. So, this is not just the Laws! These are the customers that have created great demand for his services. These are the customers who wanted to buy an expensive product paying half of the price. Good torontonians always looking for a cheap deal... If everyone went to the Duke's, Igor would have gone out of business in no time.

I want to know if that's you Tiff, Igor is my friend. You helped and stored his stuff didn't you? Careful you run with the wolves you get short for a wolf.

And yes, Igor has always been very polite and friendly with me.

I saw Igor's truck behind his bike store this evening.....video attached (at end)

You know, i find it really ironic that a poster who raises innovative, opposing against injustice, if not controversial, points is so quickly labelled a "troll" ( which is defined above, for those of you who like how it sounds, but don't know what it means, see also : "hybrid", "professional", "proactive")

but when presented with other examples of interactions with Igor by other posters, there isn't an immediate outcry of "traitor!", "sympathiser", or my favourite internet epithet "Nazi!" (see also : Godwin's Law)

Igor was providing a service, and goods, and people were paying him for it, and the damned bikes! Wake up! If he diddn't have an outlet (people looking for cheap, high-end bikes) would his business have succeeded? No! Demand and supply. Market economics. Seems pretty simple. He even had a chalkboard outside his store for updating the marketing. Brilliant. Too bad no one offered to buy him out. That would have stopped him.

Of course those looking to a retailer for stolen bikes will be greeted with rudeness, if not booted off the premises forthwith. I made the same mistake - "Hi Igor, I'm looking for my stolen bike...can you help?" What do you think the answer was!? "No, but your mom's tire needs air - here, a pump...". Yeah, I got mine; and yeah, I was naieve and stupid; but hey, that's what I'm wasting all this bandwidth trying to explain to you lost sheep - he provided service, he did his job in the face of adversity, and earned his keep! What more do you want from a retailer, Toronto!?!?!Would you feel any different if he bought TV ads with hot catchphrases like "I BUY YOUR BIKES - OOOOOH Yeah!" or "Who sells race bikes for less? Noooo-body!"???

The videos, photos, and opinionated statements are wasteful, and do nothing but prove that so many people want to be on TV, and want attention for themselves. "Igor hurt me too, I think; and now I'm going to call him names!" So childish. So immature. It happened to me too, but learned. I diddn't blame anyone but myself when my bike got stolen. Bad things happen. Life is full of setbacks. Blaming others does nothing. Accepting responsibility does everything.

Ugh, I'm sorry, I didn't intend to add to my diatribes. But I'm just so frustrated that so many of the riding community, presumably fellow riders and not just lurkers on this forum, are prejudicial ingnoramuses. I have to jump to the conclusion that that's exactly why so many of you ride on the sidewalk and ignore stop signs - because you assume, suppose, and prejudge. Take responsibility for yourselves, readers.

whateverman

i can't go out tonight. my bike might get stolen.

When someone takes something from you you feel as though you've been abused, you suddenly trust strangers a little less, those feelings can overwhelm you depending on the nature of what was taken, in this small pocket of time we have a collective pain crying out for some action.

I'm a victim yes, never chose to be but I became one, I'm also one of the lucky people never aimed to be but yes found myself smiling because of fortune.

I can't contain my excitement if I'm frank, this is a milestone for the cycling community, so what if this isn't the hard truth when it comes to all of our losses, I feel as though a step has been taken in the right direction for all those people who have lost faith in the law.

Bikes are bikes, what fun they are and how useful! I hope I find mine - it had a sticker "I love my bike" on the frame in case you see it...

I am really thinking Toronto is on the verge of a transport revolution, bring on the bike! Bring on the outdoors bring on the cheap studded tyres for the winter and some decent warm socks!

I hope Igor gets whatever he deserves, I hope that his lesson whatever that may be, will inspire people to get serious about their bikes, perhaps we now have a new purpose - that is to work with the law to make it harder for the desperate and not so desperate criminals.

Register your bike, don't rely on the process but at least get it done.

One day maybe we will wear our bike registrations somewhere visible, spot checks will exist as the bike becomes the city commuters choice, maybe I'm talking electric, perhaps fixed wheel who knows, but we got to get smart! A bike is a bike until you make it that little bit more!

Good luck to all those of you wondering about your possessions, I hope they turn up - I'm guessing probably not! But don't let that get you down!

I'm still hopeful! Cheers to you all, here's to the rest of summer.

See you at the Don.

Huey.

interesting thread, many opinions and some quite strange, some truths. having had bikes fixed by Igor over many years, I have some observations:
he knows bikes and knows how to fix them. too bad he was not happy with this alone - there are too few good bike mechanics in town.
he was a magnet for all kinds of "sellers" and I assume, because he allowed himself to become such a magnet.
I witnessed a few transactions, and he always started out by asking for two pieces of ID. the problem often was, many of these folks did not have even one piece, and in the end, after being practically begged to take a bike off their hands, he agreed, usually for a lousy 20.-
I took him for intelligent enough to use this whole charade as a ploy, especially in the presence of customers; did he know the bikes were 'hot' - no, but he must have at least questioned the facts. some of these 'characters' just came down from a high and needed the next fix badly. I have paid more for an old bike at a garage sale.
what I really would like to know -- what was his plan for all these bikes? there was no way he could ever have sold them, or the parts, within a reasonable time. there has to be some other explanation for the "collection" he amassed: a shrink might find fertile ground.

as an afterthought, I noticed a marked increase in traffic out front two Queen East bike shops. I hope they can resist temptation better!
no matter what some here have to say, it's NOT o.k. to steal!!

What to make of him? As sordid as his shenanigans were, I confess my sole encounter with the man (about 7 years ago) left me equally impressed and repelled. Even so it was a gratifying evening: upstairs within his Queen St. West junkyard cum fortress, where piles of bicycle carcasses literally stacked to the ceiling threatened to avalanche,  Igor charismatically held forth on matters artistic, political, and universal for the benefit of, uhm, associates and onlookers (me).

I hazily remember pedalling home at about 2 AM, after much imbibing of liquid and smoky intoxicants had rendered motor control doubtful, thinking that Igor was, well, in the words of Malcolm McLaren, a fabulous disaster. I mean, such obvious intelligence and worldliness -- he's a connoisseur of classical music -- culminating in that ramshackle monument to venality on Queen St.

Impressive as the scope of his operation was -- dope, coke, thousands of bikes cached in garages across the city, what else?! -- it evokes the pathology of Imelda Marcos' shoe fetish. In the absence of scruples, Igor could've benefitted by some sound business acumen and stringent inventory control. And what self-respecting (alleged!) criminal would eschew discretion and court publicity by consenting to an interview by a (Toronto Sun) reporter chasing a feature story?

Yup, a fabulous disaster; abetted by the apathy of Toronto's finest, and paid for by the sweat and tears of those he ripped off all these years.

So if thief Igor does keep a record of all the bikes he buys than he should have had a record of who sold him your bike 15 minutes prior.Oh yeah forgot..he wouldn't register himself or his partner in crime as the seller thus no record.

Sorry this isn't Tiff it's another friend of Igor's. Although, I know Tiff. It's D, double T's friend. And no it's not okay to steal and Igor doesn't steal.

Oh and I've never bought a bike from Igor because he keeps my bike running well and it doesn't leave my side.

Do you people really think bike theft will stop or be reduced if Igor is put away? Wake up, items will always be stolen because there are all kinds of people out there that are in need of money for one thing or another, good or bad. Plus there are all kinds of beautiful unattended, cheaply locked up bikes that are unfortunately easy targets for these people.

So be smart, be wise and don't let your possession be something someone else wants more. Yes, taking the extra time to think about how to keep your bike safe sucks but that's just life and unfortunately it's not going to change no matter how many people you put away or how much you whine about it. All I know is Igor is not fully to blame here. Looking after yourself and your possession is your responsibility, if you don't want the extra hassles, then don't own anything of value.......

Also for the people who have met Igor ONCE and found him to be a jerk, woow, I'm guessing you never had a bad day!!!! Stop judging him because you don't really know him.

I lived in Taiwan for a year, and did quite a bit of biking while there. It is difficult to find high quality bike locks there - people have such a high degree of respect for others' property that they are simply not necessary. My bike was left unlocked in the yard for an entire year, and was not stolen. And the people who lived in the town that I lived in had a standard of living that was nowhere near ours, so poverty was even there as a possible rationale for theft. Even so, my bike was safe, even though I made very little effort to keep it from being stolen.

I think it's quite sad that we live in a culture where people will rip you off given half a chance, and then turn around and blame you for not being careful or vigilant enough. People who steal bikes, or who sell stolen bikes, know exactly what they are doing. They know that the people they are stealing from likely can't handle the financial hit that they are delivering, that they probably don't have insurance, and that they are the property of well-meaning folks who want to use an environmentally responsible means of transportation. They're stealing from people like the people who read this site. We do not deserve to have our bikes stolen. We should not be told that we do. I hate to say it, but the simple concept of 'theft is wrong' seems to have been forgotten by many in our society.

I sure that thieves will continue to steal bikes in the city - either addiction, or a basic lack of regard for other people, will see to that. I'll keep that giant hardened steel chain on my bike all the time. But I know that I, myself, will never feed this system by buying a stolen bike. There is no way that I want to contribute to this ugly side of our city.

"If Igor is sent away, where will you find you're stolen bike? where will you learn how to fix your bike?, where will you pay such good prices?, where will you get such an honest, straightforward answer?????"
i hope you're being sarcastic. or i hope you're just really dull and stupid.
Anyone with a brain who can assess the situation and charges against Igor can come to the natural conclusion that he is scum and is a criminal.
If you want to vouch for his character, I suggest you continue to do it as "anonymous".
Idiot.

"Be smart and prevent the theft. Yes it's more work but that's life." thats the most absurd thing to say and everything about recycled bikes would never cross a normal, proper thinking, human. You are a freak to give these stupid advise to us. Igor sounds more like a sick person when it comes to hobbies and personality but if you really think he's a 'really good guy' , thats what you think. You sound more sick and stupid.

I'm curious to know how the bust of Igor will affect the stolen bike market. Anecdotally it seemed, that everyone that got their bike stolen in the west end, the bike eventually ended up with Igor. Whether you could find it there or whether he wouldn't show it to you, I guess depended on how nice you were to Igor.

It will be great if the bust really does reduce the amount of theft in the city. If nobody will buy the stolen bikes, then the drug addicts are going to have to figure out an alternate way to get their fix. (but really drug addiction is the problem that needs to be cleaned up)

But if the thefts continue and the selling of the bikes becomes more decentralized, then it really won't be so easy for someone that has had their bike stolen to recover their bike. Perhaps the police were so tolerant for so long because they knew where the bikes would end up.

Obviously I don't support a stolen bike store, but you have to admit that it was convenient to know where to go.

ps. whackojudger and others, please watch the name calling, thanks!

I'm curious to know how the bust of Igor will affect the stolen bike market. Anecdotally it seemed, that everyone that got their bike stolen in the west end, the bike eventually ended up with Igor. Whether you could find it there or whether he wouldn't show it to you, I guess depended on how nice you were to Igor.

It will be great if the bust really does reduce the amount of theft in the city. If nobody will buy the stolen bikes, then the drug addicts are going to have to figure out an alternate way to get their fix. (but really drug addiction is the problem that needs to be cleaned up)

But if the thefts continue and the selling of the bikes becomes more decentralized, then it really won't be so easy for someone that has had their bike stolen to recover their bike. Perhaps the police were so tolerant for so long because they knew where the bikes would end up.

Obviously I don't support a stolen bike store, but you have to admit that it was convenient to know where to go.

ps. whackojudger and others, please watch the name calling, thanks!

I think the question of "where" probably depends on what happens in the market and what "competitors" Igor had in the business. Having one convenient spot to go to turn a stolen bike into cash/a fix is probably easier than trying to find a way to fence it otherwise.

If there was one Igor-scale operation in the city then I expect theft would go down a bit because there would be fewer places to easily score some money for a stolen bike. If, however, there are lots of unscrupulous bike or pawn shops around then yes, it would get difficult. And of course there's also the possibility that someone else (possibly Igor himself depending on how things go) will fill the vacuum.

On an only somewhat-related note, I agree that the real problem is addiction. However, the difficult thing is getting the political will to make a difference. We are, it seems, a culture of problem solvers (at best) not preventers and therefore we attack problems like this after they've occurred with policing and enforcement of the effects not the causes. It's not unlike how we treat many medical issues (e.g. type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc) with drugs instead of preventing them with diet and exercise. I think the same will hold true with climate change - we won't prevent it (almost too late anyway) but instead will try to learn to live with its effects...

Good points Todd and Tanya (T n T!). The scale of Igor's enterprise suggests how lucrative circulating stolen bicycles can be and with cyclists taking to the roads like never before the opportunity for profit will only increase. And as you've noted his departure leaves a vacuum.

Lightspeeds and Cervelos easily run in excess of $4K and your nondescript bike store hybrid is priced between $500-$1K. The greater the risk and bigger the money, the greater the degree of professionalism and organization required. There will always be elements, e.g., local pawn shops, that dabble in stolen bikes but I expect large scale operations to resemble car theft rings or gangs moving drugs, that is they'll cultivate extensive affiliations and far flung networks.

Perhaps, contingent on the profit factor, drug dealers or car chop shops will extend their operations to include bikes; there's nothing especially unique about bicycles that they should merit a criminal enterprise exclusively devoted to them.

What seems clear is that a sloppily run one or two man operation, depending upon addicts and aspiring convicts, and clearly challenged in moving inventory, is not a model for long term success.

Bicycles are finally growing up in North America, starting to be considered serious vehicles -- with their price tags reflecting that. I wonder that bike theft will also take a step into the big leagues as well. If it does let's hope that the law is there to deal with it.

most points have been made above and further up. just back from Holland I can attest that thousands of bikes are all over cities parked all day. most are not locked yet, although to my dismay, I saw locks "creeping in" -- a sad comment on our society as a whole.

to the poster above ......."if you don't want the extra hassles, then don't own anything of value......." have you thought about what you just said??? someone is bound to counter with
".... shoot on sight ", which is equally not helpful.

Respect for other's property needs to come from the family, must be reinforced by relatives, friends and schools and in the end society at large.
While the example of Singapore with respect to how public cleanliness can be enforced, is perhaps a bit over the top, it does show that "rules" can be enforced and behaviour can be modified.
If I was the judge in Igor's case, he'd be cleaning trash along Queen for a few years, a couple of hours a day, five days a week.

Stop defending this low life.
He purchased stolen property. He directed other's to steal others property. He is a loser and I'm glad he got burned. END OF STORY.

He didn't provide a service to the neighbourhood, he was a drain on it.

I hope he get's railroaded.

The last few posts from more travelled, experienced cyclists have hit the nail on the head. Congratulations. Commendations. To the mods and readers who continue to allow foul language and namecalling on this post - wake up. A few greater "trolls" than I have shown up, but no one has forced them back under their bridges. How fair.

Examples like Lyon, Amsterdam, and Singapore are all excellent role models for Toronto. And as the business minds begin to awake and analyze Igor's organization, they begin to see the light. Hallelujah! Theft is rampantly accepted in toronto. But public nudity? The laws allow toplessness, but very few acually do it - because it's socially unacceptable. Theft should be treated the same. And as for the market - the market will continue to supply what is demanded. These events will drive activity underground, and out of the mainstream...so beware. Continue to take care, perhaps even moreso than before. For heaven's sake, Cervelos belong between ppls legs, on the road, or in a showroom - but not locked up outside Future Bakery!!!

The esteemed posters who espouse family values are bang on. Too many families teach their children about competition and winning at all costs, not sharing or enjoying the ride. What's yours is yours, and what's someone elses could be yours if you abandon principle, ethics, and consideration for others. That can be changed. And similarly, too many families walk away from members who need support, help, loving - thus "the system" exists (or fumbles) where family should be. We're all too busy in this town to help our families and loved ones when they really need us. I speak firsthand - I'm guilty of it too. But at least I'm aware.

Taking responsibility for ourselves and our property will also bring the culture change our society needs - taking responsibility for the truly important things, like family, heirlooms, traditions. Careers, portfolio growth, asset acquisition - it's folly. We are born naked, and we return to the same state, in the end.

I support "A's" justice - community service, not incarceration. But let's see justice through before applying the penalty. Abandon the prejudice, people. It's not Canadian.

Whateverman

I suspect craigslist is the largest fence or pawnshop for anything stolen by amateurs, always check it first if you're a victim of theft.
The lazy police will never actively search for anything, whether it's a car, stereo, camera or tricycle. It's only when the item turns up when it's involved in a related matter do they check it out. They claim to not have the resources, yet they have no problem with issuing tickets to cyclists coasting through stop signs.
Register your bike and anything of value with serial numbers and photos in case it turns up inadvertently like what happened to Igor.

How do you find the owner of a bike that may or may not have been stolen?

A kid on my block, bragged to his friends that he had stolen a bike he was riding, a Black Specialized Allez road bike with clipless pedals (he was wearing runners on it).

I searched on all the web sites I could find for a report of a stolen bike fittng that description. Nothing. I don't want to call the cops, because I have no proof, but if the real owner of the bike could be found, that could remedy the situation.

Any suggests for what to do?

I won't judge his guilt, I'll wait for the court to do that.

I'd be anonymous too if I was defending someone with so much damning evidence on display.

2 years ago, my partner's shiny new Marin hybrid was stolen from our backyard. There is absolutely no view of anything in our backyard from the front of the house, so we suspected someone who had been viewing the house-for-sale next door was the culprit. We reported the loss to the police (and had fortunately registered it per the advice of everyone). 3 months later, we received a letter from the cops saying our bicycle was found. Hooray! Tax dollars at work. We were very happy with the police. Our bike was spanking clean and new.

Last month, my partner had just returned from a run and saw a young man working feverishly on a lock of a bicycle chained near our house. "Need help?" He genuinely asked. It was broad daylight, right next to the busy Queen street, not suspecting any thief would be that bold. This young guy got the shock of his life, and bolted off.

I know people who even have locks on their bikes in the basement of their houses.

I also know someone whose new Japanese maple tree he planted on his front lawn got stolen that night, leaving a gaping hole in the ground.

Something is wrong with this city when even a tree can be an object of theft. We are not a great city.

We are not a great city.

Name a city that has no theft. It is likely that Toronto has lower property theft rates than a lot of other cities that are considered "great."

Yawn, Toronto's SOOO bad.

My school principal (my boss), used to drive around the school neighbourhood looking for the trees ripped off from school property, in Mississauga. My colleague in Brampton had her son stabbed (he survived). Both areas have half-million dollar homes as the norm.

I would like to inform the owner(s) of this blog that they will held liable in the near future for publishing these posts.

Sincerely,
Friends of Igor

WHAT AN IDIOT YOU ARE !!
R U one of Igor's buddies, or his PR agent?
You bleeding heart asshole!
(1) Igor a kind compassionate person ? (Don't know him enough to qualify this statement, nor do I care to ...)
(2) Pass Judgement .... Sure, I WILL .... My $3,000 Italian racer wasfound in one of his garages. Stolen from my condo 3 yrs ago. Obviously some crackhead stole it & sold it to him. WHY did Igor buy it from him? OR, for that matter, the other 200-300 that were reunited with owners recently?
(3) Igor & his partner Jean L got caught stealing IN THE ACT !!! 'Nuff Said !!
(4) Igor DONATES bikes ?! .... What a kind-hearted man! Easy to donate & be generous when you've stolen so g*ddamn many bikes !
He can continue his fine community service, as part of his SENTENCE !!
(5) Harassed by Sportcheck salespeople? Stupid comment. Go to quality shops like La Bicicletta, Wheels of Bloor, Racer Sportif, & Ziggy's. You'll appreciate their professional service.

WHAT AN IDIOT YOU ARE !!
Igor's your friend?
Well, I suggest you get a new friend !
If you're so PROUD of him, publish your NAME, like I did !!
(1) Igor doesn't send people to steal for him ?!!
The how do you explain the police catching him IN THE ACT of instructing his worker Jean L. to cut a lock?
(2) Why r u Blaming the Victims, instead of the purpetrators?
My $3,000 Italian racer was stolen from my "secure" locked bike room, which requires a swipe cardto acccess. AND, my bike was locked ina cage. It wasn't locked in front of the Eaton's Centre .... It was found 3yrs later, in IGOR's possession !!!!
(3) "where will I pay such good prices?" .... Well, no shit Sherlock, his stuff is cheap b/c quite often it's STOLEN !!
(4) "where will I get such an honest, straightforward answer?"
Obviously NOT from Igor, since he's a proven thief & can't be trusted.

Hey "Anonymous" (..... funny how everyone's so opinionated when they don't leave their names ... coward)...
You're almost as bad as Igor's buddy who posted earlier, blaming the Victims.
Read my posting. My $3,000 racer was stolen from a locker in a condo, not on the street (..I'd NEVER leave it on the street, fortunately it's for racing, not commuting...)
Many other people have had their bikes stolen from their garages, porches, etc.
Sometimes they have no choice.
And yes, True, justice must take it's due course.
However, police found 100's of stolen bikes in Igor's possession.
It's only natural for victims to blow off steam on forums like this.
I for one would like to see Igor do maybe 2-4 yrs in the joint, maybe some community service (bicycle repairing?) on top of that.
Is my wish UN-DEMOCRATIC? No, I believe in due process of the courts ... even though I don't have total faith in the police keeping tabs on the bike theft situation in TO ..... nor do i believe he'll get much prison time (6 mths?) , b/c some gun offences don't even get that many yrs.

Dear Navid & Other "Friends" of Igor,
Sorry pal, but it's a free country & people have their right to free speech.
True, some of these comments are borderline libellous, but the most-oft theme seen is how people seem to find their stolen property at Igor's. His business practices are questionable at best.
Igor is now a very public figure & will naturally receive much scrutiny.
His actions (getting caught red-handed while directing another to steal) are a matter of public record.
As for suing the owners of this blog, well, perhaps your efforts would be better directed at creating a legal defence fund for Igor. Something tells me he's going to need it !!

Hey Anonymous,
Here's a thought ....
Depending on how the courts deal with Igor, is it possible to Launch a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, Against Igor, on behalf of ALL the victims (alleged, at this point in time) whose stolen property was found in Igor's possession?
It might ask for compensation for lost monies shelled out to replace a missing bike, or for emotional distress for having their bikes stolen.
Mr. Kenk might not necessarily have known ALL the bikes in his possession were stolen.
HOWEVER, it is reasonable to assert he OUGHT to have known at least SOME of these bikes were stolen, or that he failed a Duty of Care to do the proper background checks required when a "provider" sells merchandise to him.

"You seem to be judging him by the appearance of his shop. He has some good quality bikes there that he did obtain legally but if you want to be hounded by a uniform wearing salesperson in a meticulously clean store that will no doubt have you paying more, SportChek awaits you."

If he is so kind and charitable then can you in your wisdom explain to me why my Giant bike and my Girlfriend's Trek turned up when this prick was raided?

I was supposed to do a charity ride with that bike, thanks to this asshole hospitals missed out on about $3000 of donations !!!

I hope this prick gets shot! And god help me if i see him walking down the street

Kindly put yourself in the shoes of the people HE stole from...There was no way the crackhead that sold him MY BIKE and MY GIRLFRIEND'S BIKE (that turned up as a result from the raid) was able to prove ownership.
Please let your "friend" know that cancer research missed out on $3000 worth of donations as i was going to ride my bike in a charity race. I can only hope that justice prevails and he himself gets cancer (this is not a joke, i really do)

That shop has been an eyesore, drug den and storage for stolen bikes for YEARS. The only pity is that the Queen W fire started in the wrong block and not right in Igor's backyard.

On the upside, he just lost his livelihood and will get time for possession of drugs. Every person in this city knows his face, good luck walking down the street without getting spat on

Just read that Igor Kenk's Assistant, Jean Laveau, got sentenced to just 14 days (2 wks) in jail ... this despite the fact that he has a previous criminal record.
Mr. Laveau was the chap whom Igor instructed to steal a bike for him (& then did so ...).
I can see the criminal justice system is going to miserably fail all the bicycle theft victims in Toronto.
UNLESS there are mitigating circumstances (ie. Jean L. testifies against Igor), then basically, we are being told by the courts that bicycle theft isn't a big deal.

Details here. From TorStar's account:

Beginning in 1984, Laveau spent 10 years in the Canadian armed forces as a mechanic, [Laveau's lawyer Mitch] Engel told the court. In 1998, Engel said, Laveau graduated from McGill University with an engineering degree. But in 2001, he was diagnosed with chronic depression and given medication. Since then, his life has spiraled further downhill.

“It’s not the typical story,” Engel said after the hearing.

Indeed. It seems nothing about this episode is typical.

According to the the judge that granted Igor bail:

"This case is not so open and shut as an uninformed person might think."

Well as an uninformed person i personally think he's guilty as hell and they should have the same punishment for a massive bike theif like that as they would for a horse thief in the old days but thats not for me to judge and for the courts to decide