Hipster victim of skyrocketing rent prices or homeless bike thief?

Reader Kevin spotted this scene on 17th between York and Hampshire:

Is this yours or someone you know’s bike? I find it hard to believe it really belongs to this guy.

As Allan puts it, “the guy has a beard and a hoodie, why wouldn’t he also have a flashy track bike?”

24 Responses to “Hipster victim of skyrocketing rent prices or homeless bike thief?”

  1. scum says:

    Looks staged to me. How is the vegan non drinking thing treating you?

  2. Justin says:

    Saw what appeared to be a homeless dude awkwardly riding a carbon-fiber Giant with an Ultegra group and aerobars down 24th street yesterday.

  3. Greg says:

    Color coordinated chain…that homeless dude is a poseur.

  4. Adam says:

    When you see stuff like this, BUY IT FROM THEM AND GET IT BACK TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNER.

  5. Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

    Maybe some hipster decided to ditch the fixie affectation and get a real bike, and this hobo got the cast-offs?

  6. En-Chu Lao says:

    Look at the face and hands = unwashed hipster who thinks he doesn’t stink because his six roomies smell just as skunkly.

  7. no says:

    do not take pictures of homeless people and post them on the internet

  8. Curious says:

    Seriously. Fuck you guys and your assumptions about who should have what.

  9. heynow says:

    Without any probable cause besides profiling and stereotypes you’ve come to the conclusion this bike is probably stolen? Who knows how he got it but who are you to say he seems like he shouldn’t own it.

    • Kevin says:

      I am a cyclist and occasional victim of bicycle thievery. I understand bicycle crime in San Francisco. That’s who I am. Mind you I did not confront this man in any way. This man was part of an encampment, each person in that encampment had a bicycle, some had multiples in various states of disassembly. This scene is suspicious to me. Based on this I came to the conclusion that the bicycle might be stolen. This man still has the bicycle as far as I know, and if it’s his, great! If I’m ever down and out and sleeping in a San Francisco park, one of the few possessions I will have at that time is a Litespeed road bike. I most likely won’t look like the sort who should own a Litespeed. I considered this and that’s why I didn’t confront the fellow, or ask him to sell me the bike so I can be burdened with finding the owner, or plain “steal it back” while everyone was asleep. Remember–If you sleep on a public sidewalk, there is a chance you will be photographed, it’s legal. If this isn’t your bicycle, or if it doesn’t belong to someone you know, then carry on. Personally I would appreciate it if other citizens would do things like this, I believe some stolen bicycles would be recovered.

  10. mike says:

    shruggles. looks like he could be the owner

  11. Jesse says:

    A friend and I were once walking down Divisadero and he recognized a bike that a homeless guy was riding. He then called his friend who he was sure owned the bike.

    His friend said that what had happened is he was riding home one day really drunk and decided a cab ride home was worth more than the bike to him in that moment so he just left it.

    Needless to say, we chalked it up to lucky night for homeless guy! No harm done :)

  12. david says:

    Third possibility: hipster victim of skyrocketing rent prices AND homeless bike thief.

  13. pat says:

    So staged…the photographer has an ugly color schemed bike.

  14. Curious says:

    Ugh. Seriously. Who the fuck are you? So you “find it hard to believe it really belongs to this guy.” Fuck you.

    As you admit, you know NOTHING of the circumstances that put the bike in his possession – only your own prejudice and preconceived notion as to who should own it. You and your elitist bullshit can go fuck each other.

  15. TinyTim says:

    Did you all forget that it was just Christ Mass?

  16. STEVE-O says:

    Destroy Babylon