Bike theft

a global explanation?

Even your old, crappy beaterbike isn't safe. Experts claim that China's manufacturing boom has accelerated international demand for every type of metal, sending prices through the roof. Thieves are working overtime to meet demand.

From The Christian Science Monitor:

The spree is part of the widespread and rapidly growing crime of metal theft. Filchers are lifting everything from copper wiring to aluminum beer kegs to the brass flower holders at cemeteries. The more audacious are sawing down live electric poles and ripping siding off strangers' homes.