On Tuesday night, a bike thief, wearing a black ski mask and green army fatigue-style pants, broke into Dr. J’s bike shop on Mission Drive in Solvang by smashing the store window. The theft was caught on tape and shop owner Corey Evans puts the thief at somewhere between 5’10” and 6’0″ tall. He carried out two Specialized road bikes — a black Tarmac and blue and white Secteur — one on each shoulder.
In February, a Sausalito man dubbed the California Bike Bandit by the San Francisco police stole a $6,700 Cervelo from Fastrack in Santa Barbara. His method, though, was to arrange test rides using false documentation. He would then take off with the test bike. He was found dead of an apparent suicide in May.