Huntington Beach Bicycle Shop Owner on Mission to Stop Thieves
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2024) — Since taking ownership of Surf City Beach Cruisers, Erik Flowers is not only selling bikes, but he is on a mission to save them from potential thieves.
Customers at the Huntington Beach bike shop were getting their bikes stolen, so Erik Flowers took it upon himself to do something about it.
He noticed that bikes parked by students and beachgoers were easy targets for criminals and he set out to find out why. What he discovered was that many bike owners were using cheap cable locks. These locks can be easily cut off in seconds by thieves.
That’s when he came up with the idea to issue fake tickets to warn bike owners that they had inferior locks. That way, hopefully, they might take steps to better protect their significant investment.
“When I do these tickets, it looks like a regular ticket,” said Flowers, holding up the paper ticket that reads: “WARNING Code 499b PC.” It refers to the California statute that makes it a crime temporarily to take or borrow another person’s bicycle or vessel, without that person’s permission or consent.
These paper warnings are placed on bikes parked along the beach, near schools, and other areas where people tend to ride bikes and park them. He wants to educate bike owners as a community service. Statistics show that if a bike is stolen, the owner has a 5 percent chance of recovering it, Flowers said.
Just in the city of Huntington Beach there were 438 bicycles reported stolen in 2023 worth roughly $668,000.
Flowers says most bikes targeted by thieves have either a low-quality lock or no lock at all. It makes sense to protect your investment with a good lock.
Some parents have thanked him for the warning and came to his shop to buy a better lock When they do, he gives them a raincheck for a free flat repair. He wants people to realize that bicycles and e-bikes are a big investment of between $350 to $2,000 and the lock is the only thing protecting it when the rider walks away.
Another part of the bicycle business is repairing bikes that were broken. These days it’s not just from traffic accidents, but most repairs are for bikes that were crashed during tricks that failed.
As a father of two boys, Flowers wouldn’t let them ride a bike that is capable of doing dangerous tricks.
“Most injuries are from tricks so I don’t sell lightweight bikes,” said Flowers. “The bikes I sell are heavier so you can’t do a wheelie.”
The bikes he sells are geared for riders who just want to be transported safely to their destination, he said. Surf City Beach Cruisers even has financing available on one model to help low-income people who need an e-bike to get to work or school.
Attorney James Johnson recently paid a visit to Surf City Beach Cruisers and met with Erik Flowers to talk about his efforts and also asked him about helmet safety.
Surf City Beach Cruisers now sells multi-sport helmets that are specifically designed to protect e-bike riders who travel at higher speeds.
These bikes travel fast and a helmet that is not NTA-8776 certified might be unsafe to use for e-biking.
Johnson, has represented injured cyclists over the years at his law firm. These clients often can suffer major head injuries, fractured bones, and in some cases a death. It’s always worse when the rider doesn’t wear a helmet, but a regular bike helmet is not enough to protect your head on an e-bike.
Unfortunately, you are not legally required to wear a helmet in California on a bicycle or Class 1 or 2 e-bike unless you are 17 or younger, he added.
“Only people riding a Class 3 e-bike, moped, or motorcycle are required to wear a helmet,” Johnson said.
We hope that this article was informative, but if you have additional questions please contact Surf City Beach Cruisers or Johnson Attorneys Group.
Johnson Attorneys Group is a personal injury law firm serving clients who are injured in California due to a negligent motorist. If you would like to contribute any information or have legal questions, please call 1-(855) 703-4186 as soon as possible. Our personal injury law firm is a proud, longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
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