Insurance

My bicycle got vandalized many times. I stopped counting. One day I had the idea to stop walking to the railway station, but ride to the station by bicycle, lock it and leave it there, and take the train afterward. This would save time and I could sleep a bit longer in the morning.

The only drawback to this idea was that I had to leave my bike at the station for over nine hours until I returned from work. I was worried if it might get stolen during this time. To test this idea I went to the basement and picked the worst bike I had. It was over thirty years old and rusted. I rode to the station and locked it on the stationary bicycle stand. After that I took the train and went to work as usual.

When I came back nine hours later the bike was still there, but some idiot had cut off the front tyre with a knife. This made me angry, but there was nothing I could do. I left the bike there and walked home.

I was glad I got rid of the bike as it was too old and rusty anyway, but I was amazed about the mathematical side of this. The probability that your bike gets vandalized or stolen at this station was frightening high. To make things worse this was just a very small and peaceful railway station with two tracks where trains pass through, nothing more.

Imagine, I never left a bike at this station before, but on the very day I did, it got vandalized the same day. And this happened with a very old and ugly bike. If you would leave a new bike there it probably would get stolen right away. The probability that this happens was extremely high.

I still bought a new bike, but insured it and used it at another station nearby that was bigger. I locked my bike to a hidden bicycle stands in front of a library and went to work everyday. After some months the lock was broken and the bike was stolen. I went to the police, got a statement for my insurance and I got my money back completely.

Then I bought a new one but never left it at a station anymore. One day I went to the local chess club and left the bicycle in the floor within the building. When I came back it was stolen. Hard to believe, but true. I went to the German police again, got the statement and got the money back from the insurance again.

But this could not go on forever. The police would probably suspect me soon for stealing my own bikes to get the money from the insurance. So I stopped buying new bikes all together. From then on I used old bikes only. They never get stolen, just damaged.