Warning: Eugene, OR

gfstryder · October 10, 2016

I will start by stating that we love Eugene, Oregon. However, if you are traveling with a bike be warned that bike theft is rampant. In fact, we were told that Eugene ranks amongst the highest bike theft rates, per capita, in the USA.

We stayed 1 night in the Valley River Mall, a boondocking area near a bike trail. The mall welcomes RVers, is well lighted, and is patrolled by a security car 24/7.

I have a "bombproof" lock on my bike and bike rack. It turned out that my lock worked perfectly. However, no bike lock can prevent a thief from removing the front fork and handlebar of a bike. So when I woke up in the morning I discovered that my bike frame was still on the bike rack attached to my lock, my rear tire was messed with but remained on the bike rack, and my rear de-railers were bent. But the entire front end of my bike was gone. The estimates to repair the bike almost equaled the cost of a new bike.

The interesting thing was that, according to other people I met, the next night in Armitage Park Campground, 5-6 bikes were stolen. Coburg, OR is 5 miles north of Eugene.

I can't recommend avoiding Eugene in your travels. However, if you have bike(s), either bring them into your rig at night or camp far away from the city.