For the second time in ten days, the Wheel & Sprocket bicycle shop has been hit by middle-of-the-night break-in burglars who stole expensive bicycles.

The store manager believes the bad guys in burglary number two were the same guys who smashed a glass door and took even costlier bikes in burglary number one.

“100% the same two guys,” says general manager Gretchen Brauer. “Same clothing, same size, same break-the-glass and grab the bikes” from the Davis Street store.

The first burglary was on December 4, at around 3:30 AM. Three bikes, valued at nearly $15,000, were stolen. The store then covered the smashed door glass with a board.

The latest break-in was December 13, around 4 AM. The burglars smashed the other intact glass door and made off with two bicycles worth $1,500.

Surveillance video, Brauer says, shows the two thieves “riding off” on the stolen goods.

She also says these are “steal-to-order” burglaries, and not just teenagers looking for a joy ride on a bike in the wee hours of the morning.

Wheel & Sprocket now has two boarded up front doors. They have been painted black so they don’t look as unattractive as plain brown wood.

The store is also looking into upgraded security.

Jeff Hirsh joined the Evanston Now reporting team in 2020 after a 40-year award-winning career as a broadcast journalist in Cincinnati, Ohio.