Several bicycles stolen from homes in Museum District

HOUSTON – As an Ironman triathlete, Jerry Akin can't compete without a bicycle.

"I've traveled internationally with it as well as around the United States and never had a problem," he said. "One of the most prized possessions of a triathlete is his bicycle."

It's a prized possession and a pricey one. Akin just moved back to Houston six weeks ago and took care to make sure the bike was safe in his home on Arbor Street.

"We put it high on the wall, bolted it with a security chain," Akin said. "I thought it would be safe as it could be here."

But apparently it wasn't.

"I came home Thursday night opened the garage door and that was the first thing I noticed. The bike was gone," Akin said.

Akin isn't the only recent victim. On a Facebook page, Stolen Bike Hunt Houston, others in the Museum District and Midtown areas post pictures of their newly-missing bikes many stolen from garages.

Surveillance cameras did not catch the burglar in action.

Pawn shops say they don't generally pay for bikes because they are likely to be stolen property so the thief may try to sell the bicycle for scrap.