One of the bamboo bikes built by David Wendt of Three Penny Bikes. It was stolen last week.

Last week we told you about three D.C. locals that are building bikes out of an unusual material—bamboo. Well, one of them was stolen last week.

David Wendt of Three Penny Bikes had one of his custom creations stolen in Dupont Circle last week, wrote his wife to a listserv in Mt. Pleasant yesterday: “It was taken during the day, around Dupont. Someone cut through the lock,” she reported. Wendt is offering $200 for the bike’s return, no questions asked.

Wendt isn’t the only bamboo bike builder to have one of his custom steeds stolen. Philip Ankney of District Bamboo Bikes also saw a thief in College Park make off with one of his bikes earlier this year. That bike has stayed local, though—only a few days before interviewing Ankney, I saw a man wearing a Moby Dick House of Kabob hat and t-shirt riding the bike down 14th Street NW.

Bamboo bikes are exceedingly rare—which makes stealing them a stupid proposition. If you happen to see either of these two bikes, feel free to email us.