my new bike and communal bike storage rage!

ds30 · June 2007

I've just moved into a new flat in kings cross and am on the 6th floor so the only way to get to the flat is by lift and there's a flat rule of no bike's in the lifts! So they provide bike racks in the underground car park and the rule is that there for everyone to use and no one has a certain space so far so good now most of the bike's have obviously not been used for a while due to the amount of dust which is gathered on them!(which is a bit frustrating as there are only one or two spaces left!) so on my first day after work i manage to find a space which is cool and that space continues to be free for the first week fantastic i think this is spot on what a great facility.........well that was until yesterday i get back and there's a bike in the usual spot so i think no worries not my spot so look for another now there's one free but a lock around the bike rack so look for another none to be found so lock my bike up on the spare one and go home.
So today go down to get my bike and find that the owner of the lock has jammed his bike on the other side of the rack chipped the paint on my brand new bike with his lock scratched the stem and also childishly messed my gears up now his bike is a heap of cr@p and unloved so no point giving it a kick cos they would not notice.
So need help has anyone else had this problem and come up with a suitable revenge or is it best not to stoop to there level and turn the other cheek.
oh and if you happen to be on this forum Mr/Mrs battered red KONA drop me a line and we can arrange to meet up and discuss the finer points of bike rack etiquette.

domtyler · June 2007

You need to find out who this git is and where he lives and where he parks his car. A bit of covert surveillance is in order I feel.

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Porridge not Petrol
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Hot box vaporizers

Eat My Dust · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ds30

suitable revenge or is it best not to stoop to there level and turn the other cheek.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

stoop rhymes with poop. so go and find some dogpoo and smear it around the handlebars. it will probably take the owner a few minutes to realise what it is !!!

SNAPS

BlackandBlue · June 2007

Little to be done with someone who messes your gears up to make a point. They are already suffering a great mental torment.

Ghost Donkey · June 2007

If by some fluke they live in the flat below you just leave all the taps running with the plugs blocked before you go to work. If not, portable angle grinder.

Eat My Dust · June 2007

loosen all the bolts on his bike?

SNAPS

BlackandBlue · June 2007

Misalign his cranks?

ScumOfTheRoad · June 2007

ds30 - take your bike up in the lift.
At worst you'll get a snotty letter.

I have a similar underground carpark, with frankly useless wheelbender stands.
I once had a bike nicked from there, and the police told me it happens all the time in these types of car park. Thieves follow people in, either via doors or when cars come in. They are then left to roam the car park. I once found a set of huge bolt cutters in our bin store - obviously stashed ready for a lock cutting session.
So - either get the bike indoors, or get yourself two big hefty chains.

Anonymous · June 2007

Grease his brake block rims. Loosen a few pins in his chain with chain tools. superglue in the tyre valves. Loosen the stem bolts. Me vindictive? Nahh

ChrisLS · June 2007

...take your bike into your flat...who will know? Are there random inspections?

WyS · June 2007

id keep the bike in the flat.. take the stairs if they give you grief.

The dog **** is a good idea. Smear it everywhere. all in his derailure/chain/cassette/bars et if you can stomache it.

I rode through some on a trail last weekend.. its not pretty.

jonnywilkinson · June 2007

take the bike up the stairs if you are that precious about it. in my experience your bike is always going to be prone to dings and scratches in these kind of shared spaces. and the steps will be good training.

Jonny
FGG #2545 & #2983

The Bosscp · June 2007

I sympathise, as I have a similar situation! There's about 5 sheffield stands end to end parallel to a wall, and you can just about fit a bike between a stand and the wall, but it's a pain in the arse getting it out when there's one in front of the stand. I mostly sort of slot my roadie between two of the stands, seems to work ok with the D-lock on the headtube - fits ok there as some bikes can be moved slightly as they have big chain-style locks. Had the opportunity of getting a proper space the other day but didn't as that space seems to now be being used by a gorgeous looking brand new stumpy.
Although I don't leave my MTB down there - I take it up in the lift. I'd personally recommend you just defy the ban on bikes in the lift, I mean it's not exactly as though they have lift attendants, is it?

It does annoy me the amount of 'broken' or 'half' bikes there are there though. I'm thinking of writing a note to the concierge about it. There's one that has obviously never been ridden and is just a 'spares or repairs' bike as it hasn't even got handlebars or the brakes connected and its tyres are flat. There's also a folding bike - I thought the point of those was that you could store them anywhere, e.g. in a cupboard in your flat...

I hope the people suggesting stooping to the childish level of smearing dog shite over anything aren't actually serious - it's unimaginably nasty and could (and probably will) spread disease to innocent people.

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CyclingIsPermittedAlongThisFootpath GenericPath

ds30 · June 2007

LOL fantastic response's you've made my day can't stop laughing to my self!
(Sorry for delay in replying had to go to a meeting!)

So now i've got a few options i could start a war of attrition and implement all of the above over a 6 month period!
But your advice has made me in too much of a good mood now to be bothered but.... if it happens again i will def have to take action!

In response to the suggestion of taking bike into flat i'd love to but there is a concierge bloke sat in view of the lift and he caught me on the two days i tried it and from what i've gathered he's wields a fair amount of power if you know what i mean!
Got two level 10 locks on it at mo so should be ok but hey if they drive a van in with all the time in the world and some heavy cutting stuff not allot of use!!!
and taking the stairs well i suppose 6 floors would be good training might be risky with clip ons on! (but i do need the training at mo!!)

Jacomus-rides-Gen · June 2007

I had the same situation at uni, in my tiny room I had my three bikes! Slogging the ultr-heavy MTB up 6 floors used to be quite a strain, though it is amazing how quickly you get used to doing it.

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Quote: "25mph is pretty fast when you aren't wearing a car..."

Mister Paul · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by The Boss

I sympathise, as I have a similar situation! <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Except that you can just leave them in your van.

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What we need is a new, national White Bicycle Plan

maryinoxford · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
and taking the stairs well i suppose 6 floors would be good training
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

How about taking the stairs one floor to get past the concierge, then getting the lift?
Or, if you're renting, write to the landlord pointing out that you took the place on the understanding that there was adequate provision for cycles. Now it's clear they defrauded you. So either go for rent reduction, or permission to use the lift.

The older I get, the better I used to be.

Eat My Dust · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by maryinoxford
[br
How about taking the stairs one floor to get past the concierge, then getting the lift?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Give that girl a medal, I would have never thought of that in a zillion years!!

SNAPS

ds30 · June 2007

very good think thats what you call thinking outside the box.

hairytoes · June 2007

Do you have rights to park a car in the car park?

If so, buy an old knackered trailer (covered/boxed over type), put it in the car park and store your bike in it. Wheel clamp it of course, so it can't be nicked.
Or buy knackered old van, park it, SORN it and use that as a bike store.

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Woolly Mammoths are just cuddly elephants

mazcp · June 2007

Why do they object to bikes in the lift? Do they object to pushchairs and wheelchairs, too? I don't get it.
I think I'd protest by taking the bike in the lift regardless. If anyone complains, politely explain to them what happened to your bike when it was left in the rack. Then something might get done about it.

Brains · June 2007

Just let down a single tyre, so he has to 'fix' the puncture

Stig-OT-Dump · June 2007

Some of the suggestions are downright nasty and dangerous and may leave you feeling cheapened or guilty in the long run. A proper longterm solution would be better than revenge.

However, if revenge is really on your mind, find a dark grease, lubricant or boot polish and smear it on the saddle. The owner will then be left with a funny stain in his or her nether regions.

Mr Celine · June 2007

The offending bike is obviously quite attached to that particular space. So make it even better attached by locking it even more securely with a couple of cheapo D locks. That way your conscience can be clear as you have not damaged the other bike in any way or put anyone's health or safety at risk. And with a suitable vantage point you can laugh at the offending person hacksawing through the locks.[:D]

What is grey and comes in pints?

The Endorser · June 2007

I've heard of various etribution tactics for such a situation-

Used johnnies stretched over the grips.

Dog poo smeared on all contact points.

Class A drugs concealed inside the handlebars, followed by a quick call to the dibble.

Taking one of the pins out of his chain (the average rider hasn't got a clue, so it'll probably write the bike off.

Fill his inner tubes with water - after a few days they'll go flat.

Hacksaw the frame in half.

Slacken off any nuts/bolts hat secure the stem, just enough so he'll get a few miles up the road...

Remove his crank retaining bolts. A few miles/days might be required for the owner to gain full benefit.

Supergue the tyres to the floor.

Undo all his gear adjusters - odds are he won't hve a clue how to fix it.

Steal his inner tubes, but replace the tyres once done.

Slacken a load of spokes off.

Remove his headset bearings.

The list goes on. Make sure you wear gloves to avoid leaving SOCO evidence, and keep an eye out for CCTV, not that i think you should really do any of this, and I only mention them purely in the pursuit of a lighthearted thread!

Taking the moral high ground since 1969

top_bhoy · June 2007

Firstly, take pics of the paint damage to your bike and record the other damage caused by this cretin. Make a record, time/date, description of what happened, etc. Write to the car park management company outlining the current situation of a lack of bike facilities and request for additional ones to be installed. Highlight the fact that existing bikes have gathered so much dust and it is improbable that they have been used recently - question if their owners still reside within the premises.

The other option to follow up in parallel is to do damage to this other bike but I think this will only lead to further damage to your bike in the longer term - I wouldn't recommend it. Short term, try taking the bike in the lift. As long as the lift isn't full and people avoiding oily chains - it would be a real misery guts to complain about a bike in the lift.

This is my bike:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure001.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure002.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure003.jpg

Cunobelin · June 2007

Be honest, upright and ..........devious

Someone has been tampering with your bike - a serious issue

report it to the landlord, then it is your moral duty to inform other cyclists of the problem. - put up a laminated A4 sign asking if anyone saw anything suspicious or actually tampering with the bikes.

You can also use "pipe lagging" to protect the frame when parked.

He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.
(Unattributed Trad.)

my new bike and communal bike storage rage!

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