So angry - locked bike

secretsam

Not a happy bunny this morning

Get to Marylebone, lovely crisp morning, looking forward to a quick blast down the Euston Road, unlock bike, go to move it...and find that the tw*t on the other side of the bike rack has not only locked his bike to the rack, but also mine. So I'm locked to some £50 piece of Universal sh!t.

Absolutely furious. Really, really angry about this. Just so thoughtless to not be careful when locking up.

Was tempted to let his tyres down or something, but then he might attack my bike. Wanted to leave a note, but no paper and pen. So headed off, took the tube. That bike had better be gone tonight.

Thanks, mate, whoever you are, you've cost me £3 of my hard earned and spoilt a lovely morning.

rolf_f

Better spend a couple more quid on a hacksaw just in case it is still there tonight......

lastant

Almost did this myself this morning actually - got to the gym, locked my bike up to the usual spot (next to a rusting green bike that's been there months, not used), looked at it and thought it looked a little bit odd. Took a while to realise I'd done wheels on both bikes.

First time it's happened, but definitely something I'll check before walking off in future!

ex-pat scot

Be careful. It can be a ploy to steal yours.

Basically, if someone else has locked your bike up as well, then you are powerless to cycle away, and they can come at their leisure to steal it.

Hopefully that's not the case, but I'd be a bit wary until I get the bike!

always_tyred

Lock your bike to his and leave a phone number for him to call.

DanielCoffey

Can the police be of any official help in situations like this? Obstruction etc?

will3

This is almost as funny as the time my wife went to work with both sets of keys locking me in the house

_Brun_

will3 wrote:

This is almost as funny as the time my wife went to work with both sets of keys locking me in the house

Did she leave the gas on as well?

MonkeyMonster

and screwed down all the windows?

will3

MonkeyMonster wrote:

and screwed down all the windows?

I have no idea, I was handcuffed to the bed*





*that might be a lie

lost_in_thought

Gah, so irritating. Someone did that to my bike on the lamppost outside my old work, so I locked my bike to his and the lamppost and left a note for him to knock on the glass door and ask for Olivia if he wanted his bike unlocked.

He did, and got a piece of my mind to boot. Hopefully he'll be more careful in future. Sure, it was a mistake, but I always check, and now I think he will too.

Another irritation is people locking their bike over yours, so it goes lamppost (or whatever) your bike their bike. Someone did that to me twice, not locking my bike to theirs but it was a right @rse to get mine. They also got a little note. Passive-aggresive, anyone? :oops:

Oddjob62

Be careful. There have been cases of people locking POS bikes to nice bikes to make people think that it was done by mistake. Friday is ideal as a lot of people will leave it over the weekend, giving the scumbags all weekend to come back and cut your lock.

I had someone do an even less subtle tactic of just sticking a u-lock in addition to mine. Luckily some kind PCSOs were coming past, sourced a hacksaw from somewhere nearby and helped my cut the offending lock off

will3

Oddjob62 wrote:

Be careful. There have been cases of people locking POS bikes to nice bikes to make people think that it was done by mistake. Friday is ideal as a lot of people will leave it over the weekend, giving the scumbags all weekend to come back and cut your lock.

I had someone do an even less subtle tactic of just sticking a u-lock in addition to mine. Luckily some kind PCSOs were coming past, sourced a hacksaw from somewhere nearby and helped my cut the offending lock off

That's a genius way of getting a PCSO to help you nick a bike:
Put an extra lock on, claim the other lock is someone else's and hey presto get help to remove the original.
Nice

secretsam

Well, I've locked my bike back up so hopefully I can resolve it, but will have words with station staff if it's still trapped tonight - and I may lock the other bike as well just to make sure (leaving a note this time).

Oddjob62

will3 wrote:

That's a genius way of getting a PCSO to help you nick a bike:
Put an extra lock on, claim the other lock is someone else's and hey presto get help to remove the original.
Nice

Well it did help my case that it was locked right in front of the door to my office, and i'd already reported it to the local police station.

nigeve

Might I wrongly suggest your hire some bolt cutters… Might cost you £10 but the warm glow of satisfaction will stay with you for the entire winter…

:twisted:

phil_ss1

Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it!

Specialized Needs

phil_ss1 wrote:

Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it!

I was about to suggest this - in a community spirited kind of way (after all, you don't want to leave the poor sod's bike unlocked if it was a genuine mistake). An alternative would be to drop it off at the local police station - is there a BTP office in Marylebone Station? I know that Belgravia police station receives a fair number of bikes which have been cut off railings near parliament by police.

secretsam

duncedunce wrote:

phil_ss1 wrote:

Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it!

I was about to suggest this - in a community spirited kind of way (after all, you don't want to leave the poor sod's bike unlocked if it was a genuine mistake). An alternative would be to drop it off at the local police station - is there a BTP office in Marylebone Station? I know that Belgravia police station receives a fair number of bikes which have been cut off railings near parliament by police.

BTP are usually knocking around, usually plastic plods, those uplifted traffic wardens

But yes, the lock them to it is an option, have a crappy lock at home

dodgy

I'd be down there right now removing that lock, odds on your bike is targeted for theft.

DanielCoffey

So... did you get your bike back safely?

bill_gates

I'd like to know the outcome of this, I have a fear of this occurring to me and would want to know how to handle the situation.

will3

Bill Gates wrote:

I'd like to know the outcome of this, I have a fear of this occurring to me and would want to know how to handle the situation.

Surely a man of your means would just buy a new bike.

bill_gates

will3 wrote:

Bill Gates wrote:

I'd like to know the outcome of this, I have a fear of this occurring to me and would want to know how to handle the situation.

Surely a man of your means would just buy a new bike.

Of course I would but charity begins at home.

gtvlusso

This is where a bettery powered angle grinder comes in handy.......if anyone ever invents one!

*RRrrrrrrrrrrrrRrrrRrRRRRrrrrrr....chink* - Job done.

Although personally, I would grind through the tw*ts frame......He won't lock it to another bike again!

Maxticate

If it's an ally frame you would be through it in seconds with a hand powered hacksaw anyway. No need for a grinder.

ravey1981

gtvlusso wrote:

This is where a bettery powered angle grinder comes in handy.......if anyone ever invents one!

*RRrrrrrrrrrrrrRrrrRrRRRRrrrrrr....chink* - Job done.

Although personally, I would grind through the tw*ts frame......He won't lock it to another bike again!

There is already a battery operated grinder available, i know as some t*@t cut the locks off my garage door with one stealing a 6 week old £2000 bike (which thankfully was insured) and a trials motorbike (which wasn't )

Garage now has a huge steel cage welded inside the doorway with three 5 lever locks, no one is getting past that bad boy!

supersonic

And the thing is, with a bike lock in public, you probably wouldn't even be challenged if you starting hacking away.

craker

I've probably told this tale before, but when I lost the keys to my bike locked up at Bristol Temple Meads I borrowed some cable cutters, told the transport police on the station what I was up to (they grunted and left me to it) and hacked through my lock in 20 or seconds (a most amateur job).

No one batted an eyelid.

AndyManc

supersonic wrote:

And the thing is, with a bike lock in public, you probably wouldn't even be challenged if you starting hacking away.

I might take a photo , depends what they looked like as well, kids hacking through the lock of a 2k bike would also make me call the cops.

If it looked like a cheap hack bike I wouldn't bother. :roll:


.

secretsam

Bike was still locked, spoke to station staff, they were really good but had no tools - but said if it's still a problem monday morning, let them know and they'll remove it during the day (only bikes allowed on station bike racks are those with a tag to show it's a season ticket holder - the offending bike has none, so it can be removed).