Not for One Moment

WesternWay

Almost had my bike nicked last night... Right at the end of my ride and a fish and chip supper beckoned. There is a shop not far from home so I proppped my bike up against their big plate glass window, no queue inside so I thought "it'll be fine". Nervous about it, so kept an eye on the bike, ordered my food, checked again, turned to pay and in the maybe 30 seconds I got a cry from a guy in a council worker "Someone's nicking your bike".

I legged it out of the shop, a couple of guys from the council van also gave chase and so did some from the chippy. My bike was ditched as they ran away so no real harm done, but I was absolutely shocked at hw quickly it went. I know everyone always says "ALWAYS lock it", but blinkin' nora

iPete

Something I love about Europe, people leave their bikes outside shops no problem and when they lock their bikes, its rarely to anything!

Sirius631

I had run out of milk one night, so I had non for breakfast. Not wanting to go shopping before I had eaten, I opted to go to McDonalds. They don't have any cycle racks, but being a small branch with big glass windows, and it being early, I concluded it would be fine to leave my Pinarello FP5 leant up against the window, unlocked.

I know that everyone will say, 'You shouldn't go to McDonalds', and you are right. It's just that I need to fill up my coffee loyalty card. The bike was fine by the way. :P

Chip shops, like off licenses, seem to attract parasitic scum into the evening.

spasypaddy

which shop? the good one or the shit one on the corner next to the odeon?

and mate its barnet, everyone is a scrote round our way. Remember you are 2 streets and a 5mins walk from the dollis valley.

glad it didnt get nicked though

lost_in_thought

I tend to take bikes in with me, people rarely object.

andy83

lost_in_thought wrote:

I tend to take bikes in with me, people rarely object.

+1

if no lock with me bike comes in or i go elsewhere

EKE_38BPM

lost_in_thought wrote:

I tend to take bikes in with me, people rarely object.

]

It must be your pretty face or my ugly one, but in my experience this is not true.

On sunday I was out for a recovery ride and decided to pop into Asda in Southgate to get some hayfever tablets. I didn't have my lock with me so waddled in (I was wearing my SPDs) with my bike. Nodded 'hello' to the bloke on the door handing out baskets (a brain numbing job, I know coz I've done it) and a few other members of staff as I made my way to the aisle with my drug of choice.

Tablets in hand I waddled towards the checkouts and started looking for one with a short queue when some jobsworth security guard says:
"You can't bring that bike in here!"
"Yes I can, I just have."
"You have to leave it outside."
"I haven't got my lock with me so I won't be leaving it outside, unattended. I'm only getting this one item, I'll be out in no-time" By now I'm at the self serve express check-out.
"You have to go to the Customer Service desk." This is right next to the exit so I agree and make my way there, but he is starting to really get on my wick.
There is one customer at the customer service desk, so I start fishing in my pocket for the cash to pay when jobsworth says:
"You have to take the bike outside!"
"Look, there is one customer here, I have the correct change, I'll only be a minute." says I, very annoyed by this point. Jobsworths and hayfever are not a good combination.

At this point a second jobsworth security guard turns up so the first guard has to look hard to his mate. The customer in front of me is now giving me and them funny looks.
"I'm going to get the manager." says SC1
"Go on then." I reply. "By the time the manager arrives I will have paid and left."
"I'll tell the cashier not to serve you then" says SC2

I am now very annoyed and my nose has started to drip (hayfever does that to me). The customer in front of me is now looking at me sympathetically. I square up to SC1 and as I drop the cash for the tablets in his pocket (careful not to touch him to avoid any assault allegations), show him the tablets and tell him pointedly
"These cost a pound, thats a pound in your pocket. I'm now leaving!"
"You can't do that!!" screams SC2
"You've got the money, I've got the product, transaction over." I call back as I walk out and begin to clip in.

As I clip in outside the shop, I look over my shoulder and see SC1 holding SC2 back and he says "Just leave him, let him go." I think he was coming for me!

That is an extreme example of what happens to me when I take my bike into a shop. As I said, LiT must have a pretty face.

Lucky LiT

lost_in_thought

Hmmmm, I'm also extremely apologetic and thankful etc if I am ever asked to remove my bike from a shop, and don't get attitude-y. That also helps.

EKE_38BPM

He came at me with attitude. I responded in the same way.

I'm usually very polite.

Canny Jock

lost_in_thought wrote:

I tend to take bikes in with me, people rarely object.

+ some more, I forgot pants and socks on my morning commute, so rode to M&S on Fenchurch Street, carried the bike up the escalator and into the men's underwear section. Everyone was very friendly, even though I was dripping wet and filthy.

lost_in_thought

EKE_38BPM wrote:

He came at me with attitude. I responded in the same way.

I'm usually very polite.

And it didn't get you anywhere. Now me, I'd have responded with apologies and niceness.

NWLondoner

RULE No1 Don't mess with the security at Asda.

While i do not condone shoplifting i have seen many times the "over the top" force they have subjected petty shoplifters to.

prj45

I used to pop in to the Wasbi on Villiers street holding my bike for a sneaky snack on the way home, but the manageress was there one day and made it quite clear she didn't want my bike in the shop (fair enough really), in fact she was quite shocked.

So I don't go there any more (well, there's that and the food started to get a bit mass produced).

I've always thought supermarkets/shopping centres could offer some sort of bike cage service, either that or widen the aisles so we can ride straight in and around the store.

ndru

@prj45: or you could just lock it to the stand outside like everyone else...

greg66_tri_v2.0

Take the front wheel off, and leave the bike upside down. Most people will think it's fooked.

shouldbeinbed

I know evey milligram of weight matters to some peoole but the weight of a deterrent lock always with you for 2 mins in a shop jaunts vs the upset and hassle of having your bike nicked = no brainer.

and if you know you're going to leaving your bike alone for a bit, its a moments work to swap it for the decent D Lock.

Ironically, the only place I have to take my bike inside cos theres nowhere to lock it to is my local Halfords, the cheapest nastiest bike rack you could imagine that you could wheel around fell to bits through neglect a couple of years back and has never been replaced. First time I took my bike in they looked at me bit puzzed, I grinned, pointed to the bikehut area and said 'well you do it' and kept walking.

Beeblebrox

shouldbeinbed wrote:

I know evey milligram of weight matters to some peoole but the weight of a deterrent lock always with you for 2 mins in a shop jaunts vs the upset and hassle of having your bike nicked = no brainer.

and if you know you're going to leaving your bike alone for a bit, its a moments work to swap it for the decent D Lock.

Ironically, the only place I have to take my bike inside cos theres nowhere to lock it to is my local Halfords, the cheapest nastiest bike rack you could imagine that you could wheel around fell to bits through neglect a couple of years back and has never been replaced. First time I took my bike in they looked at me bit puzzed, I grinned, pointed to the bikehut area and said 'well you do it' and kept walking.

Shouldn't they'd be at all bothered - how else do you get your bike in there to be serviced?

(Or in my case to demand two new tyres after they both blew out within a week)

lost_in_thought

Fluttering your eyelashes at the security guards and asking them very nicely if they'd mind keeping an eye on it for you tends to work for me too. YMMV.

Suerdusty

I manage a shop in a bit of a dodgy area and I will tell customers to bring their bikes in rather than leave them outside. Its amazing how many don't bother with any form of lock!

lae

I once saw someone trying to steal a fixed gear bike. I was on a bus at the time otherwise I would've stopped to help.

Anyway, the young lad hopped on the bike, tried to backpedal to get into a decent position, found that he couldn't and stared at his right foot for a second, decided to scoot along a bit (as the owner was now chasing him), put his feet on the pedals (not in the clips), bucked out of the saddle while he obviously tried to coast, feet slipped off the pedal and he fell off about 10 yards down the road, and then gave up and ran off.



As an aside, I've been thinking of designing and building some sort of steering lock, just with a thumb-lever under the stem or something, so that you can lock the front wheel at 90 degrees to the rear so that the bike can't be ridden or walked away. Useful if you're just popping into a shop or doing a pee in a bush somewhere - someone could carry your bike off, but with the extra weight and hindrance, they wouldn't be able to run very fast.

essex-commuter

Two tips if you HAVE to leave a bike outside a shop briefly and you don't have a lock...

1. Put the chain in the big ring and the small cog, when the scumbag jumps on it he will struggle to pedal it away and that may give you the few extra seconds you need to get out.

2. If you wear a crash helmet, strap it to your fork and round a few spokes of your front wheel, again it will slow down the nicking process.

spasypaddy

the asda in southgate is full of scum, why do you think the security guards act like that? Although ive had the same in tesco in potters bar when i was buying a lucozade as i had bonked. didnt get the lucozade but managed to limp home somehow.

the best one ive had was when my boss asked me to take his watch in for a service, a £15k watch i hasten to add. get to new bond street on my road bike as i was taking it somewhere i could service it (my old store). The security guard tells me he'll ask the manager if i can bring my bike in. Understandably the manager says no (it was a VERY nice shop). But he said that he'd send an extra security guard out the front to stand WITH my bike whilst i was in the shop. So there was a security guard out guarding the front door, and another one a few feet to his right guarding my bike that was leaned up against the shop window.

Booked the watch in, got it booked in. got chatting to the manager of the store. he was a cyclist. kept apologising about me not being able to bring my bike in. I kept telling him it was fine as i knew it was safe with these two MASSIVE security guards on it. As i left the manager gave me a very expensive tie as a thank you for being understanding!

In summary: Expensive watch shop >>>>>>>>> Asda in Southgate

dugliss

spasypaddy wrote:

which shop? the good one or the shoot one on the corner next to the odeon?

and mate its barnet, everyone is a scrote round our way. Remember you are 2 streets and a 5mins walk from the dollis valley.

glad it didnt get nicked though

What one`s the good one then? I live in East Barnet and I don`t know any good ones (but I`m not a scrote!!)

spasypaddy

im in east barnet as well. right by the park near hampden square.

the good one is on the opposite side of the road to the odeon going towards whetstone. Only about a 2 minute walk from the odeon

or theirs friends in friern barnet which is fantastic

chedabob

essex-commuter wrote:

2. If you wear a crash helmet, strap it to your fork and round a few spokes of your front wheel, again it will slow down the nicking process.

Yeah, but then some tw@ can nick your helmet with next to no effort. They'll nick anything if it isn't bolted on.

g00se

spasypaddy wrote:

im in east barnet as well. right by the park near hampden square.

the good one is on the opposite side of the road to the odeon going towards whetstone. Only about a 2 minute walk from the odeon

or theirs friends in friern barnet which is fantastic

I lived in East Barnet for a couple of years - moved out in 2008. The chippy in the village itself was wonderful - but very expensive.

Is the village still all take-aways and hairdressers?

shouldbeinbed

Beeblebrox wrote:

shouldbeinbed wrote:

I know evey milligram of weight matters to some peoole but the weight of a deterrent lock always with you for 2 mins in a shop jaunts vs the upset and hassle of having your bike nicked = no brainer.

and if you know you're going to leaving your bike alone for a bit, its a moments work to swap it for the decent D Lock.

Ironically, the only place I have to take my bike inside cos theres nowhere to lock it to is my local Halfords, the cheapest nastiest bike rack you could imagine that you could wheel around fell to bits through neglect a couple of years back and has never been replaced. First time I took my bike in they looked at me bit puzzed, I grinned, pointed to the bikehut area and said 'well you do it' and kept walking.

Shouldn't they'd be at all bothered - how else do you get your bike in there to be serviced?

(Or in my case to demand two new tyres after they both blew out within a week)

they probably wouldn't be if I was taking my bike in there to be serviced, but I wasn't

dugliss

[

Is the village still all take-aways and hairdressers?[/quote]



The shops in between all the greek grocers are

g00se

The grocers were OK - the one that's been next to that horrible Budgens was always good.

Have the pubs improved any? The Cat and Lantern was OK years ago - before it became that "Village Bar".

SimonAH

The only place I ever lock my bike up is outside my Sainsburies - and even then I lock it up inside the foyer to a bench.

Basically if the bike can't come in with me I take my custom elswhere - buggrem.

OK, different if I was on a massive downhill racer dripping in mud - but the bike is pretty and always spotless.

Even at Sainsburies I used to walk around the store with it every evening on my way home (takes up less room than a trolley...) but they suddenly changed policy and stopped me....... can't go elswhere unfortunately as there's nowhere else for me to shop sensibly.

I've taken my bike into everywhere from estate agents to jewellers, clothes shops to corner shops, hairdressers and into Coffee No1 by Cardiff Central pretty much every weekday morning. I've only had a problem once or twice and smiled and went to an alternative retailer.

Kieran_Burns

So if you're out on a long ride and need to pop into a corner shop for a quick sugar fix.....?