Bike Vandals in Bristol

dav1

I have just been speaking to a colleague who was asking for tips and advice on bike repair after it was struck by vandals. I am utterly disgusted by this story and thought It should be posted in the hope awareness will lead to these people being caught.

The bike (a basic every-day machine) was left parked on railings overnight where many other bikes are parked (i do not know the area where this happened). As far as they could tell theirs was the only one targeted (and the only one with a child seat).

The damage is as follows:

Top Cap removed and stolen
Stem bolts loosened
Brakes disconnected
Front and rear mech cables loosened
Seat collar loosened
Wheel QRs loosened

I cannot for the life of me see how this was done for any other reason then to cause harm. No components were stolen other then the top-cap.

It's things like this that make you lose all faith in humanity, I hope that the idiots that did this are caught before they actually manage to hurt someone.

rolf_f

Sounds like drunk students rather than vandals. No actual damage done and the loosening of the bolts done in such a way as to make it very obvious that the bike has been tampered with - pinching the top cap might have been deliberate to make it more obvious. Can't condone it but stuff happens and bikes are obviously vulnerable. Any rider really ought to be able to fix that tampering in a couple of minutes - it's the stuff you should be checking on a regular basis anyway.

Certainly - there is nothing you've described that needs to be 'repaired'.

Long_Time_Lurker

To be honest I'm not suprised. I wouldn't risk leaving my bike overnight in a city centre - even alongside other bikes.
The last time I did it (with a rat bike in Southampton), I came back to find that someone had jumped up and down on the wheels.

DrLex

Agree with both Rolf F and LTL; the perpetrator may have mistaken the bike for one belonging to a mate and I'd not even risk my pub bike overnight in a city centre. Vandals would have bent wheels, slashed tyres, taken components etc.

daddy0

Considering it had a child seat on the bike this made me feel sick to read. What if the bike belonged to a mother who didn't notice that everything was lose who then strapped he child in and went to ride off... (I'm a dad to a 10 month old and mummy is about to start riding with the little one).

Having said that, I wouldn't leave a bike locked up outside any more. Society has degenerated to the point that anything left outside is bound to be defaced or destroyed.

mbthegreat

Friend of mine had his brake pads removed while the bike was tied up overnight. Did not end well.

father_jack

Read about the story this bloke went around the world on a bike, to third world countries, war torn countries, middle east, africa, somalia etc. First day back in UK his bike gets stolen.

Lovely place the UK.

dav1

It is just a good job they could see that the bike had been tampered with.
They are not a keen cyclist with a small bike fleet and a workshop in the garage, just someone that uses a bike to get to work and back. Their only option now is to go without the bike for the week until it can be taken back to the LBS to be set up again.

I know its not ideal to leave a bike outside because people may damage/nick it. The thing that bothers me is that people have done this knowing they are turning the bike into a deathtrap, and have clearly made the effort of carrying tools and taking some time to do it. As stated above, this is made even more sickening by the fact the bike has a child-seat! This thread is motivated by my disgust at these low-life idiots above anything else.

rolf_f

Dav1 wrote:

It is just a good job they could see that the bike had been tampered with.
They are not a keen cyclist with a small bike fleet and a workshop in the garage, just someone that uses a bike to get to work and back. Their only option now is to go without the bike for the week until it can be taken back to the LBS to be set up again.

How could you not spot that it had been tampered with given that the seatpost clamp had been undone? Honestly, if they'd just undone the stem bolts and loosened the top cap a bit, then you could easily set off and not discover a problem until you had to turn sharply - that really would be potentially lethal. What was done to your colleagues bike would be impossible not to spot.

It isn't a case of not being a keen cyclist with a workshop. All that has been done could be fixed in two minutes with a very basic multi-tool. If you rely on a LBS to fix to stuff at that level, then you haven't given yourself the understanding of the bike to know when it is and isn't safe to ride.

Now look at the pic below. That is the back of my Cycle Licence from Harlow District Council telling me what I should do to check my bike. I was eight when I got that (back in 76!). I wasn't going around adjusting my cones at the time (!) but it did make it clear that it was my responsibility to make sure that my bike was fit to use. The only thing you listed that requires anything beyond the most basic knowledge is the top cap and stem and that really only wants a quick look at a Youtube vid. I'm not trying to be mean - just to point out that you should be capable of a bit of basic stuff that you might need to fix even without someone tampering with your bike. And people need to take a bit of responsibility on themselves - ie to check the stuff listed on the back of my cycle licence!

The Rookie

From previous posts, DDD wouldn't be able to fix that!

I wonder if it wasn't vandelism but attempted theft, they were planning on stripping the parts and got disturbed.

After all with a few of allen keys you can have £100+ pounds worth of parts off a bike and no risk from the frame number being traced.

d87francis

The Beginner wrote:

From previous posts, DDD wouldn't be able to fix that!

I wonder if it wasn't vandelism but attempted theft, they were planning on stripping the parts and got disturbed.

After all with a few of allen keys you can have £100+ pounds worth of parts off a bike and no risk from the frame number being traced.

Attempted theft was exactly my first thoughts when I read the OP. They may have undone the parts to return the next day and remove them with ease.

IanLD

Same here. Does sound more like a bike getting prep'd for quick removal of components.