I have had enough of London!
gt-arrowhead
Posts: 2,507
Wake up in the morning, and its nice warm day with no clouds in sight anywhere. A perfect opportunity for me to get out on the bike. So i leave my house and ride for literally about 2-3 minutes from my house down the usual road that i go down to get to the trail. I notice 2 people no less than 18 years old sitting on a wall infront of a house, with the bikes in the front garden. I didnt think nothing of it as i didnt even look directly at them as i went past which is always the most sensible thing to do. I just naturally looked at them as soon as i turned into the road. I didnt think nothing of it at all.
So im cycling along at a steady pace and after about a minute after i pass the pair who were sitting on the wall all i hear from behind me is "Yo" I look back and i see them both cycling towards me very quickly. At this point im thinking "my 250 odd quid build, barely a month old. No. Effing. Way." And i start to pedal for my bloody life in an attempt to lose them, but it was no good as they already had the momentum on me and there was two of them. I stopped after about 10 seconds when they were on either side of me. So i thought it have a go at trying to talk my way out of it.
One person did most of the talking, he began to ask me where i got my bike from, and he looked at his friend and said "Oi bruv i swear dats your bike...yehhhh blud it is init" and he obviously said "yeah man". I told him that it was a custom build that i made with my own money and he called me a liar. He said i didnt look like a builder :?: After many attempts at him (the person i mentioned doing the most talking) trying to say that its his mates bike he told me to get off the bike. I had to start saying "allow me, what do you want from me, i havent done anything, why are you doing this to me?" all of that sort of stuff. He started questioning the bike, asking what it was. He said it looked "different".
Eventually his mate said to him "nah just leave him, let him go" but he wasnt having it. Luckily he eventually gave in and he threatened to "mash me up" if i ever ran away again. He wasnt very pleased about that.
Today was my lucky day, but it was also the last straw...all i wanted was just to have a nice bike ride out on a good day, but imbeciles like the two i encountered today have just made cycling for me a nightmare. I had an incident similar to this 4-5 months ago, where i was talking to a mate on the side of the MAIN ROAD in broad daylight and i got swamped by about literally no less than 20 people. They didnt mess around. One took the seat post off the frame and others tried snatching it out of my hand. I wasnt letting go and they threatened to pull a knife on me! :shock: As soon as they said that a police car drove past and they all legged it. I got my seat back aswell. On a side not guess what the police did. Jack shyte!!! They didnt even do so much as notice a younger person with a bike being swamped by a bunch of "hoodies".
And im scared to even report it to the police because both incidents happened so close to where i live they would probably have seen me go in or out of my house a few times and recognize me. Id rather just leave it be. The police wont do anything anyway as there is no evidence.
As someone that is very interested and treasures bikes i have just had enough of living in London. It is an absolute nightmare...i hate it!
Rant over.
Im assuming this sort of stuff doesnt or very very rarely happens anywhere else in the UK...
So im cycling along at a steady pace and after about a minute after i pass the pair who were sitting on the wall all i hear from behind me is "Yo" I look back and i see them both cycling towards me very quickly. At this point im thinking "my 250 odd quid build, barely a month old. No. Effing. Way." And i start to pedal for my bloody life in an attempt to lose them, but it was no good as they already had the momentum on me and there was two of them. I stopped after about 10 seconds when they were on either side of me. So i thought it have a go at trying to talk my way out of it.
One person did most of the talking, he began to ask me where i got my bike from, and he looked at his friend and said "Oi bruv i swear dats your bike...yehhhh blud it is init" and he obviously said "yeah man". I told him that it was a custom build that i made with my own money and he called me a liar. He said i didnt look like a builder :?: After many attempts at him (the person i mentioned doing the most talking) trying to say that its his mates bike he told me to get off the bike. I had to start saying "allow me, what do you want from me, i havent done anything, why are you doing this to me?" all of that sort of stuff. He started questioning the bike, asking what it was. He said it looked "different".
Eventually his mate said to him "nah just leave him, let him go" but he wasnt having it. Luckily he eventually gave in and he threatened to "mash me up" if i ever ran away again. He wasnt very pleased about that.
Today was my lucky day, but it was also the last straw...all i wanted was just to have a nice bike ride out on a good day, but imbeciles like the two i encountered today have just made cycling for me a nightmare. I had an incident similar to this 4-5 months ago, where i was talking to a mate on the side of the MAIN ROAD in broad daylight and i got swamped by about literally no less than 20 people. They didnt mess around. One took the seat post off the frame and others tried snatching it out of my hand. I wasnt letting go and they threatened to pull a knife on me! :shock: As soon as they said that a police car drove past and they all legged it. I got my seat back aswell. On a side not guess what the police did. Jack shyte!!! They didnt even do so much as notice a younger person with a bike being swamped by a bunch of "hoodies".
And im scared to even report it to the police because both incidents happened so close to where i live they would probably have seen me go in or out of my house a few times and recognize me. Id rather just leave it be. The police wont do anything anyway as there is no evidence.
As someone that is very interested and treasures bikes i have just had enough of living in London. It is an absolute nightmare...i hate it!
Rant over.
Im assuming this sort of stuff doesnt or very very rarely happens anywhere else in the UK...
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I used to live in London and aspects of it used to get me down. There are rough parts in every city, but the difference is that, in London, it is so bloody expensive to live in a "nice" part. I now live in a pretty town in Yorkshire surrounded by some of the best trail riding in the country, the people are nice, the schools are excellent and there is virtually no crime. And my three-bed house cost me less than, say, a ropey ex-council flat in a ropey part of SE London.
Of course, London has its attractions, its cultural life and its job opportunities, but I do believe that a better quality of life is to be had in the countryside, if you aren't in a profession that requires you to live in London.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools
It's a hard knock life, living in a gangsters paradise. Etc. And ting. Is it?
Say what?
Its not all good round here either. I swear a cow gave me a threatening look this morning.
I was out enjoying a ride when I was stopped by 3 yoofs, they threatened to throw me off the bridge if I tried to ride away again then they hit me (or rather my bike helmet?) a few times and made me empty my pockets, thankfully they had no idea that my bike was a custom built DMR and weren't interrested in it, there was no way I was letting it go.
An hour later I was front passenger in a police car searching for the scrotes. The Police later caught them and I got my phone and wallet back. There was, however, no punishment. I wonder if the reason the coppers don't often chase crimes like this is because the legal system ties their hands to an extent and a slapped wrist is as harsh as it gets.
I think you did well buddy, these days you can't be sure what they might be packing, they could have a knife or a piece.
There are worse cities. There's Liverpool which is just a strange tribute to the Beatles. Or Birmingham which is full of Brummies. Or worse than both of them put together is Bath, a city which is inhabited entirety by estate agents and BMW salesmen.
2015 Giant Anthem 27.5 SX - Weekend riding
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Was it one of these ones?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... avUpD_IjVY
If i were out of secondary education, there isnt a hope in hell id be in London. The only time id go uni in London is if it has major benefits for me, for example if it were the only uni that offered what i want. But im quite far away from that stage at the mo.
I find it ridiculous that the police didnt do anything. What an absolute joke!!! I would have gone ape shyte if all they did is just get the phone and wallet back and thats all...
I know what you mean about handing your bike over. If someone stopped me and said "give me your bike or ill stab you" id be like "well stab me then....im not giving it to you" I was actually quite surprised that they didnt mug me for anything else. My phone was very obviously in my pocket as i was wearing jeans. The shape was visible. I was considering to dial 999 when i saw them behind me and just not say anything and let them listen to the whole thing.
Or i could have given them my bike because the actually offered me his quite obviously stolen carrera in exchange for my Chucker...he tried taking me for a fool saying it was better than my bike...then i could have went round the corner, phoned the police to come and look around the area for them and catch them on my bike. I have proof that it is my bike because i have several pictures of it as the build progressed.
Talking your way out of it is always the best way to do it in my opinion. And being a bit stubborn is always good. It stalls them a bit. If i wasnt stubborn the other time they would have cycled off well before the police car drove past. Brown tonguing is also a good thing to do rather than giving them attitude and stuff.
Where you live sounds perfect to me. Ive always wanted to live in a small countryside town where everyone just knows eachother and get along, and with no crime, and nice places to ride bikes.
GT Arrowhead
GT Chucker XS1
Raleigh Mirage (Commuter)
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools
My sister had a £100k salary job in London (and is now mortgage free at just 2 years older than me), but that wouldn't be enough to get me to move there.
Maybe they just thought you were pleased to see them...
More likely they would've just nicked you for receiving stolen property - another crime detected toward their targets, with no need to get off their overpaid arses or do any work...
Thats a good point, but wouldnt my obvious evidence of ownership of the bike (and i would be the only owner as its a custom build, again with pictures as evidence of the build) show that the Chucker would be mine, and Carrera that i would have had was abandoned by one of the thieves?
And about that phone...lol! i dont have a pocket on my boxers, and my gentlemans sausage doesnt become a cuboid shape with rounded corners when errect.
GT Arrowhead
GT Chucker XS1
Raleigh Mirage (Commuter)
Seriously, don't do this.
I'm sure some internet toughman will be along to say that you should fight them to the death and not give in, blah, blah, blah. But get insurance, document/photograph what you've got. If it gets nicked it gets nicked and then it gets replaced by your insurance.
A bike is not worth dying for. If you genuinely think someone is willing to use a knife against you then just hand over the bike and let them go.
"As I said last time, it won't happen again."
+1 for life
You should pounce on them and rip their throats out with your teeth like a rabid dog
Genesis Volare 853 viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=13020702&p=19589281#p19589281
so, you watched hot fuzz the other night as well?
Iron Horse Ojiki
Carrera Kraken
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