So angry - locked bike

secretsam
secretsam Posts: 5,098
edited September 2009 in Commuting chat
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.

It's just a hill. Get over it.
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Comments

  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Better spend a couple more quid on a hacksaw just in case it is still there tonight......
    Faster than a tent.......
  • lastant
    lastant Posts: 526
    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!
    One Man and LEJOG : End-to-End on Two Wheels in Two Weeks (Buy the book; or Kindle it!)
  • 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!
    Commute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX

    Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap

    Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire
  • Lock your bike to his and leave a phone number for him to call.
  • Can the police be of any official help in situations like this? Obstruction etc?
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    This is almost as funny as the time my wife went to work with both sets of keys locking me in the house :lol:
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    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 :lol:

    Did she leave the gas on as well?
  • and screwed down all the windows?
    Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
    The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    and screwed down all the windows?

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





    *that might be a lie
  • 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
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    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 :D
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    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 :D

    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
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    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).

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    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.
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • 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:
    Why are you laughing..? I'm not laughing...

    14 year old Rocky Mountain Hammer S, still going strong, now on slicks...
  • Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it! :wink:
  • phil_ss1 wrote:
    Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it! :wink:
    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
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    duncedunce wrote:
    phil_ss1 wrote:
    Buy a cheap lock for when you return and lock their bike to the stand with it! :wink:
    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

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    I'd be down there right now removing that lock, odds on your bike is targeted for theft.
  • So... did you get your bike back safely?
  • 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.


    "I like riding in my car, it's not quite a Jaguar."
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    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.
  • 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. :wink:


    "I like riding in my car, it's not quite a Jaguar."
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    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!
  • 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
    ravey1981 Posts: 1,111
    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
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    And the thing is, with a bike lock in public, you probably wouldn't even be challenged if you starting hacking away.
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    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
    AndyManc Posts: 1,393
    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:


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    Specialized Hardrock Pro/Trek FX 7.3 Hybrid/Specialized Enduro/Specialized Tri-Cross Sport
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  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    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).

    It's just a hill. Get over it.