Immobilised Bike

[zigzag]

red bike is still there, hmm..

[Jurek]

Cut off the existing lock.
Having liberated your bike, lock the rogue one with your own lock.
Leave a note with a phone number stating that the rogue bike can be liberated for 2x, 3x, whatever, the cost of your rescue lock.
As J said upthread - teach them.

[phantasmagoriana]

(I think) It's entirely theoretical.

However, a friend of mine with anxiety issues takes photos of things (gas hobs switched off, fridge door shut, etc) so that he can reassure himself later on that he did remember to do whatever it was.

Going off-topic here, but I'm glad I'm not the only weirdo who does that (I actually take a video when going away for a holiday etc. to reassure myself ).

[Kim]

(I think) It's entirely theoretical.

However, a friend of mine with anxiety issues takes photos of things (gas hobs switched off, fridge door shut, etc) so that he can reassure himself later on that he did remember to do whatever it was.

Going off-topic here, but I'm glad I'm not the only weirdo who does that (I actually take a video when going away for a holiday etc. to reassure myself ).

I have a friend who does this^[1] who's recently expanded to using it as a food/medication diary, as it's more reliable to take a quick photo that you can scroll back through the timeline of later than to faff around forgetting to write things down.

Seems like an excellent use of mainstream technology for assistive purposes   


_{[1] Previous system (which I also think is quite clever) was to think of a random animal every time they locked the door, so they could know they were remembering locking it today and not some previous occasion.}

[Ben T]

The trick is to recognise that the human brain doesn't remember states, it remembers actions.
I can't remember "that the door is locked", because that is a state, but I can remember "locking the door", because that is an action.
I can thus reassure myself with that if I locked it, it will be locked.

[Greenbank]

The trick is to recognise that the human brain doesn't remember states, it remembers actions.
I can't remember "that the door is locked", because that is a state, but I can remember "locking the door", because that is an action.

Similar when swimming and you want to count lengths. You don't count lengths, you count the turns.

[Kim]

I can thus reassure myself with that if I locked it, it will be locked.

Well yes.  But the action of locking a door is about as memorable as the previous dozen actions of locking the door.  Yes you remember locking the door, but was that today or yesterday?  Hence the animals to make each locking a pseudo-unique event.

[zigzag]

did the best i could with what i had. cutting the lock with the grinder was generating too much noise, sparks and attention for my comfort, so i hacksawed the chainstays to liberate my bike. spent another ten minutes munching through the cable lock with my inadequate snippers so i could leave their bike looking like it's locked. chainstays can be easily welded, but i don't think it's worth it for a bso like that. anyway, that's the end of this story.

[Karla]

You're a bad man Zigzag!   

I hope you were wearing gloves 

[Jurek]

Blimey!
That's someone's bike fucked.

[phantasmagoriana]

Blimey!
That's someone's bike fucked.

Quite. I wouldn't really call it a BSO, either (I think it's a Raleigh Pioneer? Used to have one, good solid commuting bike). I hope it's not someone's main/only means of transport.

[ElyDave]

so in case of you being somewhat inconvenienced, you destroy their bike?  Lock seems fair game, but the bike seems OTT to me

[zigzag]

easy guys, the stays can be welded back together again, nothing else was damaged or "destroyed".

[grams]

No one is going to pay (or even think) to get that welded. You’ve completely fucked that bike. Congratulations!

[tom_e]

Looking back at the original photo, I just don't believe that's an accident.  Old bike, but good lock, which just 'happens' to be straight onto the other bike and doesn't even touch the stand.  And then not touched the whole of the next day, during the working week.  I think you've done right.

[zigzag]

No one is going to pay (or even think) to get that welded. You’ve completely fucked that bike. Congratulations!

it's their choice (provided the bike wasn't just abandoned, which might have been the case judging by non functioning brakes). cheers!

[zigzag]

Looking back at the original photo, I just don't believe that's an accident.  Old bike, but good lock, which just 'happens' to be straight onto the other bike and doesn't even touch the stand.  And then not touched the whole of the next day, during the working week.  I think you've done right.

i still think it's 50/50, but either way i didn't have much choice. it took me good ten minutes to grind the lock off my bike this morning, which i wouldn't have been able to do in the dark, cold and rain last night.

[ElyDave]

easy guys, the stays can be welded back together again, nothing else was damaged or "destroyed".

If someone had cut through the tubes of my bike due to a mistake on my part I'd be mighty pissed off, and if I knew who might even consider a small claims court. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I think zigzag's actions are 'robust' but defensible.

[zigzag]

easy guys, the stays can be welded back together again, nothing else was damaged or "destroyed".

If someone had cut through the tubes of my bike due to a mistake on my part I'd be mighty pissed off, and if I knew who might even consider a small claims court.

so, what would be the righteous way of getting your bike back? i've asked here in advance, but no one came up with a suitable solution. i could have resolved it without posting here, but discussion on contentious matters takes us towards clarity and truth (sometimes).

[Greenbank]

There's some useful info amongst the chaff over at LFGSS: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/216638/

The act of bitch-locking itself is criminal damage ("damage includes temporary impairment or temporary loss of use" - CPS - R v. Fiak (2005))

Given this I wouldn't have any problem cutting the bike if I thought it was just being used as a device to steal my bike. Ideally I would prefer to just cut their locks but that may not be possible and so cutting the bike is the last resort.

heard back from the Cycle Task Force just now on the emailer:

"
though we would like to help we do not have the cutting equipment necessary to cut locks as we are pre dominantly a proactive investigation unit.

If the circumstances suggested do occur I suggest you contact the Police to let them know what you are doing and seeing if the Fire Brigade or Local Builders Hire shop can assist with the removal of the locks.
"

Other suggestions included optionally taking the other bike to the local police station if you have cut all of its locks off.

[ElyDave]

easy guys, the stays can be welded back together again, nothing else was damaged or "destroyed".

If someone had cut through the tubes of my bike due to a mistake on my part I'd be mighty pissed off, and if I knew who might even consider a small claims court.

so, what would be the righteous way of getting your bike back? i've asked here in advance, but no one came up with a suitable solution. i could have resolved it without posting here, but discussion on contentious matters takes us towards clarity and truth (sometimes).

I'm not going to engage with this any further, I've told you why I think you were wrong to take the action you did, and further discussion will not change that

[zigzag]

I'm not going to engage with this any further, I've told you why I think you were wrong to take the action you did, and further discussion will not change that

thanks for sharing your opinion (i've looked above but couldn't find your advice..)

[Ben T]

The trick is to recognise that the human brain doesn't remember states, it remembers actions.
I can't remember "that the door is locked", because that is a state, but I can remember "locking the door", because that is an action.

Similar when swimming and you want to count lengths. You don't count lengths, you count the turns.

Interesting...! my issue there is I think with premature incrementation of the counter, i.e. after this one, I'll have done 6. Did I say I'd soon have done 6, or I've done 6 already?!

[Ben T]

I can thus reassure myself with that if I locked it, it will be locked.

Well yes.  But the action of locking a door is about as memorable as the previous dozen actions of locking the door.  Yes you remember locking the door, but was that today or yesterday?  Hence the animals to make each locking a pseudo-unique event.

Locking the door was perhaps a bad example as yes you're right, it's so unmemorable... but for me that also means it's automatic, so I rest in the knowledge that I probably did do it because I do it out of instinct.

But still not sure how an animal helps this. If I remember locking it with animal "squirrel", for example, how do I know that "squirrel" relates to today, and not yesterday? Does the animal's name have to begin with the same letter as the day of the week, for example?