Vincent Vega-"It would be worth them doing it if I caught them doing it."

[spindrift]

My fault, my fault I know. Left my Trek outside Starbucks, up from St Martin's In The Fields when I went to the National Gallery last Friday. An insane weekend meant I couldn't go back to get it till this morning, as I approached I stopped myself from getting my keys ready. "If you do that you're tempting fate and it'll  be nicked. "


Hurrah!

 It was still there, I was so pleased, then as I wheeled it from the stand I realised some chuffing knobber had booted the back wheel in. This is a very public place, highly visible but still out of the way.  Not possibly in anyone's way, locked to the stand.

What pleasure would they get from that? Brick Lane bikes specialse in fixies so they only have 700 wheels, Daycocks are replacing it for £70 so I have to schlep down Bethnal Green again this afternoon.

I have alerted Interpol, The Foreign Legion and The Womens' Institute, but I would have paid seventy notes just to catch the slack-jawed goggle-eyed mouth-breathing sofa crevice fondlers in the act.

If anyone says I shouldn't have left it so long I shall burst into tears.


Nicking it, I could understand, and I don't anthropomorphise my bike but why would they do that to her?

[Kathy]

Maybe they've met you?

 

[spindrift]

Maybe they've met you?

 

You're dead to me.

[border-rider]

... but why would they do that to her?

It was that Boris Johnson, I expect

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

It's not your fault for leaving it so long. You could have left it for ten minutes and come back to find it done. It's entirely and wholly the fault of whoever did it.

Also, something less sympathetic and more amusing in keeping with the other replies.

[ChrisO]

It's nasty mindless vandalism... your back wheel will have been just one of a dozen things that idiot pissheads will have decided to wantonly damage in the area over the weekend.

If you would vandalise a phone booth, or a car, or a bus shelter, why not a bike ?

At least the worst you were expecting didn't happen.

[spindrift]

I can't believe nobody saw it happen, and I'd like to think I'd intervene* if I saw someone doing that to a defenceless bike. It's dispiriting, not gonna riff on declining standards and how there was much less violence during the war but it's sooo pointless and depressing.

It's the West End, crazy stuff happens, but I prefer smiley stories like a friend who left her Pashley on Gerrard Street for one Saturday night.

When she returned to the bike, in her front basket she found one stiletto, an empty beer bottle and a black bra. All you need for a fun night in Soho.



* Get medievel on their sorry axx.

[Jaded]

There were loads of bent, abandoned bikes in Amsterdam.

[hellymedic]

You have my sympathy.
30 years ago (before D Locks were common), I left a bicycle locked close to the university while I went off to do a shift with Nightline.
I double locked the bike, which was there when I returned.

Thr frame and both wheels were bent beyond repair though.

[LEE]

It's part of modern British culture.  Trash anything nice for no reason.

Note. There is absolutely no meaningful deterrent/punishment to stomping on your bike wheel. 
Nobody is remotely interested (judicial system-wise) that it happened.

If you went to the Police Station and reported it, you would be considered a nuisance.

No Police Officer would do anything more than complete a 'stolen property' form.

There may have been 1000 people watching as your bike was vandalised but nobody would try to stop them or call for help.  They would be afraid of being set upon by the yob(s).

If they did try to stop them they risk walking the tightrope of "reasonable force" and/or being stabbed for the sake of a stranger's bike wheel. It's really not worth it.


Depressed yet?

 

Edit.  In some Middle-East countries they chop a thieve's hand off but that makes it almost impossible to hand-cuff them next time.

[nuttycyclist]

There were loads of bent, abandoned bikes in Amsterdam.

And Copenhagen. 

I watched a lady push her bike down the pavement and knock over the parked bikes in a domino fashion.  She looked down at them then walked off.  No local challenged her.  It was a busy pavement with many pedestrians.

[duncan]

I would report it if I were you. If enough people report problems like this maybe those in charge will see there is a problem...

[clarion]

It could be just a holding tactic to stop you taking your bike away.  If you leave your bike locked till you can come back to fetch it, they have more time to have a go at your lock.  Glad you took it away anyway.

I got caught out once.  Only once.

[spindrift]

I thought of that clarion but the lock was over the cross bar and, stupid me, both wheels are quick release, they could have taken both wheels but instead stuck the boot in. Mulling it over, was there a fight and the loser kicked my bike in frustration, was someone dumped by their girlfriend and took it out on the bike, or was it just someone feeling particularly festive?  I bet a month's wages it'll be on CCTV.