Author Topic: Some numpty-head locked my bike (Read 6958 times)

Woofage · « **on:** 21 May, 2008, 04:48:50 pm »

This is what I found when I got back to my bike this morning:

(In case you were wondering, mine is not the green one

).

Needless to say I was furious

, so I left a very strongly worded note on his bike and walked home, carrying my shopping in my rucsac and 2 carrier bags rather than comfortably in my panniers.

Greenbank · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 May, 2008, 04:50:53 pm »

And, ironically, the green bike isn't even locked up (although it would require a couple of tools to free it).

Charlotte · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 May, 2008, 04:52:34 pm »

Looks like a crap lock, though. Five seconds with Mr Bolt Cropper and it would be toast.

Just sayin'...

Paul · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 May, 2008, 04:53:06 pm »

I would have been tempted to lock the offender's bike up, and wait for them to return, or leave a note with a number for them to call if they wanted their bike released.

Hello, I am Bruce · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 May, 2008, 04:54:43 pm »

Come back with an allen key and a headset spanner.

Torslanda · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:03:42 pm »

Isn't this a common ruse by people who want your bike?

That bike was locked to yours to make you do just what you did.

Once they saw you walk away they knew they had a free hand with yours.

As has already been pointed out, the green bike isn't locked up at all, a 6mm hex key, a 15mm spanner and some cable cutters would have seen you release your bike and you could grind off the crappy lock at your leisure.

I hate to be a prophet of doom but I would save that photo. You might need it for the insurance company.

J

Paul · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:08:24 pm »

Quote from: torslanda on 21 May, 2008, 05:03:42 pm

Isn't this a common ruse by people who want your bike?

That bike was locked to yours to make you do just what you did.

Once they saw you walk away they knew they had a free hand with yours.

As has already been pointed out, the green bike isn't locked up at all, a 6mm hex key, a 15mm spanner and some cable cutters would have seen you release your bike and you could grind off the crappy lock at your leisure.

I hate to be a prophet of doom but I would save that photo. You might need it for the insurance company.

J

Oh crap - that sounds quite possible. Now you mention it, the green bike does have the look of a decoy about it.

I do hope you're wrong, but ...

dkahn400 · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:10:06 pm »

Quote from: torslanda on 21 May, 2008, 05:03:42 pm

As has already been pointed out, the green bike isn't locked up at all, a 6mm hex key, a 15mm spanner and some cable cutters would have seen you release your bike and you could grind off the crappy lock at your leisure.

Not really. Woofage's bike would still be locked to the Sheffield stand.

Greenbank · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:17:05 pm »

Quote from: dkahn400 on 21 May, 2008, 05:10:06 pm

Not really. Woofage's bike would still be locked to the Sheffield stand.

And by his own lock too hopefully.

It may be a ploy to get you to leave your bike there overnight, where they can come back under the cover of darkness and use large tools to cut off your lock.

But, remember Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Zoidburg · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:33:13 pm »

I would go back and check tonight, I wouldnt leave it there, it is so blindingly obvious that they have locked your bike up on purpose

They might come back with the key to there own lock and and a cordless grinder for yours

Smells fishy to me, you could open that cheap lock with a selection of padlock keys and a bit of raking

mattc · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:33:36 pm »

I'd like to say call the police. However, I see 2 issues:
- they may not consider a crime to have been commited, and it's onlya biike, innit?
- I'm not sure how you could prove you weren't asking them to help nick someone else's bike!

Bummer.

nuttycyclist · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:48:26 pm »

Go back with an allen key and headset spanners as mentioned above.

If apprehended then launch into a rant at the muppet that locked your bike up like that and the fact you just want to take it home.

Greenbank · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:50:37 pm »

Quote from: nuttycyclist on 21 May, 2008, 05:48:26 pm

Go back with an allen key and headset spanners as mentioned above.

That won't do anything:-

Quote

(In case you were wondering, mine is not the green one Wink).

bomber · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 May, 2008, 05:58:39 pm »

Tricky one. If it was me, I'd go go back at dusk, and if it was still there become very suspicious. At that point take a hacksaw or bolt croppers to the lock (it looks crap as pointed out) and leave an old D lock on their bike telling them it'll be unlocked 5 days later. Then again I am a student with too much time on my hands

Valiant · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 May, 2008, 07:09:54 pm »

As stated above, this a common ploy in getting people to leave bikes in order to nick later on.

Looks like a cheap £10 oxford lock, go back tonight, jam a screw driver in and it'll probably open, if not, a small bolt cutter or even a hacksaw will make less work. If you don't want to damage the bike in case it is a geniune mistake, take the bars and front wheel off and feed it through without having to f about with the stem.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 May, 2008, 08:10:22 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 21 May, 2008, 05:33:36 pm

I'd like to say call the police. However, I see 2 issues:
- they may not consider a crime to have been commited, and it's onlya biike, innit?
- I'm not sure how you could prove you weren't asking them to help nick someone else's bike!

Bummer.

You could print this thread out and take it as evidence.

Woofage · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 May, 2008, 10:48:18 pm »

Thanks for all the replies. It's been an interesting read!

I have to say I was livid when I saw what had been done. Not because I had to walk home - it's not that far - but because of the plain stupidity of the owner of the green bike. My only thoughts were about lock picking and bolt-cutters

. I nearly locked my bike to his with a note of my phone number to get it released. In the end I waited a few minutes on the off chance and then walked home, leaving a strongly-worded note attached to the other bike. I was slightly concerned about it being a ploy to nick my bike (although not particularly valuable still probably worth 10x the green mtb).

Mrs Woofage was a bit more rational. She said to go back later and have a look and then call a friend who is a police officer. She was going into town anyway so took my key just in case. As luck would have it, the green bike was gone so all was well and she brought my bike home for me! A happy ending, thankfully

.

clarion · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 May, 2008, 10:50:43 pm »

I'm really pleased. I had feared the worst.

nuttycyclist · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 May, 2008, 10:58:22 pm »

Quote from: Greenbank on 21 May, 2008, 05:50:37 pm

Quote from: nuttycyclist on 21 May, 2008, 05:48:26 pm
Go back with an allen key and headset spanners as mentioned above.

That won't do anything:-

Quote
(In case you were wondering, mine is not the green one Wink).

D'oH! I am Mr Stoopid. And had it been me in that situation I'd have probably stripped the green bike down, removed it from the padlock, and then realised I still couldn't have got my bike out

Woofage · « **Reply #19 on:** 21 May, 2008, 11:10:27 pm »

Quote from: nuttycyclist on 21 May, 2008, 10:58:22 pm

And had it been me in that situation I'd have probably stripped the green bike down, removed it from the padlock, and then realised I still couldn't have got my bike out

Any excuse for a fettle, eh?

Torslanda · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 May, 2008, 11:54:17 pm »

Hey Guys! It's mostly my fault for seeing that photo and jumping to the wrong conclusion.

(It's a well-known fact that extremely intelligent people can appear to be thick. It's just as likely that thick people can also appear etc. etc. . . )

Thankfully it worked out right in the end.

J

Pete · « **Reply #21 on:** 22 May, 2008, 08:34:06 am »

I suppose the proper thing to do is summon a locksmith. Especially in those cases where it's a more serious lock involved, than the one in the picture. And be sure to re-lock the offender's bike after releasing yours, to avert any possible claim against you. But I'm not sure how much that would cost (getting your front door opened, out-of-hours, is expensive!), nor how you could possibly recover that expense.

Having said that, my guess is that this was a perfectly innocent mistake. Never happened to me, though once I nearly perpetrated this on someone else's bike (caught myself in time!

). Perhaps the answer is: call a locksmith and leave a note on the bike with a copy of the locksmith's invoice, hoping the owner will be mortified enough to cough up.

Charlotte · « **Reply #22 on:** 22 May, 2008, 08:48:52 am »

Sixty quid or so to call out a locksmith? Like hell they'd pay up!

I'd butcher their crappy little shackle, free my bike and leave theirs chained up with a dirty gert big U lock with my phone number attached to it.

My willingness to release them would largely depend on how apologetic they were on the phone

rogerzilla · « **Reply #23 on:** 22 May, 2008, 08:54:16 am »

I don't think yer average drug-addled bike thief would go to the trouble of planting a decoy for the purposes of nicking what is (with all due respect) an oldish bike of unspectacular value. If it was one of Rae's bling machines, maybe.

Pete · « **Reply #24 on:** 22 May, 2008, 09:17:49 am »

Anyway, I thought the usual thieves' dodge was to superglue your lock, then when you'd given up and walked away, to pop out with bolt cutters/hacksaw...

Author Topic: Some numpty-head locked my bike (Read 6958 times)

Zoidburg

Pete

Pete