elementary mistake & costly too.. (for newbies to cycling)

Freewheeling Ed

Its a sorry sight.
And this is in the middle of temple bar, a well lit area, with lots of people around nearly all the time.

But, it is straight out of how not to lock your bike.

Must check tonight to see if he/she came to collect the wheel.. and the lock.

km991148

Freewheeling Ed wrote: »

And this is in the middle of temple bar, a well lit area, with lots of people around nearly all the time.

Im afraid the more people idea makes no difference, people just go about their lives and wont stop if they witnessed a theiving in progress, like the ol saying that says the worst place to have a heart attack is in a city centre, noone will stop, in a country lane however and the first person to pass will likely go get help!

Freewheeling Ed

I have seen people do something.. well once.

Just off Baggot st, there was some young lad, trying to pull a bike off the "n" shaped locking post. It had a thin cable lock.

A guy in a suit told him to stop.. and he start mouthing off at him, and kinda squaring up to him..

I was near by, on my bike saw this so cycled over to them.. as support for the guy in the suit.

When he saw me, he backed off ... (sreaming abuse at us)

but I suppose he went back 20 minutes later.. to finish off the job.

concussion

Wheel looks a bit pringled too...cnuts.

Freewheeling Ed

yeah.. is a bit.. thought about it after posting.. probably only worth going back for the lock..

311

Have to say ,I witnessed bike theft a couple of weeks back in a quite part of dublin inner city.
There was people around outside their homes ,who didn't blink an eye. I was going to go down and get the youngfella to stop dancing on the bike ,but I was on my own.

I had a van full of gear for the house I was working in and if the neighbours didn't care ,what chance had I.

Sometimes the inevitable is going to happen to people who don't know any better.

Húrin

km991148 wrote: »

Im afraid the more people idea makes no difference, people just go about their lives and wont stop if they witnessed a theiving in progress

I don't know if this is true, but most thieves would feel more confident hacking through a lock in a place with nobody about than a place with many about, some of whom may stop him.

72hundred

One thing I think everyone could do it, if cycling past, is to stop near to the bike about to be stolen so the thief can see you, take out camera photo (majority of ppl have one built in) and very obviously take a picture/video of the guy.

I doubt most thieves would have the b^alls to hang around while ppl stop to take pic's of 'em.

Hermy

They might try and steal your camera! These degenerates don't give a damn about anyone.
Stopped in traffic in my taxi in the city centre during the summer, I let a roar at some bikes thieves who proceeded to hurl abuse, a football, and anything else that came to hand at my taxi. I'll think twice about confronting them in future.

72hundred

Hermy wrote: »

They might try and steal your camera! These degenerates don't give a damn about anyone.
Stopped in traffic in my taxi in the city centre during the summer, I let a roar at some bikes thieves who proceeded to hurl abuse, a football, and anything else that came to hand at my taxi. I'll think twice about confronting them in future.

Well on bike you've a very little chance on being confronted unless you want to be. Just cycle away! Although I would not be doing this in every part of the city.

AstraMonti

So in order to avoid this, what lock(s) and which way of locking would you suggest?

72hundred

AstraMonti wrote: »

So in order to avoid this, what lock(s) and which way of locking would you suggest?

www.kryptonitelock.com/

Combination is better that one single one of course but I'd use this (and do about town):
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=12767

There's a higher standard called the Forgetaboutit and that thing is like a huge of pig iron! (Not to say the above linked lock is light, its >2kg.)

km991148

Húrin wrote: »

I don't know if this is true, but most thieves would feel more confident hacking through a lock in a place with nobody about than a place with many about, some of whom may stop him.

hmm I really dont think so - and I know it sounds cynical but I reckon people just dont give a sh!t (theives and the public)- even if someone did confront them, they (theif) is likely to give abuse/square up or just do a runner.
I really do like to beleive in the good of people but in public & esp in city centres/ busy areas most people just do not care unless it effects them directly.

trust no one lol!

DirkVoodoo

Yeah, that kryptonite that 72hundred linked is the one I have and so far so good. It weighs an awful lot though and the mounting bracket is pretty woeful, it scratched my nice paint job on the felt.

Top notch lock though.

pete4130

Húrin wrote: »

I don't know if this is true, but most thieves would feel more confident hacking through a lock in a place with nobody about than a place with many about, some of whom may stop him.

A few years ago in temple bar, someone decided to put an extra lock onto my bike....so I couldnt remove it. Whether they were coming back later to get the bike I don't know??

anyway I called home and my dad droped down with a hacksaw, bottle of water (to cool the blade) and a hammer. I sat there and cut thru the lock and nobody said anything to me.

Another time someone tried to break my lock by throwng a concrete block at it. They didnt succeed in breakign but but kicked my wheel in for good measure and busted my lock so I couldnt open it. Needless to say, another call to my dad who came along with hacksaw, hammer and water. 6pm in the evening during the summer at Christchurch and again....nobody sai w word to me as I hacked thru my lock.

grizzly

pete4130 wrote: »

A few years ago in temple bar, someone decided to put an extra lock onto my bike....so I couldnt remove it. Whether they were coming back later to get the bike I don't know??

anyway I called home and my dad droped down with a hacksaw, bottle of water (to cool the blade) and a hammer. I sat there and cut thru the lock and nobody said anything to me.

Another time someone tried to break my lock by throwng a concrete block at it. They didnt succeed in breakign but but kicked my wheel in for good measure and busted my lock so I couldnt open it. Needless to say, another call to my dad who came along with hacksaw, hammer and water. 6pm in the evening during the summer at Christchurch and again....nobody sai w word to me as I hacked thru my lock.

I've seen people do this and I know by looking at them that they've lost there key or whatever. The signs normally are; they look relaxed, in no great hurry and don't look like scummers.

monument

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before here, but the head of security in DCU apparently tells freshers every year that just locking one wheel is useless and even shows a security video of somebody taking a wheel off one bike releasing another bike and using the wheel to cycle off... but he still sees the same thing time and time again.

It doesn't help that most of the parking up there is the type you insert your wheels into, but anyway.

km991148 wrote: »

Im afraid the more people idea makes no difference, people just go about their lives and wont stop if they witnessed a theiving in progress, like the ol saying that says the worst place to have a heart attack is in a city centre, noone will stop, in a country lane however and the first person to pass will likely go get help!

I'm the kind of person who rings the police when I see somebody being assaulted, or two young men lobbing a bike around a street... I'm sickened of the feeling that I'm in the minority when time can be critical in these events.

Freewheeling Ed wrote: »

....Must check tonight to see if he/she came to collect the wheel.. and the lock.

Oh, that's the same lock I left on my carrier when I locked my bike with my secondary lock. All that carrying in around for a year or more and I don't use it once.

MCOS

Here's one for ye lads.

I've had a few bikes stolen in my past, and stolen one myself!

One saturday morning I had parked my old Trek MTB at the bike rack beside the old county library in Limerick which is now the Crescent Shopping center. After hanging out for a while in the centre (I was 17) I emerged to see a scobe dismantling my Bike. He had the seatpost off, the bull horns, the lights and was bent down addressing the wheel. I was with some mates and we were all Rugby players so the instinct was to roar, chase and kill. The scobe legged it and had a good enough start to get away. Problem for him was that he had left his own bike behind in the heat of the moment. A nice Claude Butler! One of the lads rode his new bike home 5 miles minus a seat post, and I rode my new Claude home grinning

km991148

MCOS wrote: »

Here's one for ye lads.

I've had a few bikes stolen in my past, and stolen one myself!

One saturday morning I had parked my old Trek MTB at the bike rack beside the old county library in Limerick which is now the Crescent Shopping center. After hanging out for a while in the centre (I was 17) I emerged to see a scobe dismantling my Bike. He had the seatpost off, the bull horns, the lights and was bent down addressing the wheel. I was with some mates and we were all Rugby players so the instinct was to roar, chase and kill. The scobe legged it and had a good enough start to get away. Problem for him was that he had left his own bike behind in the heat of the moment. A nice Claude Butler! One of the lads rode his new bike home 5 miles minus a seat post, and I rode my new Claude home grinning

Nice - but where do ye think he got the butler from in the first place.. suppose better in your hands than his, but just meant he would soon be riding around in someone elses..

@pete4130- I have actually 'stolen' my own bike as well, but wasnt as nicely prepared, I have to make to with a dodgy pair of pliers and hald a slab/piece of rubble to break down a cable lock then individually cut each wire - probably didnt get stopped as no theif would be a stupid to spend 30mins doing this!

@monument thats the thing - you are unfortunately in the minority - although I was prob a little harsh earlier - half (of the majority) of people dont give a sh!t and the other half (of the majority!) are too frightened to do anything..

rflynnr

I once had the guards "steal" my bike for me. I came out of the Dice Bar, tried to unlock my bike, noticed it was turning a bit too easily, then realised that the head of the key had broken off in the lock. Called the guards at the Bridewell and minutes later a van came trundling down the Luas tracks with three guards inside. In a startling tribute to the qualities of the lock (if not the key), the first bolt cutter they brought simply wasn't up to the job. To their credit they rolled back to the station and returned with a bigger "jaws of life" type device. Even then it took three of us - one to hold the lock and two exert pressure on the bolt cutter - to finally (after say 20 minutes) to get through the lock.

I was sufficiently impressed to subsequently buy the same the lock again (an Abus Steel-o-flex if anyone's looking.)

Gavin

rflynnr wrote: »

I once had the guards "steal" my bike for me. I came out of the Dice Bar, tried to unlock my bike, noticed it was turning a bit too easily, then realised that the head of the key had broken off in the lock. Called the guards at the Bridewell and minutes later a van came trundling down the Luas tracks with three guards inside. In a startling tribute to the qualities of the lock (if not the key), the first bolt cutter they brought simply wasn't up to the job. To their credit they rolled back to the station and returned with a bigger "jaws of life" type device. Even then it took three of us - one to hold the lock and two exert pressure on the bolt cutter - to finally (after say 20 minutes) to get through the lock.

I was sufficiently impressed to subsequently buy the same the lock again (an Abus Steel-o-flex if anyone's looking.)

I'm stunned that the Gardai would help you ! Not trying to Garda bash, but it's not exactly in their job description

Chips Lovell

Verb wrote: »

I'm stunned that the Gardai would help you ! Not trying to Garda bash, but it's not exactly in their job description

I've found that if you get the right cop and they aren't tied up with something, they can be remarkably obliging.

Freewheeling Ed

for what its worth... the wheel was still there on Saturday night.
And having though about it for a bit, would like to make the following announcement.

DO NOT lock your bike on Cecilia St in Temple bar.
Its parallel to Dame St, and kinda runs fromt the central bank to the Music Centre. Thats where the cnuts took my road bike a few years ago. And by the look of it, not one bike on any of the racks.. they cleared the whole row.



Also have heard of cops and firemen clipping locks for people when necessary.

Húrin

pete4130 wrote: »

Another time someone tried to break my lock by throwng a concrete block at it. They didnt succeed in breakign but but kicked my wheel in for good measure and busted my lock so I couldnt open it. Needless to say, another call to my dad who came along with hacksaw, hammer and water. 6pm in the evening during the summer at Christchurch and again....nobody sai w word to me as I hacked thru my lock.

Fairly ****. If I was doing that it would be nice to be challenged over it, as it would show that people cared at least. Where's the civic spirit that you get in some parts of the continent? I blame the PDs.

rflynnr wrote: »

I was sufficiently impressed to subsequently buy the same the lock again (an Abus Steel-o-flex if anyone's looking.)

I didn't know there were any good cable locks!

Freewheeling Ed wrote: »

for what its worth... the wheel was still there on Saturday night.
And having though about it for a bit, would like to make the following announcement.

DO NOT lock your bike on Cecilia St in Temple bar.
Its parallel to Dame St, and kinda runs fromt the central bank to the Music Centre. Thats where the cnuts took my road bike a few years ago. And by the look of it, not one bike on any of the racks.. they cleared the whole row.

I've locked mine there loads of times without any problem. Using a D-lock and a cable lock.

ronbyrne2005

Verb wrote: »

I'm stunned that the Gardai would help you ! Not trying to Garda bash, but it's not exactly in their job description

I was heading for a job interview years ago and had taken the bike as I was rushing. I forgot to take the key to lock it. There was a garda station nearby and I asked if they could look after the bike for me for a few hours and they did!
As for kyrptonite lock , I have one and the thing to hold it on bike cant be attached to bike as frame is either too chunky or has brake cables running along it.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

I was heading for a job interview years ago and had taken the bike as I was rushing. I forgot to take the key to lock it. There was a garda station nearby and I asked if they could look after the bike for me for a few hours and they did!
As for kyrptonite lock , I have one and the thing to hold it on bike cant be attached to bike as frame is either too chunky or has brake cables running along it.

If it's a mini, they sit nicely in a back pocket.

Lumen

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

As for kyrptonite lock , I have one and the thing to hold it on bike cant be attached to bike as frame is either too chunky or has brake cables running along it.

Any chance I could have it? My Kryptonite didn't come with a frame mount.

Pleeease

seamus

Lumen wrote: »

Any chance I could have it? My Kryptonite didn't come with a frame mount.

Pleeease

Bastard! I was going to ask. I've misplaced my frame mount somewhere.

It would have fit too

TinyExplosions

I'm pretty sure I've got a Kryptonite mount around if anyone wants it

72hundred

The type you'd be looking for would me a "EZ Mount". One came with my Wiggle order but I'm sure you can check the website / email them and then just order the mount separately - don't think it could be that expensive.

seamus

£17.99 :eek:

Gavin

I'm pretty sure I have at least one knocking around at home, possibly two. I'll check tonight.

72hundred

seamus wrote: »

£17.99 :eek:

Just for the mount? That's a complete rip-off if so.

72hundred

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kryptonite-EZ-Mount-Bracket-Bike-Lock-Kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ220306806408QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081105?IMSfp=TL081105113005r5487

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-EZ-Mount-Bike-Lock-Bracket/dp/B000OYFV3I

Ciaran500

Húrin wrote: »

I didn't know there were any good cable locks

Doesn't take much effort for that one. Although he is using a chunky cutter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFaLmVqQibo

seamus

72hundred wrote: »

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kryptonite-EZ-Mount-Bracket-Bike-Lock-Kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ220306806408QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081105?IMSfp=TL081105113005r5487

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-EZ-Mount-Bike-Lock-Bracket/dp/B000OYFV3I

Heh, that's a bit more like it

72hundred

seamus wrote: »

Heh, that's a bit more like it

Yeah should do the job nicely. Where ever is trying to charge >€20 is really chancing their arm.

Twinksno1flan

Always take the front wheel, no wheel , no bike.Most bikes are stolen for instant money, i park high value bikes and no one touches. One evening I was in a hurry and locked my bike to the barrier but also, accidentally to the bike on the inside of the barrier. she had being thinking it over for five minutes when I turned up.Pologies and everything and we wus fine.

Front wheel everytime

I use a 9 year old Abus.

I met a girl from out of the country last night and it was a new 500 euro Giant bike with all new gear hemet the lot, she locked the back wheel and frame and I showed her the Quick release for the front and told her it was thief territory.
Not expensive but brand new and sellable, it is up to yourselves but it's not difficult at all if you do certain things, she was even leaving all her lights on board.

Lumen

72hundred wrote: »

Yeah should do the job nicely. Where ever is trying to charge >€20 is really chancing their arm.

I bought four of these today. $20 including shipping.

This proves US gun culture is good for something (I searched on "velcro gun mount").

Kurtosis

Twinksno1flan wrote: »

One evening I was in a hurry and accidentally locked my bike to the barrier but also to the bike on the inside of the barrier. she had being thinking it over for five minutes when I turned up.Pologies and everything and we wus fine.

Not picking on you personally, but I hate when that happens (someone else locking their bike to yours). If there's enough time to make sure your bike is locked, then there's enough time to make sure you haven't locked anyone elses too.

Twinksno1flan

penguin88 wrote: »

Not picking on you personally, but I hate when that happens (someone else locking their bike to yours). If there's enough time to make sure your bike is locked, then there's enough time to make sure you haven't locked anyone elses too.

I wouldn't dream of doing that but it happened and I was mortified. I would also have covered any related costs to her delay but luckily there were none. And no, there wasn't enough time as I was late and rushing.

The night of The Police concert in Leixlip in 1980 I parked my silver chrome racer outside the Chinese on O'Connell st and no one touched it. I had come up on the train and cycled out, the thinking being that the traffic would be bad, it was bumper to bumper for ten miles or so.

Freewheeling Ed

Húrin wrote: »

I've locked mine there loads of times without any problem. Using a D-lock and a cable lock.

Well I had a good D-lock.. but lost a bike there. Was a few years back (1999ish) , but as I was standing there :-( , staring at the space where my bike used to be, i noticed nobody pass. Its a busy area, but it can be very quiet sometimes.

There had been a lot of bikes there earlier, and when I got back, there was only one battered bike left. Kinda got the impression, some lads in a van, lifed the lot ??? I would imagine there were prepared.

But I cant prove anything

Cleberp

Well people are not so bad.

Left my bike locked on Burgh Quay and went out of town for the whole day. Came back late to see my bike still there, but with something stuck around the lock. Thinking for some reason that someone had boby trapped my bike [as ya do] I kicked it off to see my keys [to everything, house etc] fall out.

Somebody saw that I left my keys in the lock and put carboard and string around it to hid the keys.

To whoever that was Thank You!

Freewheeling Ed

Cleberp wrote: »

Well people are not so bad.

Left my bike locked on Burgh Quay and went out of town for the whole day. Came back late to see my bike still there, but with something stuck around the lock. Thinking for some reason that someone had boby trapped my bike [as ya do] I kicked it off to see my keys [to everything, house etc] fall out.

Somebody saw that I left my keys in the lock and put carboard and string around it to hid the keys.

To whoever that was Thank You!

wow... as an ad once said .. " that was more than lucky"

Gavin

I found my spare kryptonite mounting bracket.. if anyone wants it.

Niallface

My costly mistake came this morning while cycling to college on my fixie. hit a small bump where a pipe had been laid under the path. chain came off the front chainwheel and was dragged back through the rear cog. wrapping around the drive side of the wheel cutting spokes, dragging the rear wheel forward in the dropouts and destroying many hours of careful paintwork. aaarrrggghhhhh, the worst bit is i have only ridden it twice since i finished the rebuild... what went wrong???

Gavin

that's unlucky ! My chain has a bad habit of jumping off my rear cog on my singlespeed too. It's annoying, but it's never gone that disastrous before.

Either chainline is bad, the spider or chainring are bent, the rear cog isn't straight, the wheel slipped in the dropouts or you just didn't have the chain tight enough.

Chips Lovell

Niallface wrote: »

what went wrong???

Your chain was too loose.

seamus

^^That's pretty much it.

The fixie brigade will probably murder me here, but you could fit chain guides to the front chainring like a downhiller and this won't happen.

Niallface

i think they don't work on fixies because there is force exerted on the chain in both ways and so it would just break any type of tensioner.
thanks for the tips though i think its the chain tension but sure we'll see.. there she is .....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21320054@N06/3080631026/