Rant!!!!

neilled

Well most beloved cycling forum members. I am here to vent. For the second time, anto, deco, or someone whos name most likely ended in "O" has struck again at my trek 7.5. The rear wheel appears not be be a complete write off this time although its is badly out of true. Location? Just outside Shearys pub in crumlin. I know what your thinking, why the hell leave a bicycle anywhere near crumlin. I didn't have much choice really. Still I have an overwhelming urge to find the culprit and assail them with my U-Lock:mad::mad::mad:

DirkVoodoo

Sorry to hear it Neilled. I have had this discussion with people many times before: random trashing of bikes, or parts of bikes is beyond me. I would prefer someone to nick my bike (touch wood) rather than just have a few drunken (I'm giving the scum the benefit of the doubt) kicks at it.

Was it just the back wheel they damaged? I'm guessing the geartrain might have taken a knock too.

neilled

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Sorry to hear it Neilled. I have had this discussion with people many times before: random trashing of bikes, or parts of bikes is beyond me. I would prefer someone to nick my bike (touch wood) rather than just have a few drunken (I'm giving the scum the benefit of the doubt) kicks at it.

Was it just the back wheel they damaged? I'm guessing the geartrain might have taken a knock too.

Appears to be just the back wheel. Everything else seems fine, inc drive train. I'm gonna see if i can ride it over to joe dalys tomorrow which will mean missing my first lecture in belfield. What a way to start a the year...............

flickerx

I try to not lock my bike anywhere near the door of a pub. All it takes is one drunken fool to come out, who's having a bad night - and voila, he's got an inanimate kicking target. The amount of kicked bikes/warped wheels you'd see in Temple Bar definitely seems to suggest that.

I'd also go get it straight away, rather than leave it locked up again overnight. You might have to walk a bit with it, but someone might have damaged it on purpose, just so you couldnt cycle it away, and then they'd come back with a bolt cutters or jack to open the lock.

neilled

flickerx wrote: »

I try to not lock my bike anywhere near the door of a pub. All it takes is one drunken fool to come out, who's having a bad night - and voila, he's got an inanimate kicking target. The amount of kicked bikes/warped wheels you'd see in Temple Bar definitely seems to suggest that.

I'd also go get it straight away, rather than leave it locked up again overnight. You might have to walk a bit with it, but someone might have damaged it on purpose, just so you couldnt cycle it away, and then they'd come back with a bolt cutters or jack to open the lock.

No I'm well aware of that, and its back home with me. Its a quiet pub and with the clientèle that were in, i very much doubt it was one of the customers, mainly auld fellas or lads quietly watching the football. No, it was probably some nike trainered, columbia (or as they say, columbian) jacketed skanger.

Fools? No, only yobs behave like that. (not that i'm suggesting your condoning the behaviour of such low life)

Stark

Any chance of getting yourself a hack bike? The 7.5FX is far too nice a bike to be left at the mercy of the skangers in Crumlin. Something like this would probably be perfect:http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=57308&cat=52

neilled

To be honest its the first time I've been in crumlin in ages and normally would avoid certain areas of the city with my bike like the plague. Its normally stored indoors, or locked in UCD in a place that says specifically your not to lock bicycles, which also happens to be about the safest place on campus - the wall railing on the front of the arts block. City centrewise I normally use a secured parking area (as on the wiki) However, last night was a once off, I was saying goodbye to a friend who's clearing off overseas for a while and thought it should be ok for an hour........ evidently I was wrong.
I'm reluctant to get a hack as I don't generally like cheap nasty bicycles although perhaps I could get one of those fixed gear yokes that seem to be all the rage these days.

Whilst this is a bit off topic, it would appear that this kind of loutish skanger behaviour has been nurtured in the area over a long period of time. My great aunty never had a good thing to say about the place and she was training in the post office in the 1930's and couldn't wait to get out due to general unpleasentness.

steinone

Fixed gear is the way to go, old road frame.
Very little maintenance, tough feckers plus they are ugly/useless to scangers.
If they do try to steal it just look at the bottom of the nearst hill and and look for a mass of blood and columbia;D

Wez

steinone wrote: »

Fixed gear is the way to go, old road frame.
Very little maintenance, tough feckers plus they are ugly/useless to scangers.
If they do try to steal it just look at the bottom of the nearst hill and and look for a mass of blood and columbia;D

Yeh, that's one reason not to run a brake.. They wouldn't know what to do half way down a hill!

I built up an old racer frame I pulled from a skip, ended up putting semi decent parts on it, and contemplating re-spraying it, but if I do, kinda means the end of the beater/safe look. I justified the money spent to combat my taxi budget. Definitely a good spend and I'm a 'broke student' too!

rubadub

Was the bike on the ground? I often see people locking loosely to lamp posts, the bike falls down and looks deserted, then gets one stomp and looks totally deserted and so "fair game". I always pick up bikes I see fallen down like this. I lock them near petrol stations, in view of cameras. I figure scum will think you are just in the shop, or working there, or else will possibly be caught on camera (they always have cameras to catch drive offs).

I also wrap locks tight or use 2 locks to ensure it will not fall over.

steinone

Wez wrote: »

Yeh, that's one reason not to run a brake.. They wouldn't know what to do half way down a hill!

I built up an old racer frame I pulled from a skip, ended up putting semi decent parts on it, and contemplating re-spraying it, but if I do, kinda means the end of the beater/safe look. I justified the money spent to combat my taxi budget. Definitely a good spend and I'm a 'broke student' too!

Plus it looks ultra-deadly-cool not to run one, I have a brake on both fixed bikes.
I pretty much did that too:D*highfive* I sprayed mine very well and since It is of no brand name and no interest to scangers nothing has ever happened to it.
The money you save cycling compared to anything really is actually sinful.

neilled

rubadub wrote: »

Was the bike on the ground? I often see people locking loosely to lamp posts, the bike falls down and looks deserted, then gets one stomp and looks totally deserted and so "fair game". I always pick up bikes I see fallen down like this. I lock them near petrol stations, in view of cameras. I figure scum will think you are just in the shop, or working there, or else will possibly be caught on camera (they always have cameras to catch drive offs).

I also wrap locks tight or use 2 locks to ensure it will not fall over.

Actually no, it was well up, locked through the rearwheel and downtube of the frame so falling over wasn't going to happen. This was a case of out and out scumbagery. Likewise with yourself, I'd often lift bikes I see in the city centre up in case they get stamped on or driven over.

rottenhat

neilled wrote: »

Likewise with yourself, I'd often lift bikes I see in the city centre up in case they get stamped on or driven over.

It amazes me how few people do that - you'll often see a stream of people stepping out into Dame Street to walk around a bike that's lying on the ground locked to a pole. It speaks of a very selfish mentality - a complete unwillingness to spare a few seconds to remove an obstruction from the path and to save someone's bike.

Raam

rottenhat wrote: »

It amazes me how few people do that - you'll often see a stream of people stepping out into Dame Street to walk around a bike that's lying on the ground locked to a pole. It speaks of a very selfish mentality - a complete unwillingness to spare a few seconds to remove an obstruction from the path and to save someone's bike.

What amazes me is the amount of people who lock their bike such that it can fall over so easily. Unfortunately, if you pick the bike up, it's just going to fall over again after you are gone.

AstraMonti

Well for sure i am not going to lift a bike again. I was at George st and there was a bike fallen on the pavement. So i lift it up and leave it back to the pole and suddenly i see an enraged guy running out of a shop yelling something like "LEAVE ME FECKING BIKE ALONE YOU ..(something i wasn't able to understand". I tried to explain that i only wanted to lift the bike.. but he kept saying that i am a freaking thief. I was wearing a suit and i didn't have any chain cutters with me (lol) .. it was really an embarrassing moment trying to prove that i am not an elephant.

Explosive_Cornflake

That's what I'd always be afraid of. I'd possible thing that if I saw someone at mine, or taking parts of it or someting, but thwen I know how to lock my bike so it doesn't fall.

AstraMonti wrote: »

Well for sure i am not going to lift a bike again. I was at George st and there was a bike fallen on the pavement. So i lift it up and leave it back to the pole and suddenly i see an enraged guy running out of a shop yelling something like "LEAVE ME FECKING BIKE ALONE YOU ..(something i wasn't able to understand". I tried to explain that i only wanted to lift the bike.. but he kept saying that i am a freaking thief. I was wearing a suit and i didn't have any chain cutters with me (lol) .. it was really an embarrassing moment trying to prove that i am not an elephant.