Poxy Vandals

what?

Hi there, bit of an intro post too.

Recent convert to cycle commuting, bout 50kms round trip and really really enjoying it.

Have a Ridgeback Flight, dunno much about bikes but I am totally sold on the Flight.

Last Sat I put the crossbar saddle on to bring my dau to the train for a day in Cork. Came back 4 hrs later and the bike had been messed with. Sickening feeling looking at pride n joy in a sorry state.
Dimwits used the bile as a leaver to try break the lock, back wheel is shagged as is my front derailleur and the crankshaft. What really gets me is the fact that there was a kids seat on the bike and I cant comprehend the mindset of vandalising something obviously intended for use with a child. The mind boggles
If I can take anything from this is the manner in which I had my bike locked. Its a u-lock which went through the wheel and frame to a fence, I think I left too much room for the lock to be moved and allowing them to lay the bike down at an angle and jump on the frame.

Hopefully someone here will not make the same mistake

Anyway Hi and kudos on such a good forum

Briando

That really sucks, I'd love to catch one of these idiots some day and introduce some karma into their sorry lives.

Where did it happen?

what?

yeah love to get my paws on them too. be clobberin time!
Incident happened in Cobh train station.
Local guard called to say they had a look at the CCTV but where I left it was too far away to get any details.
Meh such is life

Plutonium Kun

I think its almost worse than getting a bike stolen, at least then you know someone is riding it. I had a 70 euro bill today from the bike shop for repairing damage to my bike when someone tried to steal it. It has a hub gear and they couldn't figure out how to undue the back wheel (the only part locked), and just pulled and pulled.

petethedrummer

what? wrote: »

Dimwits used the bile as a leaver to try break the lock, back wheel is shagged as is my front derailleur and the crankshaft

This is a common method for bike thieves if they see certain types of cheap U or D locks. They know they will pop with mimimum effort without damaging the frame too much and usually not enough for someone who is buying it off them on the street for €20 to notice or care about.

So get a good abus or kryptonite lock and they will be less inclined to do this with your next bike.

rollingscone

Also consider supplementing that Abus/Krypto lock with a decent quality loop ended cable.

I usually just use the cable to loop my front wheel back to the U-lock which goes through the stays and back wheel but sometimes I'm able to loop it around the bike stand/railing too and while any cable can be cut, it's more time and inconvenience for any would be thieves.

(my more shameful security tip is that I always try to lock up next to a bike that is better and/or more badly locked than mine.)

BostonB

I've seen those Kryptonite mini locks with a very short U loop for exactly this reason. The only problem they may not then fit around the frame a wheel and whatever you are are fixing it too.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3513352953_5405c828b3_b.jpg
http://lockyourbike.wordpress.com/category/how-to-lock-your-bike/

cdaly_

BostonB wrote: »

I've seen those Kryptonite mini locks with a very short U loop for exactly this reason. The only problem they may not then fit around the frame a wheel and whatever you are are fixing it too.

If you can't get the lock around both frame and wheel, use the Sheldon Brown method...

doozerie

I used to put a U-lock around the seat stays of my bike and onto a pole/railing/whatever. This secured both the frame and rear wheel. I used a separate U-lock to lock the front wheel to the frame. Someone swung from the front of my bike once bike though, using the bike itself as a lever to try to snap the rear lock. The lock held, the seat stay didn't, and I ended up with a very badly bent seat stay as a result. It was a new MTB which I couldn't afford to replace, so with some brute force "adjustments" I continued to use it as it was (which lead to lots of raised eyebrows amongst the MTB club I subsequently rode with, understandably really), but strictly speaking the frame was a write-off.

Since then I don't put a lock around the seat stays and onto anything solid. The chain stays are stronger but I don't secure a bike to something solid via those either. Instead I try put the lock around the seat tube plus rear wheel, and then around something solid, or around the down tube plus front wheel, and use a second lock for the wheel plus frame at the other end of the bike. The frame could still be mangled if someone was determined and strong enough, but these methods reduce that risk while still being practical.