respect for cycling commuter at work...

How many times have you returned to where you thought you placed your bike in a secure location only
to find someone had "adjusted" your gears or worse had moved your bike? If you fooled around with
someone's car like that and you probably wouldn't have to worry about commuting to work anymore.

One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I returned to
find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving a generous
amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted like I was
making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even admitted he did. The
response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and I hydroplaned through a
red light! If someone had been coming the other way, I would have been dead. After this company did
nothing and people even messed with my headlight system I decided to quit. I took my bike road it
through the store! Skidded right in front of the manager! Boy was he upset! I was indifferent
completely...

It's a double standard. I'm getting a new bike to replace a stolen one in say a month and can only
imagine what someone will try to do to it. On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)

"Doctor Phibes" <phibraphonic@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b5a0688.0308141830.612df5e2@posting.google.com...

> One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I returned
> to find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving a generous
> amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted like I was
> making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even admitted he did. The
> response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and I hydroplaned through a
> red light! If someone had been coming the

Alright, quit trolling. As has been discussed around here many times, bikes cannot "hydroplane." It
is even more ridiculous to suggest that the "generous amount" of your tires left on the floor had
anything to do with you sliding through a light on wet pavement. Take a look at what Sheldon Brown
has to say on the subject: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tyres.html.

Sliding through the light was more likely caused by you failing to clear the water from your rims
before trying to actually stop. Or it had just started raining and the oil had not yet been washed
off the road. Or you were riding a clunker with chrome rims....

As for people messing with your bike, if you put it in a proper bike rack (not always possible) or
lock it into place (whether inside the building or not), people are much less likely to mess with
it. It also helps to be 6'2" and weigh 200lbs.

-Buck

Doctor Phibes wrote:
> How many times have you returned to where you thought you placed your bike in a secure location
> only to find someone had "adjusted" your gears or worse had moved your bike? If you fooled around
> with someone's car like that and you probably wouldn't have to worry about commuting to work
> anymore.
>
> One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I returned
> to find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving a generous
> amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted like I was
> making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even admitted he did. The
> response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and I hydroplaned through a
> red light! If someone had been coming the other way, I would have been dead. After this company
> did nothing and people even messed with my headlight system I decided to quit. I took my bike road
> it through the store! Skidded right in front of the manager! Boy was he upset! I was indifferent
> completely...
>
> It's a double standard. I'm getting a new bike to replace a stolen one in say a month and can only
> imagine what someone will try to do to it. On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)
Get a seat cover, put several strips of really sticky double-sided tape on the outside, and put the
cover on when you leave your bike at work. When the "boys will be boys" guy complains that you have
ruined his pants, tell him "boys will be boys" and smile.

phibraphonic@hotmail.com (Doctor Phibes) wrote:

>One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I returned
>to find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving a generous
>amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted like I was
>making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even admitted he did. The
>response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and I hydroplaned through a
>red light! If someone had been coming the other way, I would have been dead. After this company did
>nothing and people even messed with my headlight system I decided to quit. I took my bike road it
>through the store! Skidded right in front of the manager! Boy was he upset! I was indifferent
>completely...
>
>It's a double standard. I'm getting a new bike to replace a stolen one in say a month and can only
>imagine what someone will try to do to it. On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)

No matter where you hide that bike, I'm gonna find it and TOUCH IT. Bwah hah hah
hhhaaaahhhhh..... ;-)

I thought you were just being anal until the "hydroplaning through the red light" part. Nice troll,
but a little TOO obvious. If you would have cut off the ranting there, it might have flown.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

>>On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)
>
> No matter where you hide that bike, I'm gonna find it and TOUCH IT. Bwah hah hah
> hhhaaaahhhhh..... ;-)
>
> I thought you were just being anal until the "hydroplaning through the red light" part. Nice
> troll, but a little TOO obvious. If you would have cut off the ranting there, it might have flown.
>

I don't like people messing with my bike either. Usually people who don't find a space in the
2-wheel parking lot for their big motorbike. They will squeeze your bike is a small space where it
is very acrobatic to get it back. In the process they will usually push the lock in contact with my
dirty chain, and I will have disgusting hands after I touch it. And if I don't see it right away, I
will also have disgusting spots on my clothes when I get to work.

Once I left my bike (a beater which I had gotten for free) on a bike rack at work in the late fall.
A few weeks later, it snowed, and they had to move the bike rack. The maintenance person cut through
my top tube with a saw to remove the frame (which had been locked). They made it seem like it was my
fault. I just laughed it off and got a new beater, but I never parked it at work again.

Doctor Phibes wrote:

> How many times have you returned to where you thought you placed your bike in a secure location
> only to find someone had "adjusted" your gears or worse had moved your bike? If you fooled around
> with someone's car like that and you probably wouldn't have to worry about commuting to work
> anymore.
>
> One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I returned
> to find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving a generous
> amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted like I was
> making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even admitted he did. The
> response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and I hydroplaned through a
> red light! If someone had been coming the other way, I would have been dead. After this company
> did nothing and people even messed with my headlight system I decided to quit. I took my bike road
> it through the store! Skidded right in front of the manager! Boy was he upset! I was indifferent
> completely...
>
> It's a double standard. I'm getting a new bike to replace a stolen one in say a month and can only
> imagine what someone will try to do to it. On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)

"Doctor Phibes" <phibraphonic@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b5a0688.0308141830.612df5e2@posting.google.com...
> It's a double standard. I'm getting a new bike to replace a stolen one in say a month and can only
> imagine what someone will try to do to it. On the bright side I have a bike cage all to myself ;-)
Considering what some road bikes sell for, if someone messed with mine, I would have a few choice
words to say to them.

"Buck" <j u n k m a i l @ g a l a x y c o r p . c o m> wrote in message
news:<F_X_a.1911$YC.102869@twister.austin.rr.com>...
> "Doctor Phibes" <phibraphonic@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:b5a0688.0308141830.612df5e2@posting.google.com...
>
> > One time I left my bike in the breakroom. I was told this was the safest spot. One day I
> > returned to find my bike not only had been moved but cruised around the breakroom tables leaving
> > a generous amount of my tire on the floor with one big mud streak! When I complained they acted
> > like I was making a big thing out of nothing. The idiot who took my bike for a spin even
> > admitted he did. The response was like "boys will be boys". The next night riding into work and
> > I hydroplaned through a red light! If someone had been coming the
>
> Alright, quit trolling. As has been discussed around here many times, bikes cannot "hydroplane."
> It is even more ridiculous to suggest that the "generous amount" of your tires left on the floor
> had anything to do with you sliding through a light on wet pavement. Take a look at what Sheldon
> Brown has to say on the subject: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tyres.html.
>
> Sliding through the light was more likely caused by you failing to clear the water from your rims
> before trying to actually stop. Or it had just started raining and the oil had not yet been washed
> off the road. Or you were riding a clunker with chrome rims....
>
> As for people messing with your bike, if you put it in a proper bike rack (not always possible) or
> lock it into place (whether inside the building or not), people are much less likely to mess with
> it. It also helps to be 6'2" and weigh 200lbs.
>
> -Buck

>
trolling? I was telling a story, if you don't like it don't respond to it.

In article <b5a0688.0308141830.612df5e2@posting.google.com>,
phibraphonic@hotmail.com (Doctor Phibes) writes:
> How many times have you returned to where you thought you placed your bike in a secure location
> only to find someone had "adjusted" your gears or worse had moved your bike?

A few times.

When it happens, usually a quick glance around reveals a nearby mother orbited by her inquisitive,
energetic little tyke. I guess they like to click my top-mount shifters, ring the bell, honk the
horn, and yank on the toe-clip straps.

I figure such meddlesome kids are probably destined for careers as social workers.

But what really irks me is discovering that somebody mistook my milk crate for a waste receptacle.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

"Doctor Phibes" <phibraphonic@hotmail.com>
> trolling? I was telling a story, if you don't like it don't respond to it.

There's a small group of subscribers to this ng that take an odd pleasure in calling others a
"troll" or simply enjoy being disruptive.

hth

tomk2003@hotmail.com (Tom Keats) wrote in message news:<uvckhb.dt.ln@bud.garden.local>...
> In article <b5a0688.0308141830.612df5e2@posting.google.com>,
> phibraphonic@hotmail.com (Doctor Phibes) writes:
> > How many times have you returned to where you thought you placed your bike in a secure location
> > only to find someone had "adjusted" your gears or worse had moved your bike?
>
> A few times.
>
> When it happens, usually a quick glance around reveals a nearby mother orbited by her inquisitive,
> energetic little tyke. I guess they like to click my top-mount shifters, ring the bell, honk the
> horn, and yank on the toe-clip straps.

When I've had an inquisitive tyke interested in messing with my bike, and I'm around, I usually get
down to the kid's (and the bike's) eyelevel, and tell the kid that s/he may only touch parts of my
bike with my (and the parent's) permission. I name the parts that I know (which isn't a huge list,
probably fine for a small kid), and do my best to show how the different parts work.

"Here's the brakes. Follow the brake cable and see where it goes. See how it goes up here? Now, I'll
press here, and you see what happens to the brake back here. OK, can you see where the brake goes
for the front wheel? What do you think will happen when I press here? Right!" I'll show how the
pedals make the wheels go around, and how the derailer works, if the kid wants to know.

The kid usually will have oceans of patience and interest -- it's usually mom who is freaked out
about the kid getting greasy, worried about taking up my time, and has better things to do.

It's worth it for me, though. Otherwise, where's that next generation of mechanics (not just bike)
going to come from?

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky (cpetersky@yahoo.com)

Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Singing with you
at: http://www.tiferet.net/ Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky

>When I've had an inquisitive tyke interested in messing with my bike,

Good post Claire.

In article <1a88718b.0308160554.2228f83b@posting.google.com>,
cpetersky@yahoo.com (Claire Petersky) writes:

> It's worth it for me, though. Otherwise, where's that next generation of mechanics (not just bike)
> going to come from?

That's great, Claire. But my problem is, it always happens to me when I'm not there; I just discover
the aftermath later, when I return to my parked bike. That's nothing new, though. Everything always
happens when I'm not looking. Life is full of surprises.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

On 16 Aug 2003 06:54:52 -0700, cpetersky@yahoo.com (Claire Petersky) wrote:
>
>When I've had an inquisitive tyke interested in messing with my bike,

<snip of a capital idea>

Thanks -- both for doing that and for leading the way. I'll do that next time -- it's well worth the
time and much better than getting all worked up.

dr. dave <abuse@rr.com> wrote:

> Get a seat cover, put several strips of really sticky double-sided tape on the outside, and put
> the cover on when you leave your bike at work. When the "boys will be boys" guy complains that you
> have ruined his pants, tell him "boys will be boys" and smile.

Get a seat cover and put a thumbtack underneath it. That will really get their attention. :-)
--
Eric eyagerusenet@chartermi.net