Big Rant (long)

[Simonc]

Hi, been lurking for a while now, and like the comments from the group. Just have to have a bit of a
rant as I've just had to get a lift home from a good friend who came back into the club I was
playing pool in, and told me about the state of my rear wheel. My bike was locked outside the club
and had been "attacked" the rear wheel kicked so hard the rim has snapped, and the bars have been
nearly wrenched off, currently at right angles to the crossbar, also the rear rack has had one of
the spars kicked in.. so because of some mindless moron I am looking at an approximate of £50 repair
bill for a new rear wheel and a new rack, which even on close inspection is beyond repair. Why do
these idiots think that its fun to ruin someone's chosen form of transport? Unfortunately, there are
no cameras outside this club even though it is well lit, and I don't have any insurance that I can
claim from. Sorry to enter the group on such a downer but I really don't understand the mentality of
the people who do this.

 

[Mark Thompson]

> I really don't understand the mentality of the people who do this.

They don't have one. That's the problem.

 

[Tony W]

"SimonC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi, been lurking for a while now, and like the comments from the group.

Welcome

snip

> Why do these idiots think that its fun to ruin someone's chosen form of transport?

snip

Partly because you dare to be different -- challenging the accepted norms by using a bicycle as a
form of transport.

Partly because they are mindless morons.

Partly because virtually nowhere in this country provides adequate, secure bike parking for its
clients/customers (because we dare to be different).

Nihil illegitemae carborundum

T

 

[Tony Raven]

SimonC wrote:
> Sorry to enter the group on such a downer but I really don't understand the mentality of the
> people who do this.

They're just jealous because you have a bike and they only have a MkII Astra with blue lights for
the windscreen washers and no exhaust pipe;-)

Tony

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"SimonC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Why do these idiots think that its fun to ruin someone's chosen form of transport?

Sounds more like they were trying to steal it and couldn't, so took out their frustration
on the bike.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

 

[Dirtylitterboxo]

Ack! Nasty business. I hope the gonads of whoever did it, wither, go gangrenous & drop off...

helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove dependency on fame &
fortune h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o**l.c**$*$om$$

 

[Mseries]

SimonC wrote:
> Why do these idiots think that its fun to ruin someone's chosen form of transport? Unfortunately,
> there are no cameras outside this club even though it is well lit, and I don't have any insurance
> that I can claim from.

Is acts like this that put me off using my bike for non-recreational purposes such as shopping where
I have to leave it in a public place.

--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely.

 

[Pk]

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
> Ack! Nasty business. I hope the gonads of whoever did it, wither, go gangrenous & drop off...

so, not only was it a car driver but a bloke as well?

(;-)

pk

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Is acts like this that put me off using my bike for non-recreational purposes such as shopping
> where I have to leave it in a public place.

I have never had a bike stolen, interfered with or damaged when parked in public.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

 

[Mseries]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> "MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Is acts like this that put me off using my bike for non-recreational purposes such as shopping
>> where I have to leave it in a public place.
>
>
> I have never had a bike stolen, interfered with or damaged when parked in public.

I have only[1] had some brake blocks stolen when I was a student, but I believe deepest West
Yorkshire in the 21st Century is more crime riddled than Reading University campus in the '80s. Like
the OP I would be very angry and upset if any of my bikes were vandalised or stolen.

[1] Someone stole my tools from my saddle bag in Sydney.

--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely.

 

[Pk]

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
>> so, not only was it a car driver but a bloke as well?
>
> No - we women have gonads too - in men the gonads are the testes, in women, the ovaries. Check
> your dictionary

LOL

But you were a tad more specicic, "...drop off..." suggests male gonands!

(;-)

pk

 

[pineapple]

Originally posted by Simonc
Sorry to enter the group on such a downer but I really don't understand the mentality of
the people who do this.

It's a sad state of affairs when a young person like me (19) has already had a good few years of terminal despair over the state of the human race...

I don't understand either, and it makes me ashamed to be a member of the same species as the kind of person who commits this kind of inane act. The really depressing thing is that this is not an uncommon occurrence - there really are a large proportion of people out there, who are that inconsiderate and plain stupid!

 

[pineapple]

Originally posted by Simonc
Sorry to enter the group on such a downer but I really don't understand the mentality of
the people who do this.

It's a sad state of affairs when a young person like me (19) has already had a good few years of terminal despair over the state of the human race...

I don't understand either, and it makes me ashamed to be a member of the same species as the kind of person who commits this kind of inane act. The really depressing thing is that this is not an uncommon occurrence - there really are a large proportion of people out there, who are that inconsiderate and plain stupid!

 

[Tony W]

"MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Is acts like this that put me off using my bike for non-recreational purposes such as shopping
> where I have to leave it in a public place.

I know this is tempting fate -- but six months ago I would have said exactly the same.

Now I regularly leave my bike locked to a railing or a Sheffield in town -- including near some
dubious places and fairly late in the evenings -- and, so far, and with the possible benefit of it
being either my 'old git' bike (my Galaxy) or my scaffolding pipe Indian ATB, no problem.

Currently there is NO WAY I would leave any bike at the station and no way I would want to leave any
bike looking abandoned (i.e. overnight in the wrong place).

But I have certainly relaxed about leaving a bike in town for a couple of hours.

T

PS -- I suppose I should now open a book on when it gets the treatment :~(

 

[Peter Clinch]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> I have never had a bike stolen, interfered with or damaged when parked in public.

I've had my tyres let down, and I think that's the worst of it.

But I didn't go to the kayak club's pool session last night as the Brompton's currently away on
loan and I didn't want to leave either the MTB or the Streetmachine outside in the neighbourhood
where the school with the pool we use is. Part of the equation is knowing where you can safely
leave things...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Mseries]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> .... Part of the equation is knowing where you can safely leave things...

I'd agree with that but I am afraid I take the 'No Tolerance' approach and I'm prepared to take no
risks. Maybe I should get an old expendable mountain bike. Trouble is I hate riding **** bikes.

--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely.

 

[Peter Clinch]

MSeries wrote:

> I'd agree with that but I am afraid I take the 'No Tolerance' approach and I'm prepared to take no
> risks. Maybe I should get an old expendable mountain bike. Trouble is I hate riding **** bikes.

No, an old tourer will be better as it will look to most eeejits like a **** Bike anyway, because
it's totally unfashionable. I'm quite confident the 'bent won't get nicked (no market, joyriders
wouldn't even be sure if they could ride it) but it might get vandalised just because it's so
ostentatious (don't know it would, but like you say...). But a reasonably well looked after old
Galaxy or similar should be more or less immune to the ravages of fools and still be fine to ride.
As reported, I've had my tyres let down on my old tourer, but nothing worse.

If you'll take no risks at all with your bike then you can't ride it anywhere either, which rather
destroys the point! Having said that, if I'm going somewhere I don't like to leave the bike I take
the Brompton, fold it up and take it in with me. Problem solved. Plenty of utilitarian stops can be
effectively completely safe, even without "cheating" with the Brompton. Shopping at the local Tescos
it's in front of a constant stream of people and just along the way from the entrance CCTV and
security guard. I really can't see it getting vandalised there: vandals may be stupid, but not
*that* stupid...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I am afraid I take the 'No Tolerance' approach and I'm prepared to take no risks. Maybe I should
> get an old expendable
mountain
> bike. Trouble is I hate riding **** bikes.

The old standby of a decent 1980s lightweight tourer with a Hammerite paint job might do.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

 

[Colin Blackburn]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:23:29 +0000, Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:

> MSeries wrote:
>
>> I'd agree with that but I am afraid I take the 'No Tolerance' approach and I'm prepared to
>> take no risks. Maybe I should get an old expendable mountain bike. Trouble is I hate riding
>> **** bikes.
>
> No, an old tourer will be better as it will look to most eeejits like a **** Bike anyway, because
> it's totally unfashionable. I'm quite confident the 'bent won't get nicked (no market,

I wouldn't be so confident. I forget the guy's name but a bloke on Tyneside had his recumbent nicked
from a locked shed. It has, as far as I know, not been recovered and is reckoned to have been stolen
to order, possibly shipped abroad. joyriders wouldn't even

Colin
--

 

[Tony W]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> No, an old tourer will be better as it will look to most eeejits like a **** Bike anyway, because
> it's totally unfashionable. I'm quite confident the 'bent won't get nicked (no market, joyriders
> wouldn't even be sure if they could ride it) but it might get vandalised just because it's so
> ostentatious (don't know it would, but like you say...). But a reasonably well looked after old
> Galaxy or similar should be more or less immune to the ravages of fools and still be fine to ride.
> As reported, I've had my tyres let down on my old tourer, but nothing worse.

I hope you are right 'cos that's exactly what I use. I'm a bit worried now that I have put a
nice shiney new honey Brooks B17 on it -- but then its not super soft gel so I'm hoping it will
remain in tact.

> If you'll take no risks at all with your bike then you can't ride it anywhere either, which rather
> destroys the point! Having said that, if I'm going somewhere I don't like to leave the bike I take
> the Brompton, fold it up and take it in with me. Problem solved.

I'm surprised at how many places you can take a bike in with you.

> Plenty of utilitarian stops can be effectively completely safe, even without "cheating" with the
> Brompton. Shopping at the local Tescos it's in front of a constant stream of people and just along
> the way from the entrance CCTV and security guard. I really can't see it getting vandalised there:
> vandals may be stupid, but not *that* stupid...

I think it is worth knowing where the city centre CCTV points. Most of the jobs know so why park a
bike out of its range?

T