It's just an object, like you said. Shed some tears, then carry on. AFAIK, bicycling has become much better and safer in London in the last few years, hasn't it?
A good thing to do to your bike when you leave it, incase someone nicks it, is to unclip the wire on the front brake, but for gods sake dont forget to put it back when you get back on. You can be sure the bastard will ride off at max speed and hit the bus at the intersection.
I remember that thread and my stomach lurched sideways when I saw this thread's title. That really, really stinks Hassan.... have you considered going down to that same area again to look for the bike?
Did you go back and engrave your contact info (number, email address, etc) all over it after you got it back last time? Would make it a lot harder to pass off to honest people without them asking questions. A friend of mine writes "Stolen from" followed by his name on things he uses as work so he can find them easily if they're accidentally borrowed from his desk. That might not be a bad idea to try with your NEXT bike. To heck with the looks of the thing, making it hard to resell would be worth the disfigurement.
If you go back down to that dodgy area again I would take about five of my biggest friends with me.
Which is *incredible* because it was parked in London's Shoreditch in a place where gangs of angle-grinder-wielding pikey smackheads roam the alleys, evaporating defenceless bikes like a corrosive miasma.
I live in a "student-city", 30.000 locals + 30.000 students, and xcept for public transport the entire city centre is traffic-free or at least low on traffic. Also the different aulas are scattered around town and by consequence bikes are the preferred means of transport. Lemme tell you, it's a national sport to steal bikes around here. Admittably most aren't even worth the trouble of stealing, but it's just a convenience thing: damn i need a bike, isn't there an unlocked one around? Or (even more frequently): damn, they stole my bike, lemme steal another one back. Police tries to solve it and has started registering bikes but so far that hasn't helped a lot. It's a fun game though, so i don't mind
A year and a half ago I had my beautiful bicycle stolen. A Cannondale hybrid with Magura hydraulic brakes, a Syncros stem, a race saddle and Shimano downhill pedals. I was sad. I bought it back three days later from the bastard who stole it for £150. A bargain.
why would you do that instead of calling the ploiceon the guy
When people rob banks, isn't there some kind of dye planted in the packs of money that explodes all over the robber?
Why not get something like that for expensive bikes - maybe an explosive-spray, motion-sensitive cartridge that stings their skin, burns their eyes (no permanent damage), makes them cough uncontrollably, and incapacitates them for ten minutes?
This is what happened to a friend of mine, he had a new quite expensive bike:
Two young guys approached him, asked some questions about his bike and seemed to be deeply impressed. After talking to them for a couple of minutes he started to show them some tricks, jumped from benches and stuff like that. One of them asked if he could try it for a second. My friend agreed, the guy took the bike and drove off. Then, the other guy asked for 100 Swiss Francs ($70, took place in Zuerich). Also, he asked for my friend's cell phone to call his friend to bring the bike back. My friend thought that he or the Police can track them down once he has the thief's number stored in his phone, also he desperately wanted his bike back, so he played along. He gave him the money he had with him (was a bit less than they wanted) and the phone. However, the other guy ran off with the phone and the money and my friend was unable to catch him.
(later, the police was able to catch them but they had already sold the bike and no money left)
Hassan man, i feel your pain. Awful. I too hate thieves, though i have to admit to being morally suspect on that front myself when I was an unhappy 10 year old. I will think bad thoughts and send them down the road to the evil-doers.
Comments
You can buy my recumbent if you want
No matter how many loops you use, string is NO DETERRENT to a concerted bicycle thief.
I remember that thread and my stomach lurched sideways when I saw this thread's title. That really, really stinks Hassan.... have you considered going down to that same area again to look for the bike?
Did you go back and engrave your contact info (number, email address, etc) all over it after you got it back last time? Would make it a lot harder to pass off to honest people without them asking questions. A friend of mine writes "Stolen from" followed by his name on things he uses as work so he can find them easily if they're accidentally borrowed from his desk. That might not be a bad idea to try with your NEXT bike. To heck with the looks of the thing, making it hard to resell would be worth the disfigurement.
If you go back down to that dodgy area again I would take about five of my biggest friends with me.
Couldn't hurt.
Which is *incredible* because it was parked in London's Shoreditch in a place where gangs of angle-grinder-wielding pikey smackheads roam the alleys, evaporating defenceless bikes like a corrosive miasma.
I am STUNNED that it is still there.
There is a God (but creationism is cobblers).
At times like these, I really support medivial punishment for thieves -- Chop the hands off.
Recently, my rear wheel was stolen, I was in a hurry and didn't lock it properly, I deserved it too.
Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
A year and a half ago I had my beautiful bicycle stolen. A Cannondale hybrid with Magura hydraulic brakes, a Syncros stem, a race saddle and Shimano downhill pedals. I was sad. I bought it back three days later from the bastard who stole it for £150. A bargain.
When people rob banks, isn't there some kind of dye planted in the packs of money that explodes all over the robber?
Why not get something like that for expensive bikes - maybe an explosive-spray, motion-sensitive cartridge that stings their skin, burns their eyes (no permanent damage), makes them cough uncontrollably, and incapacitates them for ten minutes?
Two young guys approached him, asked some questions about his bike and seemed to be deeply impressed. After talking to them for a couple of minutes he started to show them some tricks, jumped from benches and stuff like that. One of them asked if he could try it for a second. My friend agreed, the guy took the bike and drove off. Then, the other guy asked for 100 Swiss Francs ($70, took place in Zuerich). Also, he asked for my friend's cell phone to call his friend to bring the bike back. My friend thought that he or the Police can track them down once he has the thief's number stored in his phone, also he desperately wanted his bike back, so he played along. He gave him the money he had with him (was a bit less than they wanted) and the phone. However, the other guy ran off with the phone and the money and my friend was unable to catch him.
(later, the police was able to catch them but they had already sold the bike and no money left)