Have you ever locked someone elses bike...

[User16625]

with a cheap lock and then hid somewhere nearby for a laugh?
Has it ever happened to you? What would you do to resolve the situation ccoz most cyclists dont carry bolt cutters?

 

[coffeejo]

with a cheap lock and then hid somewhere nearby for a laugh?

No because I'm not a cretin.

Has it ever happened to you? What would you do to resolve the situation ccoz most cyclists dont carry bolt cutters?

Thankfully never happened to me but if it did, assuming it wasn't an accident (someone putting their lock through my bike as well as their own), I'd be tempted to ring 101 and ask for advice re: the Theft Act 1968 :

Basic definition of theft.

(1)A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it

 

[summerdays]

I worry about accidenaltly locking someone else's bike at the same time as mine and I've come close a couple of times. And occasionally I've locked mine to a colleagues bike - knowing that if they want to leave before me that they will come and find me. But no - it wouldn't cross my mind to do it to someone else and if it was done to me I would probably wait with the bike and call a friend to come and rescue me and the bike.

 

[mattobrien]

Firstly, I don't leave my bike unattended, so unlikely to happen to me unless they managed to lock it while still moving, a tad tricky me thinks.

Secondly, it would be about as funny as letting someones tyres down, i.e. not at all

Thirdly, a cyclist would never do this. A cretin with a bike maybe, but not a cyclist.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Common thing round here, bike thieves do it to stop you moving the bike and come back later to steal it. Carry a small tube of super glue in your seat bag and fill up the key hole to the lock to ensure the thief can not easily remove the lock and has to do the same thing as you and cut it off.
Then go home get a big stick and hide waiting for the idiot who locked it to return, then make certain the ABH charge against you is justified.

Scum of the earth people who pull shoot like that on purpose even if they are not thieves they still need their teeth kicked down the back of their throat for thinking its funny or OK to do this to strangers

 

[compo]

OK, confession time. When we were kids locks tended to be the simple 4 digit combination locks attached to a lightweight chain, similar to the pound shop things you can get now. These were openable in seconds without causing any damage. We used to go swimming then when we came out we would swap the locks around the bikes in the bike shed causing much confusion and swearing from the bike owners.

 

[Brandane]

Carry a small tube of super glue in your seat bag and fill up the key hole to the lock to ensure the thief can not easily remove the lock and has to do the same thing as you and cut it off.

The only problem with this plan is that when they come back, they will have brought something to cut off YOUR lock, so it will not be a problem to also cut off the lock that they put on. Otherwise, I agree with your sentiments .

 

[Andrew_Culture]

OK, confession time. When we were kids locks tended to be the simple 4 digit combination locks attached to a lightweight chain, similar to the pound shop things you can get now. These were openable in seconds without causing any damage. We used to go swimming then when we came out we would swap the locks around the bikes in the bike shed causing much confusion and swearing from the bike owners.

I remember those locks, they were terrible!

We have HUGE bolt croppers at work, and I have keys to get into work at whatever time of day or night some little oik tries this.

In fact I'll declare right now that if anyone local has their bike locked please contact me and I'll see what I can do to help out.

 

[Sandra6]

I have been tempted when I've seen a friend's bike, and if someone spots my bike they often text me to tell me they've pinched my lights or something. I always reply - my bike? strange, it's in the house.
I have accidentally locked mine to someone else's, but realised before leaving.
Yesterday I was tempted to do it because some idiot had left his bike blocking the entire cycle space for anyone else.
You know the sort of open bus shelter style bike "shed"?? There are five wheel spaces, but I generally lean my bike at the end because I can lock the frame and not just the wheel that way. This clown had lifted his bike onto the horizontal length of the shelter and locked it there - blocking three of the five wheel spots - if I'd locked my bike to one he wouldn't have been able to lift his bike down without clattering into mine.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have been tempted when I've seen a friend's bike, and if someone spots my bike they often text me to tell me they've pinched my lights or something. I always reply - my bike? strange, it's in the house.

Awesome comeback; it's your turn today to win the Internet

 

[Arjimlad]

A friend at church locked her bike to one of ours but we turn up with four of them which can monopolise the bikeracks somewhat. She came & told us straight away and it was perfectly OK.

I suppose a prank on a pal might be contemplated but rather silly all the same. I'm often in a screaming hurrry with people waiting for me at the other end of the journey, so a prank like this would probably not go down well.

 

[User16625]

Common thing round here, bike thieves do it to stop you moving the bike and come back later to steal it. Carry a small tube of super glue in your seat bag and fill up the key hole to the lock to ensure the thief can not easily remove the lock and has to do the same thing as you and cut it off.
Then go home get a big stick and hide waiting for the idiot who locked it to return, then make certain the ABH charge against you is justified.

Scum of the earth people who pull s*** like that on purpose even if they are not thieves they still need their teeth kicked down the back of their throat for thinking its funny or OK to do this to strangers

I agree. Its a good beatin to someone who screws with my property, unless he can somehow come up with fair compensation on the spot ofcourse.

 

[Teuchter]

At the end of a lunchtime trip into town once I found that someone had locked their BSO to my bike using a thin cable lock. I had to get back to work so after looking around in the hope of seeing someone who may have been the owner, proceeded to have at the lock with the wire cutters on my Leatherman. It took no time at all to liberate my bike and I left the cut lock draped over the other bike and stand so it would look to passers by as if it was still locked.

An interesting side note is that despite this being in the middle of one of Glasgow's busiest pedestrianised shopping streets during a busy mid-week lunchtime, nobody looked twice at me cutting this bike lock.

On another occasion I'd left my bike locked to some railings and got back after work to find someone had fastened a large cable-tie around a railing and the frame. Luckily again I cut this off with my Leatherman and was on my way.

Looking back over this, I should maybe start carrying that Leatherman or at least a pair of snips in my pannier again - not taken it for a while.

 

[ianrauk]

I accidentally locked my bike to another when I used to commute to a train station.
Only realised when I got back that evening.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

At the end of a lunchtime trip into town once I found that someone had locked their BSO to my bike using a thin cable lock. I had to get back to work so after looking around in the hope of seeing someone who may have been the owner, proceeded to have at the lock with the wire cutters on my Leatherman. It took no time at all to liberate my bike and I left the cut lock draped over the other bike and stand so it would look to passers by as if it was still locked.

An interesting side note is that despite this being in the middle of one of Glasgow's busiest pedestrianised shopping streets during a busy mid-week lunchtime, nobody looked twice at me cutting this bike lock.

On another occasion I'd left my bike locked to some railings and got back after work to find someone had fastened a large cable-tie around a railing and the frame. Luckily again I cut this off with my Leatherman and was on my way.

Looking back over this, I should maybe start carrying that Leatherman or at least a pair of snips in my pannier again - not taken it for a while.

I adore my Leatherman, even more so after reading this.