One of the dumbest cycling things I've done is..

[PeteXXX]

One of the dumbest cycling things I've done is...........

Said to the Mrs on the last Saturday before Christmas.. "No point in taking the car into town today, love, it'll be heaving! I'll pop in on the bike and collect the last minute bits for No.1 daughter from Toys R Us"

Lovely cold weather, car park overflowing, not a parking space for miles... "No problem for me" thought I as I padlocked the bike outside the shop. Easy bloody peasy!! "Look at those muppets driving into town on a day like this!"

Until I came back outside and fumbled through the various pockets in several different layers of clothing.

No keys........but I remembered EXACTLY where they were.

Hanging on the banana hook on the fruit bowl, 6 miles away <DOH>

Suffice it to say that, due to a most unladylike threat from Mrs P, (involving keys, padlocks & where they might be inserted) when she drove in with the keys, I now use a combination lock when I ride into town.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I took the wrong bike on my fir FNRttC last year, didn't learn my lesson and took same wrong bike on my first audax in November. Suffice to say I didn't finish either ride but I have finally learnt my lesson.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I always make sure I have my lock and keys, and it is a very rare occurance when I don't leave the house without at least my keys anyway. People actually rely on me for it, despite that they should take their keys too.
They live in my jacket pocket, and I deliberately shake it so I can hear they are there before I even think about using them to lock the house with them!

 

[fossyant]

You are not alone...

 

[matthat]

I have ridden to work twice now and realised I've left lock clipped on other bike!! Luckily I'm only ten mins from home so it's not to bad, just means I'm cutting it extremely fine to get to work in time!!

 

[Herbie]

I always make sure I have my lock and keys, and it is a very rare occurance when I don't leave the house without at least my keys anyway. People actually rely on me for it, despite that they should take their keys too.
They live in my jacket pocket, and I deliberately shake it so I can hear they are there before I even think about using them to lock the house with them!

I do that to...i'm a bit paranoid about keys and always checking they are still in my pocket when i'm out

 

[DCLane]

Last summer I got ready for the commute to work; clothes, keys and money in rucksack, bike outside.

The front door was locked with the spare key, which was put through the letterbox.

It was only when I turned round did I realise the ONLY thing outside was the bike; I'm there in lycra, major work meeting in 40 minutes (30 min commute) and needing to be back home in 3 hours for the alarm company to arrive.

 

[matthat]

Last summer I got ready for the commute to work; clothes, keys and money in rucksack, bike outside.

The front door was locked with the spare key, which was put through the letterbox.

It was only when I turned round did I realise the ONLY thing outside was the bike; I'm there in lycra, major work meeting in 40 minutes (30 min commute) and needing to be back home in 3 hours for the alarm company to arrive.

Oops

 

[Night Train]

Last summer I got ready for the commute to work; clothes, keys and money in rucksack, bike outside.

The front door was locked with the spare key, which was put through the letterbox.

It was only when I turned round did I realise the ONLY thing outside was the bike; I'm there in lycra, major work meeting in 40 minutes (30 min commute) and needing to be back home in 3 hours for the alarm company to arrive.

That's when you find out how easy it would be for a would be burglar to break into your home!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I do that to...i'm a bit paranoid about keys and always checking they are still in my pocket when i'm out

I'm not paranoid, I just have set up a (usually) failsafe system so that I have everything I need.

Famous last words, I know!

 

[vernon]

I was ten km from the end of a 100km DIY audax ride when I got a puncture. During the rooting around the pannier's external pocket for tyre levers and puncture repair outfit I noticed that my car ignition key was missing. Cue frantic checking of pocket, pannier and surrounding area for missing key - no joy. I cycled back to the car with heavy heart resigned to the fact that I'd have to ring the RAC for a recovery. As i approached my car I spotted the key sticking out of the boot lock. The car had been parked in a busy car park for just over six hours in a vulnerable state.

I'd like to be able to say that it was a one off incident....

 

[avalon]

At least you didn't come out of the shop and find your bike had been taken by Father Christmas to become somebody elses Christmas present.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I always make sure I have my lock and keys, and it is a very rare occurance when I don't leave the house without at least my keys anyway. People actually rely on me for it, despite that they should take their keys too.
They live in my jacket pocket, and I deliberately shake it so I can hear they are there before I even think about using them to lock the house with them!

My locks live on my hybrid and the keys for my two locks and his two locks live with my house key so that I've always got them on me. He's left the house more than once with a lock but no key so it's lucky that at least one of us is organised.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm usually the other way around. I will get somewhere I find I have got the key and left the lock at home!

That is of course assuming I have remembered to lock the house in the first place (house keys are with D lock keys), which is not something that always happens, like the time I went away on a friday morning, came home on Sunday night and found the front door (still) wide open. First thoughts - crap, hope the pheasants haven't been into the house again (they had - it took some cleaning!).
Luckily we have always lived in hard to find places...

 

[Archie_tect]

I would never do that, nope, never....