Bicycle revenge ideas

[IvonaDestroi]

Ok, this is the 3rd freakin time this has happened to me!

Have you ever had some ******* lock their god damn u lock through your cables??? How freakin irritatating!!!!

So I lock up my bike at the Ashby bart station every day that I go to school... I lock it inside the ticket gates because even though it's incredibally overcrowded parking there, it's the only safe place to put your bike.The outside parking is always full of stripped bicycles in various forms of dissarray. If you park out there every day your bike WILL get stolen/stripped at some point or another. So I always park inside.

Well, obviously when it's crowded there are plenty of idiots who don't know how to lock their bikes. Assholes will take up 2 spots, bend your rims trying to push your bike over despite the u lock around the tire... and... Lock their god damn bikes to yours!!!

This happened to me a second time a couple days ago... You have to understand I have been EXHUASTED all week... I'm graduating in 3 weeks and I've pretty much had about 8-12 hours a day of work to do/7 days a week for the last 2 and a half months. I've taken maybe one day off that whole time...

that day I had gotten up at 6am for school and stayed up till midnight doing a photo shoot the night before for my portfolio, after sewing all day. Yes, I was freakin TIRED when I got back to Ashby!!!

I always enjoy my all downhill ride home and I was looking forward to my ride and a nap when, low and behold, My bike had been captured! my shifter cable was locked inside some assholes grey kryptonite u lock. I left him a very nasty note. I was PISSED. the note went something along the lines of:

DEAR JACK ***

YOU LOCKED YOUR LOCK AROUND MY SHIFTER CABLE. CAN'T REMOVE BIKE WITHOUT REMOVING ENTIRE HOUSING AND RE-TUNING. THANKS MORON.

I think he/she deserved it. I didn't have tools with me, and the idea of taking off the cable (this one's a 70s schwinn suburban 10 speed with suicide shifters) was too much to deal with at the moment. I'd have to unscrew the cable from the back bracket and take the whole cable out of four seperate housing pieces all the way up to the shifter. I knew I wouldn't have time to go buy a new cable anyway, and keeping the thing cleanly threaded through all those housing pieces after having to rip off the ferrules was not gonna happen... Not to mention the tuning.

So I had to leave it. I walked home in the rain. I was Soooo...tired....

The next day it poured all day and didn't stop until 10pm, so I walked back down there with some friends to see if this moron had freed my bike. He had, but there was now a red trek in it's place with ITS u lock around the same damn cable!!!!! apparently the cable was now portruding over the rack because of all the commotion...

We just took off the damn cable and now I have to freakin go through all that any damn way... even though I'm on an insane schedule. So yes. The ******* deserved the nasty note. Also, he let all of the air out of my front tire in revenge for the note, so I had to ride back on my rims in the rain...

Also I noticed that he had unscrewed the wingnut on the shifter and put it back together after realizing it wasn't open ended. (I know that because I had done the same thing but I left my end piece on backwards and it was replaced the right way). In any case, thanks for the safe ride home jack ***!!!

I see that bike at the bart station all the time. I want revenge!!!! Fair revenge. His 5 seconds saved to catch his train cost me a day without a bike,2 walks in the rain, a wet ride on a flat, a new cable, and all the work of re-installing it and tuning. I want him to get the same. He rushed, didn't pay attention, and probably just barely caught his train at my expense. And he let the air out of my tire and messed with my shifter.

I'm not gonna cut his brake cables or anything drastic, but he totally deserves something!

Ideas?

[pinkychique]

First of all, take three deep breaths. in...out...in...out....in....out...


ok

people tend to suck in general at racks, which is why i ride my fixed gear when i ride to school. maybe you could shorten your cable housing?

[Aint Doody]

Ummmm, Ivona, I'm sorta put off by your foul language and anger.

[shootingstar]

At least this happened in a city with people around you, not out in a rural, isolated area. Yes, you were tired, but most TE members have every story of exhaustion..some much greater than yours.

Since your note called him names, it probably set him/her off to start off this chain of revenge.

It did happen to my partner in a very packed market area...but he was luckier ...since person left and unlocked the bikes 2-3 hrs. after he discovered the locking error.

Revenge doesn't get one far in life. ..it just produces more anger for the coffee pot to percolate. But it might fuel you to bike further and longer.

Sleep well tonight.
______________
I understand about your walking for long distances in foul weather....I've been car-free for past quarter century. I returned to cycling about 17 yrs. ago. But I still do the public transit/walking also.

And will for the rest of my life.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What's next....scratching each other's paint, breaking spokes, and slashing tires? Revenge goes nowhere but downhill.
If two different bikes in a row locked through your cable, I'm thinking maybe your cable needs some shortening up? Something's not right here. Can you position your bike differently, or maybe zip-tie your cable to pull it closer in to the bike?

You rode home on a total flat on your rim?? Didn't it wreck your rim and cut right through your tire and tube as well?

[IvonaDestroi]

Ummmm, Ivona, I'm sorta put off by your foul language and anger.

Sorry, the words I'm using arn't that bad... I'm not sure why its censoring... i only used a**hole and jacka** (those were self censored) which to me arn't that bad, I could do a lot worse! it didn't censor the plural for some reason...

In any case I think I had the right to be angry! Esspecially after he let air out of my tire after his own mistake. Wouldn't you be?

[IvonaDestroi]

At least this happened in a city with people around you, not out in a rural, isolated area. Yes, you were tired, but most TE members have every story of exhaustion..some much greater than yours.

Since your note called him names, it probably set him/her off to start off this chain of revenge.

It did happen to my partner in a very packed market area...but he was luckier ...since person left and unlocked the bikes 2-3 hrs. after he discovered the locking error.

Revenge doesn't get one far in life. ..it just produces more anger for the coffee pot to percolate. But it might fuel you to bike further and longer.

I agree, but you know, I still blame him for starting it. (yes I am proudly reverting to elementary school politics)

Besides... letting air out of my tire was going too far and it did actually put my safety at risk. I don't plan on doing that too him... just costing him some time and effort like he cost me.

[Trek420]

Ivona,

Inhale ... exhale .... feel the bike love

Could you to exit at the next station? It's closer to campus (like in it). Perhaps Ashby is nearer to where you need to go.

Doesn't downtown Berekely BART station still have their faaaaaabulous bike valet parking service? Even if Ashby is closer at the next station over your bike remains safe, parked indoors, on an individual rack, watched by an attendant.

They even have tools for small repairs like topping off a tire etc.

[Aint Doody]

Here's what I'm referring to:

lock their god damn u lock

Lock their god damn bikes to yours!!!

And all those a--hole's, too.

I personally find vitriolic spewing offensive and counterproductive. Even your name suggests much anger. I guess I can just put you on my ignore list. I do hope your intent in your posts is not to destroy. It's not a good goal.

And maybe your tire was going to go down anyway. It happens.

[IvonaDestroi]

What's next....scratching each other's paint, breaking spokes, and slashing tires? Revenge goes nowhere but downhill.
If two different bikes in a row locked through your cable, I'm thinking maybe your cable needs some shortening up? Something's not right here. Can you position your bike differently, or maybe zip-tie your cable to pull it closer in to the bike?

You rode home on a total flat on your rim?? Didn't it wreck your rim and cut right through your tire and tube as well?

Well the second one happened because the cable was all streched out after me fidgeting with it trying to figure out a way to get it out more easily.

Parkingwise, There is no way to get that u lock through the wheel and frame without having it right next to the bar, but the problem with it getting caught isn't that typical. The first guy didn't pay attention, then it got strectched out and it was all pulled out for the second guy.

The tire wasn't completely flat, but probably flat enough to cut through if it hit something hard enough. I decided to take the risk and go slow, It's only a few blocks, and I got home just fine. I also had friends right there with me.

Revenge wise, all is fair in love and war! Besides, maybe it's a cute guy... that's a great story for meeting someone...

[SadieKate]

If this is happening repeatedly, call the police. Take a picture each time.

He's essentially taking your property hostage. If another car is illegally parked and blocking yours, it will be towed.

And during your call to them be polite and patient.

[Biciclista]

now you're talking Ivona.
yes, you had every right to be angry. I would have been too!

If you really think he let air out of your tire (are you SURE he did it?) you could let air out of his tire too, but then the next thing you know, your bike will be missing spokes, or.... like bleeker said, it could get much worse.

Lucky you had this place to vent, it's better than revenge.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I would think anyone letting the air out of someone's bike tire in anger would let it all out- not just deflate it part way. I think it's a mistake to be so sure some one did it as opposed to maybe the valve starting to separate or other possibilities. At this point in my life I've been wrong too many times when I was absolutely sure someone did something...only to find out later that they actually hadn't.

[IvonaDestroi]

If this is happening repeatedly, call the police. Take a picture each time.

He's essentially taking your property hostage. If another car is illegally parked and blocking yours, it will be towed.

And during your call to them be polite and patient.

Yea they usually offer to call bart police and have them remove the lock for you. (I don't think I would trust them after the whole Oscar Grant thing though, I might get "tazered" with a bullet!) :-P Those guys really are pretty violent and rude, esspecially to people like me who have blue hair... This one was a kryptonite lock though... hard to get off and I didn't wanna cost the guy his lock.


The other thing they might do is take off the cable on my bike and get the guys info when he comes to get his bike and charge him the cost of replacing it, but I don't mind doing it myself so much, just really bad timing with the rain and my schedule and all. If I knew nothing about bikes that's probably what would have happened, that and a trip to the shop. I mean a nasty note is kind of getting off easy if you think about it!

[IvonaDestroi]

now you're talking Ivona.
yes, you had every right to be angry. I would have been too!

If you really think he let air out of your tire (are you SURE he did it?) you could let air out of his tire too, but then the next thing you know, your bike will be missing spokes, or.... like bleeker said, it could get much worse.

Lucky you had this place to vent, it's better than revenge.

That's true... I am pretty sure he did it because A) It was fine for months before then, and when I rode it to the station, and B) I checked the tube in the bathtub and it had no leaks, refilled it and rode around a bit today and it held up just fine, so it didn't have any holes

yea, revenge-wise if it got to that point that would probably be no good... then it's just gonna keep going back and forth eternally!

(although even the ticket guy in the booth said he'd keep an eye on it for me and he laughed when I said I should do the same thing). It is kind of funny if you think about it... He'd probably just watch us both and laugh at the drama!