So I Find This Guy Riding My Bike

GoldenMotor.com

5-7HEAVEN

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2008
2,661
240
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HawaiiEd gave me an old Gary fisher mountain bike. It had flat tires and rusty drivetrain. I filled the tires, greased everything and the bike runs pretty well.

I'm thinking it'd be great to have it at my workplace. I walk a few bloocks for lunch. I also walk several blocks to night school, so I could make good use of it.

So I put it in my van and the wife drives me to work. While securing the bike I realize I left the key to the bike chain in the van and my wife drove away.

No biggie. I'llsqueeze the bike between the bikerack and the wall, block it in with a cinder block. Then I'll run the chain thru the wheel and rack. From a distance no one would notice it's unlocked.

Two hours later my wife drops the key off on the first floor parking area. I catch the elevator to the fourth floor where my bike is at, so I can lock my bike....

and I catch the building maintenance man riding my bike!!!

"Bra, you wanna put my bike back on the rack?" I asked in a serious ominous tone.

"But the bike wasn't locked up." was his main defense he and his partner kept insisting.

So he rolls my bike between the rack and the wall and places the cinder block next to the crankset.

I asked him what he was thinking. He mentioned again that the bike was unlocked. It's not like the bike was sitting there abandoned for months. I just brought it there two hours ago. I told him not in my wildest dream would I do such a thing.

His friend utters the same lame excuse.

It's not like this guy's a young naive guy. Both men were in their 50's.

I was upset. If I'd reported the incident both men would probably get fired for such a stupid mistake.

Two family men losing their job over poor judgment over a bike not worth $40.

If they were messing with "The Dragon Lady", my regular commuter bike I would've pressed charges and have them fired.

It's not over yet. I'm looking for an apology. They never said they were sorry.:-||

What would you have done?
__________________
 

Tonypedia

New Member
Apr 8, 2009
3
0
0
Cleveland 'burbs
A friend of mine who has been mountain biking much longer than I have gave me a piece of advice. No matter who you are, and how tough you think you are, someone will always try to mess with you while you are riding (I guess it goes for getting your bike stolen too.) Usually it's some idiot in a car who didn't see you and almost killed you, but it could be anyone.

I actually had a guy stop in the middle of the road, get out of his car, try to give me a lecture about how I might have had the right of way legally, but he had the right of way because he was bigger, in a car, and was going to kick my butt. bla bla bla.

I digress. I was told--and fortunately I haven't needed to use it yet--to carry pepper spray with you whenever you go biking. It doesn't seem like that manliest thing to carry, but when your riding hard, and constantly on the brink of physical exhaustion, it can be a handy thing to have in a case of self defense.

I don't think I would have been nearly as cool about it as you were, and I might have just pepper sprayed the guy as soon as I saw him on my bike. I would have at least knocked him off.
 

Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
Mar 20, 2008
7,266
1,797
113
Los Angeles, CA.
I think that you're lucky you saw him riding it, before he got too attatched to it & took it home! & from now on, keep in mind that he's the type of guy to do things like that... so watch out!
I would've taken it inside with me... I don't always lock my bikes, but I keep them in my sight!
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
I'm not sure how I would have handled a situation like that. I know it certainly would have p***ed me off. I came out of the store a few evenings ago and some guy had his young daughter sitting on my bike. She was probably 4, maybe 5 years old and wasn't actaully hurting anything but I thought the guy's actions were rude to say the least. I didn't say anything; just got on my bike and rode away. I wonder what he would have done had he come out of the store and found me and my Golden Retreiver sitting in the driver's seat of his high dollar Japanese SUV that I saw him drive off in.
Why is a bicycle or an MB less sacred than any other personal property? Idiots!
Tom
 

DOC BOLM

New Member
Aug 21, 2008
681
1
0
Mississippi
A few years back me and my k9 bea came home to find a guy sitting in a chair in the house.He said it was not locked and he must have made a mistake and went into the wrong house.I asked him to get his a?? out ,he thought that was funny.After about 30 stitches caused by my k9 and a ride to jail in my cop car,he never came around to visit anymore. HARLEYS DAD
 

grouchyolfart

New Member
May 31, 2008
267
0
0
Wahiawa, Hawai'i
and I catch the building maintenance man riding my bike!!!

"Bra, you wanna put my bike back on the rack?" I asked in a serious ominous tone.

"But the bike wasn't locked up." was his main defense he and his partner kept insisting.

So he rolls my bike between the rack and the wall and places the cinder block next to the crankset.

I asked him what he was thinking. He mentioned again that the bike was unlocked. It's not like the bike was sitting there abandoned for months. I just brought it there two hours ago. I told him not in my wildest dream would I do such a thing.

His friend utters the same lame excuse.

It's not like this guy's a young naive guy. Both men were in their 50's.

I was upset. If I'd reported the incident both men would probably get fired for such a stupid mistake.

Two family men losing their job over poor judgment over a bike not worth $40.

If they were messing with "The Dragon Lady", my regular commuter bike I would've pressed charges and have them fired.

It's not over yet. I'm looking for an apology. They never said they were sorry.:-||

What would you have done?
__________________
Hoi, 5-7. Was going to get into all this culture stuff, but fuggedaboudit.
I got no mercy. I'd have turned them in. I've had an expensive bike stripped in a "secure" parking garage. Had to have been a resident. Cost me several hundred to rebuild it and started bringing it upstairs to my studio using the elevator,which was against the rules. RM caught me one day and asked me about it. In my "spooky face" (my daughter calls it) I told him I own my unit and I'll hold him financially responsible if my bike gets stripped again or stolen. Of course I couldn't, but I guess I looked spooky enough he back off and never bothered me about it again.

Remember the dog incident at Pali Golf Course? Suppose you left a dog down there, just for a few minutes while you went up to get some food for it or something. The 2 guys would have taken it home to feed their families dinner. drn2
 

rmeloy34

New Member
Mar 26, 2009
116
0
0
Wallyworld Conn.
We all know that guy is "sorry".....a sorry human being,I used to have problems with people stealing my lights and accesories,after a few times I did take it to the cops to no avail,finnaly I found the culprits bike with my lights so I donated a new lock too..minus the key of course. LOL
 

5-7HEAVEN

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2008
2,661
240
63
My wife has been unemployed over a year, so I"m at my absolutely BEST behavior at work. I can't risk being fired. Who knows what this situation could've escalated to. I could've hurt him badly or vice versa. For an old bike? Nope, not worth it.

Tonypedia, I might consider pepper spray to keep in my toolkit, just in case.

Veniceboy, a few years ago they allowed all three of us to bring our bikes into the office. However the administrators felt were were tracking in dirt/oil and dirtying the already filthy carpet. Sooo, they installed bikeracks on the fourth floor parking lot.

I'm the only bicyclist in a building of 300 employees. So sad.

2door, yes I was teed off. My good friend the tough, 76yo building security guard said he would've punched the guy if it happened to him. But then again the guard was recently arrested for beating up a man young enough to be his grandson....inside the young guy's truck...in front of the wife and kid...on the day of my friend's son's funeral.

Can we say...hot-tempered?

Doc, I guess he picked the wrong house to break in, even if the door was unlocked. Good lesson.

grouchy, nah. not worth it to me. But what happened to the dog?

rmeloy, it might've been different away from work. I like that extra lock.
 

grouchyolfart

New Member
May 31, 2008
267
0
0
Wahiawa, Hawai'i
grouchy, nah. not worth it to me. But what happened to the dog?
A course regular asked the manager permission to tie his longtime canine companion up to a garden shed near one of the fairways while he played the front 9. Nice leash and the dog had a collar. Guy comes back to get his dog and it's gone. A witness pointed out two fairly new employees, who recently moved here from the P-------s, and said he saw them with the dog. The 2 knuckleheads still think they live in a mountain village, took the dog and had it for dinner. :rolleyes: Made the headlines last year.

Poor owner lost a family member and the 2 stupidheads got jail time for animal cruelty. Can't remember straight, but I think they charged them with a felony so they could get a stiffer punishment. Something about a new federal law.
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
I rode my bike to a restaurant today. I got off it broke the connection to the battery and went inside to pick up take out. I always worry about it riding off without me. I guess I would have called a cop, but also I would have known that it was a complete waste of my time. If I saw the guy I would have screamed but I couldn't do much else. My balance is so bad I couldn't run after him without falling.

I guess I need a longer bike chain. I might go with a cable instead. Chain is awfully heavy in a length that would reach the nearest post sometimes. If the bad guy could cut a cable he could cut a chain as well.
 
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mechanickid

New Member
Aug 7, 2008
419
0
0
nh
Once i had two nice mountain bikes that i didn't use anymore, and the folks who's lawn i mowed asked if they could buy them from me for they're kids, so i told them could have them both for $100, but later i felt like this was too much for people who payed me well to mow they're lawn so i returned the check and told them they could have the bikes or could pay me what they felt they were worth, so they payed me nothing, and a week later i heard they put them out on the street for free.

i never felt bad about getting payed 20 an hour again.
 

Earthman

New Member
Mar 24, 2009
82
0
0
Pittsburgh, PA
It seems like a small thing, but the bottom line is the guys can’t be trusted to do the right thing and not touch someone’s property when it isn’t being watched. Their excuse says it all. Your intentions with the chain around it to make it look locked were clear. Years ago, you could have left the bike unlocked and unwatched all day and no one would have touched it. Things are different now and it is sad. You should ask the maintenance man’s employer if he wants to have someone around who has keys to everything, but isn’t trustworthy. Let him handle it. If I were him, having people around who have demonstrated to my tenants that they can’t be trusted is a problem. At the very least, the guys need a lecture in ethics and a record in their employee files.
 

DOC BOLM

New Member
Aug 21, 2008
681
1
0
Mississippi
Years ago i came in early from work and my wife wanted to go to dinner,I removed my glock 23 from my shoulder holster and laid it on the floor next to the bed.I had been out to the range before coming home so i needed to clean and reload it.Low and behold someone broke in ,stole my gun.The thief was found dead after getting into a gun fight with a rival gang,my unloaded glock was next to his lifeless body.REMEMBER IF YOU STEAL ,MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE. HARLEYS DAD
 

rmeloy34

New Member
Mar 26, 2009
116
0
0
Wallyworld Conn.
Once i had two nice mountain bikes that i didn't use anymore, and the folks who's lawn i mowed asked if they could buy them from me for they're kids, so i told them could have them both for $100, but later i felt like this was too much for people who payed me well to mow they're lawn so i returned the check and told them they could have the bikes or could pay me what they felt they were worth, so they payed me nothing, and a week later i heard they put them out on the street for free.

i never felt bad about getting payed 20 an hour again.
I suppose when you give something away its thiers to do as they wish but I think I would have felt a tinge of disrespect....id up my rate to 25.00 LOL