So I Find This Guy Riding My Bike

[5-7HEAVEN]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by 5-7HEAVEN

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.

[rmeloy34]

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]

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.

[love1to1fish]

i would have ran up and kicked him in the head then asked him why he was riding my bike

[Pablo]

Some stuff I just walk away from. I would have asked the same questions...... Maybe mentioned his upbringing and the true forgiver, and then just walked away.