I took my lovely new Pace hardtail on the train for part of the commute yesterday. I only finished building it just before crimbo. The frame is freshly powder coated

The stop after I get on, a woman on a bike gets on. When I say bike, i use the term loosly, I mean ‘bike shaped object’. Some piece of Filthy, Rusty pig iron adorned with panniers, mudguards and a basket

Actually… when I say woman I mean ‘woman shaped object’. She was a bit of a yoghurt knitter.

Anyroadup – she hauls the enormous bulk of her bike onto the train, and then simply drops it on top of mine. ‘I don’t mean place’ I mean just short of hurling it at it!! It connected with a resounding clunk. I looked at her horrified and she just strolled off. She then gets off one stop down and buggers off. Leaving me to inspect the damage. 3 bloody big chips in my new paint job. Right on the top tube. GGGRRRRRRRRRR!!

Anyway: I somehow resisted the urge to go ballistic. But I reckon I’ll see her again on the commute. I’ve seen her before.

What would you do? Point out the error of her ways? I am not happy!!

The ideal time to point out the error of her ways has passed.

Having done this for over 10 years I can tell you with experience that the ettiquette is for you to either (1) suck it up or (2) get a bike you don’t mind getting scratched and chipped

Next time you see her, just present her with an invoice for the respray.

Dressed in your best highwayman outfit*, of course.

*Or Ronald McDonald, whichever isn’t at the dry cleaners.

I know how it feels, I had some great clumsy galloot wrestling with his bike while trying to tie it up on the ferry, oblivious to the damage he was doing to my racer. I actually surprised myself and said something, he didn’t respond but at least stopped bashing my bike around…

Just don’t complain to the train service, they’ll use it as yet another excuse to further reduce the pitiful amount of space on the trains (apparently a cyclist sued because somebody else’s bike fell on him, hence the current obsession with no more than two bikes per carriage).

A bike with no scratches! – how strange

Like I said plumber, I’ve only just finished building it. I’ll be putting plenty of dings and scratches on it myself. But that is my right, seeing as I paid for the privilege 🙂

if it was my nice bike i would have stood infront of it constantly to stop these things happening. Definately too late to pull her up on it now though. Just seeth internally and take it out at the next idiot that crosses you.

Ask which supermarket she shops at and then ask if she minds you coming and doing the same to her car!

Don’t be so precious. Either say something to her at the time or accept that bikes get scratched
On the trains I use despite big signs saying “no luggage” there is almost always luggage left in the bike space that I have to ask people to move – and I often have to tell people not to lean their cases on my bike. I just point out the signs and politely tell them

Must be quite a big bike if it can take a whole train 🙂

lovely new Pace hardtail on the train for part of the commute

Ride a shitter to work instead.

Wouldn’t it be easier to take your bike on a train? 🙂

Dave

edit: damn, too late!

Don’t whatever you do take it on the ferry from Plymouth to Santander. The loaders pile all the bikes up in a bundle and then tie a huge oily rope round them all to keep them in place for the journey. We’ve got steel tourers so don’t care but there was a group who were off on a credit-card tour who all had pristine carbon framed road bikes. They weren’t happy.

Don’t be so precious.

Oh, come on Teej, if that had been 2 cars, we’d be looking at an insurance claim!

I’d have said something there and then! Too late now!

You should have got her in a headlock.

If you drop down the roof panel by the door, theres a door control manifold. Trip the solenoid valve & open the door as the train passes over a large & very high viaduct. Then throw her bike off before sitting down to light a pipe of shag. Better still, throw her off also.

Firstly, be prepared – buy a small cheap D-Lock

If this happens again, politely, but firmly remove the offending bike from yours and us the D-lock to lock the offending BSO to the nearest grab rail / handle, etc

As a regular traveller on our Great British rail network, a few school boy errors;

Your first mistake is thinking that anyone else cares about you powder coated frame, a quick look at the nails chained up at stations should have given you a clue…

Then there was the clue to what was going to happen was

I mean ‘bike shaped object’. Some piece of Filthy, Rusty pig iron adorned with panniers, mudguards and a basket

If commuting by train is going to be a regular event, assemble a bike shaped object from the spares you own and enjoy the view out of the window.

Like JS said let the train take the strain

yer with my brompton everything is easy,, if i put my road bike on it is very stressful as the get knocked about..

pile on!

my brompton is between legs…

chances are you were gonna create the same marks after a heroic pub fall still clipped in or just from pure absent mindedness…

We’ve all done it. Newish bike.. drop multi tool onto paintwork.
Ah fug. etc.

I used to have a similar Scott Aspect in that photo! It was my first ‘proper’ mountain bike.

It’s an inherent risk in taking a bike on a train.

However, that does not mean you would not have been well within your rights to stab her in the eye with a fork.

Just had a thought.. reckon she posts on here and the bike you mentioned was her crapper for using to commute.. whereas in reality she has a fleet of niche whore bikes?

Really surprised someone would consider risking damage/theft to their expensive MTB or Road bikes on a train. 😯

Agree with posts above, either get something like this from Ebay or a jumble sale for the job…

Or one of these if you’re flush….

Yogurt knitter?

The miniscule amount of space for bikes on trains is what led to me reverting to the car. Sustainable travel my arrse.

Yeah that’s what I was thinking, RD. Not sure if it’s sexist, racist, homophobic or what. Sitting here all poised to attack Binners’ bigotry, a bit like when you’re Turtle-Heading, you know? Can’t go just yet though, until we find out what it means.

Yoghurt Knitter = Tree Hugger

Still don’t get it.

I’m thick though, forgive me.

I’m quite stupid too. 🙂

I guess your evil stare needs more work, get some pipe laggi :Dng to wrap your bike in. Love the yoghurt knitter expression

She doesn’t care about your bike, if you raised it at the time she’d have been apologetic at best. You should have stepped on her wheel, buckled it enough that it wouldn’t turn. As soon as she turned away for cowardly underhand revenge or in front of her for full on confrontation.