Locked my bike up at the station this morning, rather than taking it with me as usual, as I was heading in to Manchester for meetings. Arrived back mid-afternoon to find it looking a bit sad for itself.
[img] 
[/img]
I think it's safe to assume the electronic tag didn't put him off!
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
The lock worked fine afterwards, but all of the plastic trim had been broken off.
[img] 
[/img]
I'd locked the helmet through the lock to save me carrying it on the train.
Thankfully the station attendant heard the noise and challenged him, at which point he made some lame excuse about having lost his keys - necky tw*t! She'd already warned him about loitering about the station, so was able to give a good description to the Police and they've got CCTV of him too.
barrstards
Burn him!
Burn him even 🙂
Oof. Close shave.
I was having a cig outside the place where I was doing a course once, looked over to where my bike ws locked up, to see two dodgy looking scrotes loitering near it. One was bent down fiddling with something. I walked over towards them, the other one said something to his mate, and they quickly walked off. When I got to my bike, I discovered the padlock bit of the Kryptonite New York chain open. Old style mechanism, that they'd probably opened with a biro.
Sadly they disappeared, thus avoiding my wrath. Still, at least I still had me bike, that's the main thing. Good thing I'm a dirty smoker...
****s.
Just amazed me that this was in broad daylight, at an attended station, with 16 or so CCTV cameras around the station (I counted as I was chatting to the Police), yet the guy still felt confident enough to have a proper go at it.
Checked it out this evening and despite a few decent dents on the top tube, down tube and cable guides crushed etc, it'll live.
Bit of duck tape on the helmet, d'you reckon?
Glad the station attendant stepped in and so you've still got your 'rat - was going to ask how the top tube was as looks like it's had a bit of abuse. Reckon it's new helmet time though, that ain't going to buff out.
Just a thought - if you lock the bike up through the rear triangle it gives less "wiggle room" inside the lock for a thief to go at and also secures the rear wheel.
[img] 
[/img]
Yup, I've ordered a wider lock, as it was a narrow version, so difficult to get through the wheel with mudguard, rack etc, plus I was lazy this morning and should have taken more time to secure it properly.
The guy had clearly been trying to lever the frame in order to break the lock, so I'll be locking it up front and back in future (if I leave it there again!)
far too nice a bike to leave on display IMO. I commute on a nice bike but its left out of sight at work.
Asking for it, but thats a sad reflection of the world we live in,,,,
Leaving bikes at train stations is asking for trouble. A mate had his rear wheel and left pedal nicked from a train station, off his £129.99 halfords apollo full sus special.
I can bet you the police won't even look into the CCTV. Even if it wasn't nicked they wouldn't have bothered. Which is probably why the theives didn't care.
Also go on youtube, theres some videos of some guys who lock bikes up in busy public places, then grind through the locks with hacksaws and power tools. No one does anything.
Insurance for the frame?
Bit of duck tape on the helmet, d'you reckon?
Maybe a cable tie too.
Yup, again probably true. I never leave it there normally, in fact today was the first time I'd left it there, but kinda thought that the plethora of CCTV cameras, the ticket office just 30m away and that I knew I'd be back mid-afternoon should keep it safe. I was wrong!
Just thankful I can still ride it.
(edit) Transport Police were on the phone for ages, then also spoke to the station attendant as she'd seen him. I've swapped out all the QR stuff on it, although the Juicy brakes look too fancy for my liking, I bought the frame with disc wheels second-hand off here, so just stuck the only spare brakes I had lying around on it.
Hey ho - it looks a bit rougher now! 😥
I'm so glad we have one of [url= http://www.portakabin.co.uk/portastor.html ]these[/url] at work for staff bikes. Properly secure with key entry, and you can lock you bike to a rack inside. It's even got lighting and a heater to keep our steeds snug in the winter.
I lock my black roadrat at the station all the time - head badge removed and old inner tube round the down tube to cover the logo. It's a bling free zone too. Looks pretty annonymous I hope
[img] 
[/img]
CaptJon - like this?
😀
That does sound good though. There were 6 bike lockers beside the racks I locked up to, but as I'm not signed up to the GMPTE locker scheme I couldn't use them. I think I'll ask them to at least move one of the cameras to actually watch the bike area.
Get yourself one of the short d-locks for locking to racks like that - massively reduces the space for leverage or getting anything at all inside the lock.
A thief many years ago trashed my Orange C16 by sticking a scaffold pole or similar in the d-lock and twisting it. Didn't break the lock (bent it a lot though), but folded the seat stays instead. They stole the stem/bars as a consolation prize - clearly the threaded headset confused them enough for the forks to stay attached.
There's a thread on LFGSS about recommended locks: http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html#post563834 . I like the idea of a motorcycle disclock (maybe an alarmed one) through the chainring as a secondary security device - PITA to get off and the bike won't be rideable with it there.
Gutted, at least they didn't get it! As previously mentioned, that is too nice-a-bike to be out on public display all day. After following advice on here I got hold of a late 90's Raleigh Max, fully rigid, Cantis, etc, and stuck some semi slicks and will now be using that for commutes where the bike will be on display, it'll still be locked up of course.
Get a proper RAT BIKE (eBay for a Peugeot/Raleigh or something similar). Are they normal bolts on those brakes btw? If not they could be off in minutes.. sorry to say. 🙁
my commuter is a base level hardtail. I still use 5 locks on it, including securing the wheels.
sorry to hear about this post tho.
gutted for you, you are on my preston train sometimes when i take days off from commuting. Hope you catch the bastards!
BTW - That looks like a HUGE lock, you shouldn't need the wider version - it usually is possible to get a good tight fit on those locks around the rear wheel, seattube and the bike rack - you have to park it so that the seattube is slightly behind the bike rack, then get all three at a diagonal angle to the bike and rack. It makes it really difficult to use the bike as a lever to get the lock off. And if you put another tight lock or two, it makes it near impossible.
I manage to get my evo mini around the wheel seattube and bike rack (only works with racks that size, or smaller! and this is on an old racer - not too tight clearance wise)
and here's me about to commute on my decent bike its the only option I have but I am proper scared its going to get done 🙁
and here's me about to commute on my decent bike its the only option I have but I am proper scared its going to get done
How long is your commute? If its only a couple of miles, buy yourself a 2nd hand bmx. Reliable as anything, cheap, wheels won't get nicked. Loads of fun too.
Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The **** attempted to nick mine from the local station but failed, all on CCTV and then to top it all he managed to get on camera for a piece the local news were doing about the station.
Anyway, got in touch with the transport police and they were great. Obtained all the CCTV footage from the station, identified the **** and have charged him.
Oh yeah I remember you talking about that. So, a bit of a result then?
he managed to get on camera for a piece the local news were doing about the station.
FAIL!
Oh yeah I remember you talking about that. So, a bit of a result then?
Yeah, apparently Surrey police had picked him up for something else so he's obviously a known face. The transport police were going to visit him in the nick and charge him with the bike damage. They'll no doubt give me an update soon.
Well, my little friend stood chatting to the station attendant on the main platform, in full view of the numerous CCTV cameras. She was telling him to 'move along' as he'd been hanging around for a while and didn't seem too keen on getting on a train.
She then clocked him a few minutes later wrestling with my bike, so hardly an Einstein? Apparently, they've had three bikes nicked from the station recently, so hopefully they'll be able to look back through previous CCTV and find him.
Rubbish Gav, but at least your bike is still in one piece.
Seeing as these incidents tend to happen at stations then wouldn't train operators/Network Rail be a better target for things like this? Can't see many people buying a bike locker to leave at the station!
^^^ He's right you know 😆
At njee20 and seanodav.
Indeed yes we do target rail operators but we can't be everywhere at once! We need a tide of opinion from disgruntled cyclists telling their local rail operator that this is what they want, be it our Bike Vault or some other flavour of locker.
You'd be surprised how many people, cyclists and non cyclists alike, are totally unaware of even the concept of a bike locker.
Cheers.
Simon
My local train station offers free parking for cars - a bike locker costs £30 a month.... Figure that one out.
I think all D locks should come equipped as standard with explosive devices which are set off when scrotes try their fiddling, maiming their faces beyond recognition. 😆