Bike theft…Hero or Nogo

[Hobo Mikey]

After seeing the thread about the Trek being stolen by some scumbags. As all of us on here have Ebikes what would your reaction be if you came across someone trying to steal someone else’s E bike. Would you be a Hero and challenge them making it difficult for them or be a Nogo and just walk on by.
Me I would challenge them and would hope if I left my bike unattended which I never do and some scumbag was trying to take it another biker would do the same. Even if you draw attention to the situation so there are more peaple to call for help etc.

 

[The EMF]

Mate I wouldn’t risk life and limb for a bike……for sure I’d make lot of noise but if threatened by a weapon and someone who’d be prepared to use it then it’s a no brainer. If you were to use violence against said brigand you would end up in court in front of the beak, facing a criminal record and being sued for all you’ve got because said brigand came from a broken home and has the right to take what ever he/she/ non gender + or what ever they like to call themselves without out having to pay for it. I’m very cynical on this (what is deemed as petty crime by the busies) subject.
I hope I haven’t upset anyone posting this as I for one would never think of taking anyone’s private property.

 

[Zaskar20]

A bike is NOT worth a life.
One lunge with a blade and one life is GONE!

 

[steve_sordy]

Despite the suspicious circumstances, all he has to say is that he lost his key. Is that sufficient to cause reasonable doubt, not sure.

 

[RustyMTB]

I actually did lose my key once, with my very nice full sus bike chained to a railing outside a busy Sainsburys one Saturday afternoon. As far as I could see, the only option I had was to trot off to a hardware place, buy a big old set of boltcutters & free it. I did this with people bustling all around. No one said a word to me.

 

[R120]

Depends on the circumstances - I have a long time ago witnessed an attempted bike theft from a rack outside my workplace, relatively young kids tying to take a bike, and we just went outside and told them to do one, and after them swearing at us the did a runner.

However definitely not worth getting into a physical altercation. What is frustrating in the instance of the video in the other thread, is that I always think if a big enough group of people starts shouting at the thieves they will do a runner, but when everyone minds there own business they get away with it.

 

[Doomanic]

Nice to hear all these voices of reason, where’s all the keyboard warriors, still at school?

 

[InRustWeTrust]

I would stand a little distance away and call the police, but I would not intervene the thieves as they may have some kind of weapon on them.

 

[LowStandards]

I would straight up murder them, their mates and their families, using nothing but the pack of Rizzlas in my pocket.

Weapons? Pah, everyone knows a grinder etc wont touch human skin :*

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

I would challenge them, most likely they would bugger off and go and nick one somewhere else. too many people look the other way or use the I will get prosecuted if I intervene excuse. Hence why society breaks down.

 

[Jimbo Vills]

I would challenge them, most likely they would bugger off and go and nick one somewhere else. too many people look the other way or use the I will get prosecuted if I intervene excuse. Hence why society breaks down.

Where are you from mate? Got much experience dealing with these kids in london?

they simply don’t give a fcuk….

Give them a smack, chances are his ten mates will appear. Some with knives. You’d also be filmed giving a child a clip and then you’re in the wrong…

phone the police…. Good luck getting a response in time.

it pretty much leaves these kids lawless. And they know it. So society has broken down long before now….

But as said above, its all about the context of each scenario.

Would I let that little shit in the other thread take my bike. Absolutely no way.

would I intervene and be a hero for a stranger who’s naive to leave it there in the first place. I’d think twice. Because by getting involved generally is a lose lose situation these days.

 

[PAC]

I would just pull out my large concealed-carry grinder and offer to grind them all down to smithereens.........you picked the wrong day to be a punk........punk........you gotta ask yourself one question, do you feel lucky?

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Give them a smack, chances are his ten mates will appear.

been there, usually older and tooled up..
the next 15 minutes makes for a good story but a bad experience.

 

[jbv]

i've got my own ideas about that video and how i would have responded. however, i'm not from London or familiar with these kinds of criminals. if it was local to me, i think i would have kicked his arms into the bike as hard as possible, (driving his hands into the grinder), then started laying the boots to him. easy for me to say of course, but i wouldn't be expecting a gang with knives jumping me either as that is unheard of here. i wouldn't risk my life by any means, but i would risk getting into a fight with a scumbag if i was confident i well had the upper hand. i'm also a big guy and a bit ornery so there's that.

 

[Doomanic]

Well done, in the UK you've committed assault, actual bodily harm and possibly grievous bodily harm. I hope you like prison food and anal sex... If you think these scumbags are going to put their hands up and say "Fair cop guv, I thoroughly deserved that" you're actually more idiotic than your post implies, chances are, one of the people filming is doing so for insurance in case some hero has a go.

 

[apac]

Half the time, the kids don't see the bike, they only See the bag of skag they're going to get for it. As unfortunately they're all smack heads, and pretty desperately hooked.

 

[Jimbo Vills]

Well done, in the UK you've committed assault, actual bodily harm and possibly grievous bodily harm. I hope you like prison food and anal sex... If you think these scumbags are going to put their hands up and say "Fair cop guv, I thoroughly deserved that" you're actually more idiotic than your post implies, chances are, one of the people filming is doing so for insurance in case some hero has a go.

Oh come on mate, give Jdv a break. As long as the thief is smaller, he’s got a dead cert of victory, there’s no back up gang, weapons or risk of life. He’s in there like swimwear

 

[Jimbo Vills]

Half the time, the kids don't see the bike, they only See the bag of skag they're going to get for it. As unfortunately they're all smack heads, and pretty desperately hooked.

tbh mate they ain’t, they just young lads with fuck all.
Anyone who thinks some 15-20 year old kid like that in the vid will go through the trouble of breaking a bike for parts and eBaying are off the mark.
That bike would be sold for £150 in minutes to someone else who knows what to do with it.
It’s just quick easy money.
the smack heads don’t have the sense to steal a bike

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

i wouldn't risk my life by any means

i would have kicked his arms into the bike as hard as possible

just for you @Doomanic

 

[jbv]

i get the sense that small cities in Canada are vastly different in outlook than places in the UK where you brilliant blokes live.

 

[Mabman]

Might be time to take a page from the bait bike book?


get a length of Dynema and coil it inconspiculously and let them get a few meters. You would lose your lock but with any luck they would lose some skin and give up.

 

[#lazy]

If someone’s spending £5k+ then it should be insured anyway so as much as I’d like to pile in and be the Hero it ain’t worth the grief !

 

[cemoz]

I had an altercation with someone at a train station a couple of weeks ago, I kept my bike the guy has been charged and was taken into custody. I don’t live in London and it’s not common for this to happen one on one where I live, bike thieves usually go after bikes in the so called locked bike shelters. I’ve had one bike stolen from another stations shelter so wouldn’t leave this one in one of those, I was using it as my cheap commuter second bike needs a new controller.

I saw the guy as I rode down to the stations entrance he was shadow boxing fairly intensively at the windows of the shops across the road from the station, the windows have full length graphics on them and there was no one else around so it was bizarre. He obviously saw me as I went in the station doors as he was there by the time I got to the tag on gate, it would be at least a 45 metre run. He kept asking questions what it was, where I got it, how much, could he have a ride etc. I was polite kept it brief ie look at websites he followed me to the lift and stood in front of the lifts button so I couldn’t push it.

He got more insistent with the questions and I’d had enough so said PLEASE GO AWAY, he then asked how heavy it was and lunged for it. I still had both hands on the handlebars so he had to grab the bars in the middle I have lights so there wasn’t much room. I am small stronger than I look though, bike has gen 2 motor, is alloy and has coil front and rear suspension so its heavy. He didn’t get it away from me, he seemed surprised at that and took off when I shouted F off you little shit. He wouldn’t of got far if he had, the motor was off and the bike was in a high gear, I was also a 100m sprinter.

Until it happens you can’t really say what you would do, my experience was instinct if the guy was my ex’s size 6’5 140kg I would of let it go, this guy wasn’t that big so it was a nope.

The only advice I feel I can give for this sort of situation especially for women is to keep the bike between you and anyone asking questions and to keep your helmet on. I got some nice colourful bruising on my leg it was from the bike though not him, I wear a helmet that covers my ears which probably helped in that he targeted the bike rather than me.

I would report to police or transit guards if I saw someone stealing someone else’s bike, I know how shit it is to lose one mine are my main transport.

 

[harrysmalls]

Depends on the circumstances. If like in the video, I would just kick him in the head while he's busy grinding.

 

[millemille]

I would just pull out my large concealed-carry grinder and offer to grind them all down to smithereens.........you picked the wrong day to be a punk........punk........you gotta ask yourself one question, do you feel lucky?

In all the excitement I kind of lost count, did I fit a linishing pad or did I fit a cutting disc, I guess we'll have to find out...