8 February 2011

The long and rambling tale of the thieves whom 'adopted' my bike...

| mossrocket
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Hi…

A funny thing happened to me on my way home the other day, but I will start this little tale one week earlier.

I’ve had an incredible run of what some may call bad luck.

I just see it as confirmation of the law of large numbers, smile, and chug along.

My car exploded 2 weeks before Xmas. Ford Falcons, I had heard, had bullet proof engines… lol… I went over a small pot hole in Bungendore (which my five year old daughter told me to dodge seconds before) and the engine fell apart.

Bits of metal, tinkling around inside the engine as the oil drained away. My kids and I enjoyed a trip home in a tow truck, sharing pizza with the driver.

So I have been on my bike since…. Picking up the kids for the weekends has been impossible – luckily my ex and I are still on friendly terms – that’s another longer story which goes back a lot longer – but for a little context for my head-space, we broke up 1 year ago on Xmas Eve/Day… Anyway…

I then lost my job a week before Xmas, so I didn’t really have the means to fix my car or get a new one. So it went to the wreckers for $70 – I spent 20% of that on the way home on lunch for the kids and I! (I roll with the punches…) I was certain I would get anew job, a new car and sort everything out, as long as I stayed chilled. by that I mean, not get too anxious and then depressed about the problem and stop focussing on fixing it.

Anyway – that’s contextual back story for ya’ – So… I’m on my bike, riding everywhere – I’ve lost weight, got better muscle tone, a healthy tan – up and down Oxley hill a few times a day will do that for you! And then just last week I started a new job in Civic. I had to bus it up there, so I left my bike down at the Hyperdome on Monday morning. I picked up my new car on Monday night from Woden – I’m very excited, it’s the first car I’ve bought that has a chance of not ending in the tip like every other car I have disposed of..

In my excitement I forgot my bike – until the weekend when I drove dove my kids down the street to see if it was where I left it. Now – bear with me here… I was fed up with that bike – It has served me very well, lasting about ten years of me doing all sorts of jumps and downhill runs and bmx track hijinx – but it’s nearly dead. The bearing are shot, the wheels are wobbly, the cranks are bent, and the only thing holding it together is gravity.

It was gone (obviously – it wasn’t locked up)

So I drove home to Oxley explaining to my son that this wasn’t like Braidwood – his bike was stolen there, but we recovered it as it was taken by a drunk to ride home from the pub, and as Braidwood is a small town, someone who saw it the next day knew it was out of place and called us up…

Literally – AS I SAID THIS – I glanced to my right and spotted a sliver of blue between a car and a hedge, the gap was only about one foot wide, and I was travelling at 50km. I did a u-turn went straight past the house, parked and locked my kids in the car, and walked up this house’s driveway – slightly nervously, but trying to summon my inner Samuel L. Jackson.

It is my bike. There is a new front wheel on it, but no other changes.

I haven’t done anything…. Any ideas – should I write them a letter saying thanks for adopting my bike? I was going to donate it to Vinnies anyway, and this family looks like it’s in an ACT Housing place…

Just call the police? It is my fault – I left it there for three days, and I didn’t lock it up, and some people cannot help but take other peoples belongings…

I was also broken into on my first weekend after I moved back to Canberra as a welcoming gift… but I didn’t tell the police as I’m pretty certain I didn’t lock my garage properly and the thieves just rolled it up and stole my weight set, audio gear, and computers…

If it is the same culprits and I don’t call the police then I’m a dick… the bike is sitting in their driveway (as of a couple of hours ago), so it’s not really like looking for a needle in a haystack…

I could post their address?

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mossrocket said :

(and corrections lol, whoever wrote the explanation of who/whom is in my debt).

Since you’re a correction-lover, I’ll just mention that it is you who is in their debt, and not vice versa. Good luck with the bikenapping. 🙂

Mossrocket here – thanks for all the comments… (and corrections lol, whoever wrote the explanation of who/whom is in my debt).

I’m thinking that a hybrid approach is warranted here – I am going to ‘take’ back my bike, leaving a note in their letterbox. The note will thank them for adopting and looking after my bike, and it will then explain how I will now take it to Vinnies so that another family can share in the joy of owning it.

My healthy tan has now been replaced by the even more healthy pallor of an IT professional bathed in fluorescents… I did like the healthy tan more, as I usually find a use for all that Vitamin B…

I would leave a note in the letterbox of the person who stole your bike, saying ‘I hope you enjoy my bike’, I see you have put a new wheel on it, just leave it at that, if you really were concerned about the bike you would have taken better care of it, I just look at the situation as they need it more than you, so what.

troll-sniffer6:05 pm 08 Feb 11

remmi2 said :

“I’ve lost weight, got better muscle tone, a healthy tan” sorry buddy there isn’t such a thing as a healthy tan…

remmi2… you’re an idiot I fear. An idiot for accepting the claptrap that the Cancer Council and other misguided fools parrot as an ironclad rule.

I won’t go into all the variables but I will say that a bit of research of sensible papers will show that there are many advantages in a healthy regular dose of good old sunlight for a healthy normal human.

Do some research and get out of your advertising-fed delusion-zone and you will be less likely to make such dogmatically idiotic statements in future.

Everyone is quick to assume that just because it is sitting out the front of someone’s house, then THEY stole it.

Report it to the police and let them go and do their job and sort it out.

luther_bendross4:33 pm 08 Feb 11

Serious answer: Just call the police, report it as stolen and say you know where it is. Sometimes (i.e. always) the thruth is a lot easier to repeat.

Hilarious answer: Paintball guns.

After thinking this through again (bit slow, most days), I think there is a point in not taking the wheel.

It would be funnier if you would take the bike back and leave the wheel behind. Just to send a message. I always hope things like that will make people feel some shame about their behaviour, though I do realise that that is immensely naive.

Mysteryman said :

Take it back. You’ll notice I didn’t say “steal” it back. It’s YOUR bike. Taking it back is NOT stealing it. Take it back and leave a note. You can say “thanks for fixing my bike” if you like, or something more smart arse. Keep the extra tyre – consider it payment for the rental of your bike.

Congrats on the new job.

+1

And take photos, etc. for a RiotACT update.

Take it back. You’ll notice I didn’t say “steal” it back. It’s YOUR bike. Taking it back is NOT stealing it. Take it back and leave a note. You can say “thanks for fixing my bike” if you like, or something more smart arse. Keep the extra tyre – consider it payment for the rental of your bike.

Congrats on the new job.

djk said :

Holditz said :

he he his etc

weird, my mental image was of a woman after reading the OP. maybe because they are more likely to have the kids after a break up?? Not sure…

I thought bloke. Hence needing the pizza for the tow truck ride.

trix said :

If you’re going to say “whom”, please use it properly. If you can replace it with “s/he”, it’s WHO. Who adopted my bike? HE adopted my bike. If you can replace it with “him/her”, then you can use whom. You gave it to WHOM? You gave it to her.

/grammar pedantry

ty, did not know the exact usage for who/whom.

Holditz said :

he he his etc

weird, my mental image was of a woman after reading the OP. maybe because they are more likely to have the kids after a break up?? Not sure…

trix said :

If you’re going to say “whom”, please use it properly. If you can replace it with “s/he”, it’s WHO. Who adopted my bike? HE adopted my bike. If you can replace it with “him/her”, then you can use whom. You gave it to WHOM? You gave it to her.

/grammar pedantry

Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill as that he knows not it
tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as
that they who are about me and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me,
and I know not that.

You cant (sic) teach old dogs Trix.

TooManyRabbitsInChina said :

Take the bike back. You can leave them a note saying thanks for stealing it and fixing it up. If you feel that guilty, leave the new wheel behind.

+1

If you’re going to say “whom”, please use it properly. If you can replace it with “s/he”, it’s WHO. Who adopted my bike? HE adopted my bike. If you can replace it with “him/her”, then you can use whom. You gave it to WHOM? You gave it to her.

/grammar pedantry

Two wrongs don’t make a right folks. OP did admit he didn’t take measures to secure the bike, and unless he has convincing evidence he owned the bike in the first place if he gets caught stealing the bike it’s a possible criminal record and imprisonment.

If he must steal the bike back steal only what was his in the first place- which means don’t steal the new front wheel, leave it behind. That will send a message to the household telling them that the owner of the bike knew they had the bike and where they live. Hopefully that will suitably creep them up.

But yeah, thumbs up to the OP’s refreshing take on life. Good luck to him and his son.

Special G said :

Something along the lines of the movie ‘Payback’ is definately in order in this type of scenario.

Do you own a magnum revolver? This scenario would be the best, set fire to their house, shoot holes in their car and punch their mum.

Ohh… and give yourself an uppercut for not locking up your bike. BUT congrats on the new car and job, I hope it all works out for you!

Something along the lines of the movie ‘Payback’ is definately in order in this type of scenario.

or..

Call the Police – report your bike as stolen and that you know where it currently is – let them do their job and let the Courts do nothing about it. At least you did the righty.

“You can leave them a note saying thanks for stealing it and fixing it up.”

I like it!

Also, it’s not because you don’t lock your doors properly that people are allowed to just come in and steal your stuff! I once had my car stolen years ago. 20yo Subaru. Found in a paddock in Amaroo 12 hours later with a broken clutch. I fessed up to the very nice cop that a. the car doors weren’t locked and b. the key was “probably” somewhere in the car! They still send round the forensic team to dust for fingerprints!!!

TooManyRabbitsInChina10:05 am 08 Feb 11

Take the bike back. You can leave them a note saying thanks for stealing it and fixing it up. If you feel that guilty, leave the new wheel behind.

BenMac said :

Steal it back. You’ll get a new tyre out of it.

What are they going to do, call the police? “Um this bike I stole a few days ago has now been stolen, can you help?”

Yep, i’m thinking a late night ninja mission is in order. And it’s not stealing if you own it.

ps. Locks – buy some.

Definitely steal it back, then donate it to Vinnies. With a new wheel, it might actually be wanted.

Steal it back. You’ll get a new tyre out of it.

What are they going to do, call the police? “Um this bike I stole a few days ago has now been stolen, can you help?”

walk up, jump on, ride away. isn’t that what they did?

now, start locking up your house, your garage, whatever bikes you or your kids have in future.

“I’ve lost weight, got better muscle tone, a healthy tan” sorry buddy there isn’t such a thing as a healthy tan…

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