http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Thieving ******* en Fri, 22 May 2026 00:27:04 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97369 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:46:39 +0000 LivM 97369@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I carry a piece of toothpaste tube in my bike fix kit. Has been used to patch up shredded tyres on a weekend bike trip in the Cairngorms. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97366 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:39:48 +0000 Cyclingmollie 97366@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@rust Nice tip on the sugru. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97356 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:45:03 +0000 crowriver 97356@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@rust, interesting. The old bits of tyre sidewall seem to be doing the trick so far. I taped them down with gaffer tape to stop any possibility of them shifting about. Once the tyres are at full pressure it seems pretty solid. If this snow gets deep, I'll have a chance to test them at lower pressures too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97353 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:30:49 +0000 rust 97353@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've used sugru (<a href="https://sugru.com/" rel="nofollow">https://sugru.com/</a>) for repairing tyre sidewalls before. </p> <p>Apply it to the inside and cover with a bit of cling film to avoid it sticking to the inner tube, then lightly inflate the innertube so that it just starts to squeeze out the other side. Smooth it over and let it cure overnight and you've got a pretty good repair. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97341 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:20:18 +0000 EddieD 97341@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Farging cork-soakers", Roman Moroni, was always my favourite. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97335 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:43:40 +0000 Arellcat 97335@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I think the phrase rhymes with 'clucking bell'."</p> <p>Or more elegantly, perhaps:</p> <p>"Oh Mister Darcy, I fear indeed for your most frightful turn of events. You have my sympathies of course!" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97332 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:18:31 +0000 kaputnik 97332@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There's the Father Ted "Fupping picnic spot" (no fupping swearing) sketch from the whistle episode too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97330 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:17:12 +0000 DaveC 97330@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Or go with Mrs Brown...</p> <p>"Bucking Eejit!!" :D </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97328 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:52:22 +0000 Cyclingmollie 97328@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Crowriver: <em>"Complete bar stewards"</em></p> <p>In the interests of avoiding breaking the forum rules here are some useful expressions you can use if you meet the perps and want to describe the encounter here (apparently, source: <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=alternative%20swearwords">Urban Dictionary</a>): </p> <p><em>"Funk you, you funking piece of shnizz!"<br /> "You funker! How could you be so stupid!"<br /> "Go suck Jerry's dink you funking fag!"<br /> "Ah ya twit!"<br /> "Wizz off moron!"<br /> "Oh yeah I'm down with the shnizzle!"</em> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97321 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:11:19 +0000 crowriver 97321@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That's the tubes patched, tyres booted, wheels back on the bike. Used some sidewall strips cut from an old gumwall tyre I had kicking around. All seems to be holding up so far, will road test tonight. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97280 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:01:26 +0000 kaputnik 97280@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Bizarrely, a rusty bike has appeared which wasn't there a couple of days ago</em></p> <p>It's not unknown for thieves to arrive with a wreck and leave with a nice "new bike" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97279 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:58:31 +0000 crowriver 97279@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Took the front wheel off, as the tube not holding air at all. Tyre off, tube in bowl of water to locate puncture. Found one slit, a cut made by a sharp blade by the looks of it, less than a centimetre long. That's it: when I pinch that point, the tube holds air. So I check the smooth inside of the tyre for any corresponding cut: for the life of me I cannot find anything. Anyway I patched the tube on the front wheel, popped it in the tyre, tyre on rim, and inflated. Holding air fine, but as I inspect the tyre sidewall I see a small cut just next to the reflective strip above the rim, about 1cm, barely noticeable. So the thief must have stabbed the tyre with a stanley knife or similar. The cut is very small, but will need a tyre boot and some rubber glue or it might get bigger and then I could suffer a blowout. </p> <p>The rear tyre has the same issue, except the cut there (which underlines neatly the Schwalbe logo) is over 10cm long, and shallow. The inner tube has a faint scratch and one tiny hole, which I've now patched. Hopefully the tyre sidewall is patchable/bootable, but what a hassle. In the meantime the bike will live up here on the top floor...</p> <p>I went to check on the shed, no sign of anyone forcing anything, all seems to be there. Bizarrely, a rusty bike has appeared which wasn't there a couple of days ago. It's an old steel framed Giant hybrid, looks like it's been gently decaying in someone's garden for a few years: orange chain and rear mech; left twistgrip shifter busted; foam saddle has been cut and torn up, opened like a clamshell, leaving foam exposed - that looks recent. Nobody is going to be riding it anytime soon.</p> <p>I can only imagine the thief/ves lifted it from a nearby colony flat garden: the bars, frame and stem still look nice, especially in the dark perhaps. Once he/they realised the bike was no good, stashed it by my shed and went looking for another one?</p> <p>Complete bar stewards. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97271 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:20:09 +0000 crowriver 97271@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Puzzle, Abbeyhill.</p> <p>I'll have a chance to inspect things once I'm back home. </p> <p>@DaveC, I've a shed in the back green, but that's even less secure as there's an (unlocked) side gate for access to the rear flats (we're on a corner) so anyone can just wander about there.</p> <p>I've a secure garage which is where we keep most of the bikes. However that's a kilometre away, so whichever bike I'm using for the commute tends to be at the foot of the stairs the night before. Due to the conditions that's been the hybrid with spiky tyres on of late. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97270 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:49:24 +0000 Puzzle 97270@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That's really crap :( What area? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97266 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:18:26 +0000 SRD 97266@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>We've had lots f that sort of thing in our stair too. Sorry to hear about yours though. Glad the kids bikes were okay. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97256 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:09:27 +0000 Lezzles 97256@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've not had my tyres slashed but when I left my bike parked on Rose Street one evening last winter someone let the air out of both my tyres and threw the valve caps away. I just thought they were drunk gits but maybe it was something more sinister? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97255 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:05:15 +0000 DaveC 97255@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Do you have rear green you could put a shed in? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97254 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:56:17 +0000 crowriver 97254@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thing is, we've not had any trouble for quite a while. There were three other bikes locked up in the same bit of the stair, all completely untouched. Daughter's balance bike and son's scooter there too, unlocked, untouched. </p> <p>If I was paranoid I'd say someone was out to get me (or my bike). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97246 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:30:41 +0000 DaveC 97246@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sorry to hear this Chris. I hate leaving my bike anywhere I don't trust even locked. Have firm locks on the garage and bike shed at work. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97208 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:54:06 +0000 chdot 97208@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Mindless spite seems to be at least as common as low cunning"</p> <p>If bike stays for a while, bits tend to go missing, which may or may not be related to first attack. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97207 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:49:47 +0000 Uberuce 97207@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There any number of forlorn bikes locked to railings with their wheels kicked completely out of shape.</p> <p>Mindless spite seems to be at least as common as low cunning. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97203 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:17:25 +0000 crowriver 97203@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I took the bike upstairs straight away as I suspected the thief might come back. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97199 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:42:26 +0000 slowcoach 97199@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Maybe not so applicable to bikes in common stairwell but still worth watching out for: '... even the busiest streets empty out eventually, so if (he) really wanted a particular bike he would damage a tyre so the owner would leave it in the rack for longer. "Someone, if they find their tyre punctured they should take their bike with them, right at that minute because someone has done it on purpose to come and take it after."'<br /> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/sep/13/bike-thief-stolen-tips" rel="nofollow">http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/sep/13/bike-thief-stolen-tips</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97190 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:28:16 +0000 tammytroot 97190@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sorry to hear that.<br /> My son had similar experience in Tollcross. - Tyres slashed for no apparent reason other than spite.<br /> There are some seriously deranged folk out there. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97183 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:16:17 +0000 beerdrinker77 97183@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That sucks, crowriver, sorry to hear you had such a crappy start to the day. Lets imagine you had dog dirt all over your wheels and the vandals ran away boaking after getting it on their hands? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9291#post-97177 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:06:17 +0000 crowriver 97177@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Went downstairs this morning to get the bike ready for the commute. Noticed straight away the dust cover was off, and someone had been rummaging in the Dutch panniers (nothing in them to nick). Bike is very securely locked, so was still there. Everything seemed to be okay, until I noticed the tyres (spiky Schwalbes) were flat. Rushed upstairs for track pump, then noticed the valve caps were still on. The ******* have slashed the tyres! Presumably in order to remove the wheels, but someone may have distrurbed them. Must have happened in the middle of the night.</p> <p>The wheelset is second hand, not even valuable. Maybe just pure spite because they couldn't get the bike? Anyway that's my day ruined. Late for work, inner tubes to replace, possibly tyres too, I'll have to see how damaged they are.</p> <p>Anyway, be warned: there are bike thieves out there breaking into common stairs while you sleep. </p>