rant: low-life idiots who defile bikes

dang sons of b******... I'm getting this out now before i go hurt something.

I did everything i was supposed to: lock the bike with the front tire... remove the quick-release seat (another thing they steal around here)... kept it in an out-of-the-way location... and someone had the audacity to FILE my quick-release section (for the seat which was in my apt) OFF the bike... for what? a 12 dollar beavertail mudguard? :censor::censor::censor:!!!

I have a distinct impression of who did it... some punk brats who come hang out near my building...

whomever it was, they took their time doing this... it's not like some quick thing. Now i have to go see if it can be repaired... guess it'll go into the bike room here at the complex after all... was trying to not do that because it's all the way on the other side. I have no room in my apt.

I hate my neighborhood. I don't think I wanna know how much it'll cost to get it fixed... if it CAN be fixed.

Not much i can do, however... although it was a brand new bike. b***ards.

Now I have to try to get some sleep... yeah, right.

A.

Oh, Amanda... I'm so sorry. Somehow it's even more infuriating, I know, because they did you so much damage for so very little benefit to themselves. I'm sure you're right that it was "punk kids" -- few people with adult mental capacity could be so pointlessly destructive.

Is the ceiling of your apartment such that you could put up a pair of those big hooks people hang bikes from? If you can find a good solid beam, it ought to work... and when you move out, you can dab some caulk into the holes.

If I'm envisioning the damage correctly, I think it might be possible for someone to machine the parts to accept a threaded rod that would hold the two pieces together securely. I don't think welding alone would be safe enough, though.

Try not to let it weigh on you. People like that... their utter lack of character is ultimately its own punishment, y'know? They don't deserve another moment of your contemplation.

one of the few things we're not allowed to do here is use Molly Bolts in the ceiling... i.e. for hanging bikes. Although it's nice to see someone actually used wood framing (despite the fact I hate seeing that many trees cut down), since then i can hit studs in the walls for hanging pictures and curtains. (my last place in Chicago had metal studs... I hate metal studs)

If you could see this apartment, you'd understand why there's no room. It's 850 square feet and I have pretty much every inch of it covered. The bike can't go down the hall to the office... bookcases in the way of the handlebars. The living/dining room is long and narrow, so i can't pull the couch out and hide it behind the couch. Now, i'm on the ground floor, with a small patio. Outside storage... not big enough... and it's all landscaping from there to the sidewalks... and my patio doesn't have a railing. Those on upper floors do have railings... but ground floor does not. Just a concrete pad. Nothing to lock the bike to.

Scary enough, the damage LOOKS professional... or at least very well planned. It's not like snagging a seat or wheel... this was very different. someone planned this type of damage.

Here's the damage:


And yes, that's JoJo in the background licking the spokes... she loves metal.

It looks to me like that was done with a pipecutter, a little device used by plumbers that twists around the pipe, rather than sawing across it. Any plumbers live nearby? With punk kids, perhaps?

That is not very nice! I am so paranoid about locking my bike because my town has a very high rate of bikes being stolen - when I bike to school or work, I lock it up in the basement.

That was not fair of them to do this!

Well, someone did it... and I'd love to find the ********** who did. But I probably never will. Haven't talked to the neighbors yet... not entirely sure I trust them.

Now that you mention it, it does look like one of those cutters was used... I have one for a smaller size of pipe. too even.

Now, due to this and the behavior of those previously mentioned punka** kids, I am looking at methods of covering my windows... bike first... what next? my car? my apt?

I really want out of this neighborhood... but can't afford it yet. it isn't the type of area I feel comfy walking around at night... and I lived in downtown CHicago for three years... and THIS place scares me? yeah... bad 'hood. I can deal with homeless... but it's the thugs/punk brats/hookers that I worry me. you should see some of the 'cat' fights (read: chick fights) I've witnessed from my window. Not to mention the strip clubs within blocks of my front door.

If I'd known more about the neighborhood before I moved here... well, you knwo the saying: hindsight is 20/20. I'm gonna have to stick it out another year... bugger.