[Wobble73]

Sorry to hear about that The E. I've always been of the opinion that bicycle thieves should be saddled and forced to carry around their victims for a few weeks.

No! They should be forced to ride the bike without a saddle! and made to sit!

"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing"

I don't believe that. Maybe if you count silent assassins (electric scooters) as bicycles too.

It's a song by Katie Melua (sp?)

The E, I used to used a dog's choker chain and a heavy padlock when locking my bike up!

[jr2]

Mff.  What I find hard to believe is that He had either a pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw and no one said anything.  Unless he picked the lock. 

[Fury]

A good lock is definitely on the shopping list. But, as I found out, even a good lock is nothing against a person with time, opportunity, and proper tools.

Tell me about it. I had my bike indoors behind locked door and the bike was locked too. Still it was taken without anyone noticing.

[The E]

Mff.  What I find hard to believe is that He had either a pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw and no one said anything.  Unless he picked the lock. 

What happened was, I was meeting up with a few friends at the local University Campus for a P&P RPG session. I had parked my bike outside one of the buildings, locked it, and then went inside to have some fun. The problem was that this happened during the lecture break period (where no lectures are being held, and as a result, the campus is mostly empty), at a corner of the campus that is mostly empty even at the best of times. I don't know what kind of tools the asshole used (although I would guess a hacksaw, based on what the remains of the lock looked like), but that's largely irrelevant; The point is that whoever did it had enough time and opportunity to do the deed, without anyone near to actually notice it.

[Grizzly]

With the risk of sounding like a prick... That's another reason to get an used bike, they are not worth that amount of time and effort.

[StarSlayer]

He could always get a new one and then paint it to look like a run down beater. 

[Grizzly]

He could always get a new one and then paint it to look like a run down beater. 

That is actually reasonably common in the Netherlands. Bright pink and such.

[The E]

With the risk of sounding like a prick... That's another reason to get an used bike, they are not worth that amount of time and effort.

I haven't had that much luck with used bikes. As I said, I need a bike that is reliable enough to last more than a couple months of daily use. It's the old thing about the poor man's shoes: Going with used bikes will mean paying less in the short term, but will be more costly in the long run.

[karajorma]

My dad had a great saying I often quote when people ask me why I'm buying the more expensive of two choices,

"When you buy something expensive, you only cry once."

[jr2]

So, can anyone else attempt PayPal donation?  It's still saying problems with the website (not to log in, to donate, it lets you put everything in and then complains when you actually click the "Donate" button).

I'm in the US.

[StarSlayer]

You should be able to send money and select friends and family.  Since TheE probably isn't registered as a charity not sure if donate would work.

[Fury]

I just used the "Send money" thing, worked fine.

[JCDNWarrior]

I feel your pain, E, it's happened countless of times in my family. I've sent a few Euros your way, I hope you'll be able to get everything back in order soon.

[rev_posix]

According to another friend of mine in NL, bike 'thefts' are more of a bike 'trading' thing, at least in his particular area.  He once told me that his bike was nicked, but was soon replaced by another bike that was apparently not exactly his.

It all sounds rather incestuous over there, and I have no idea if he was feeding me a line or not.  But the concept is rather amusing.

(Still looking at bikes, I'm kind of hard to fit with a longer torso than legs)

Also sorry to hear about this E, that massively sucks.  This might interest you in the future, and is a local (for me) startup as well.

http://www.biketrak.com/

[StarSlayer]

According to another friend of mine in NL, bike 'thefts' are more of a bike 'trading' thing, at least in his particular area.  He once told me that his bike was nicked, but was soon replaced by another bike that was apparently not exactly his.

Everyone's had a ride!

[Zacam]

So, can anyone else attempt PayPal donation?  It's still saying problems with the website (not to log in, to donate, it lets you put everything in and then complains when you actually click the "Donate" button).

I'm in the US.

US Side, their site seems a bit broken. Page contents are raw, only lets you put in the details and then "has an error".

So, I did it from my phone instead.

[The E]

Yeah, paypal has been acting screwy since today, for some reason.

At any rate, with that last incredibly generous donation from Zacam, I now have enough funds to buy a new bike. Expect pics soon!

I can't say how impressed and humbled I am by the support you guys have given me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

[Wobble73]

 

[StarSlayer]

   Excellent.  I wonder if we can't get a HLP Logo on the side

[T-Man]

Seems I came late for the party, but glad you got enough from people; hats off to all who donated (Zacam especially)! Sorry to hear it happened though E; let us know if you need anymore.

Aye Bike theft does seem to be among the big ones now. I probably would've lost mine one night while I was in work had the bike beside it not been unlocked while mine was locked (imagine the crim in my case was going for an easy steal). A neighbour got his stolen from his garage too (just a few days after moving in!) and his was one of those racing bikes that cost £1000s. (he reckons they followed him on the road once to get his house and then took it later. He got it back thankfully).

I have debated claymore mines, but sensed that it may prove controversial .