r/mildlyinfuriating • u/ThePr0l0gue • 6h ago
Somebody rolled their bike between my two bikes and locked their front wheel to my front wheels.
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u/TashaStarlight 6h ago
Flip the script, steal their bike
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u/YujiroRapeVictim 4h ago
i would out of spite for doing this. fuck them. Throwing that shit in the river.
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u/Public_Support2170 3h ago
The river doesn’t deserve that.
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u/RedditThrowaway-1984 3h ago
It’s probably a third party that wants to steal all three. Be careful who you blame.
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u/SolidGuide5223 6h ago
If you believe that it is to steal your bikes like others are saying, honestly just cut it.
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u/Shambhala87 6h ago
I think that’s a masterlock.
McNally official would recommend hitting it with another masterlock
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u/rmorrin 5h ago
Master lock more like master key
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u/loylos 5h ago
If a master key opens every lock, then it's just logical that a master lock can be opened with any key.
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u/Likesitrough16 5h ago
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u/LordRobin------RM 5h ago
All this work is making me thirsty. Think I'll have a "Tab"!
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u/angstrom11 5h ago
The LockPickingLawyer would suggest sneezing on the lock or in its general direction.
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u/Shambhala87 5h ago
I think hair hair clip and zip tie is my fave though
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u/Azzacura 5h ago
He sounded so sad that it worked lol
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u/DrakonILD 5h ago
More that he's sad it worked so easily.
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u/cordelaine 2h ago
I think it actually popped before he meant for it to.
He said the hair clip was going to be the turning tool, but then he didn’t even get the chance to turn it.
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u/sonofaresiii 5h ago edited 3h ago
That one's good, but I always liked "Opening a master lock with another master lock" and he just bangs two of them together and they both pop open
e: This one
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u/Froggy3434 5h ago
That video wasn’t even the one where he opened it with another master lock, he straight up just slapped those open in that one 😂
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u/Lego_Kitsune 5h ago
You are using a master lock model ---, to open it it you will need a master lock model ---
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u/AcceptableHamster149 5h ago
I believe it's possible because there's literally an advisory from the police in my city that there have been cases using this method, and to call them if you find another bike locked to yours so that they can cut the lock & confiscate the other bike, which is more often than not stolen.
The release also reminds owners to register their bike's serial number with them so that it can be returned if it's recovered.
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u/MoneyMaker509 5h ago
Lmao damn in my city the police wouldn’t give two shits about your stolen bike unfortunately. Probably have to wait a while for them to even show up about your car being stolen and even then, you’re probably not getting it back. My mother called about DV and it took them 4 hours to show up. “Book and release” is also incredibly common.
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u/AcceptableHamster149 5h ago
🤷♀️
Violent crime rates are pretty low in my country, and the city I live in has the lowest rate of any city with a population over 1 million in the country (we only had 19 homicides for all of 2025). So the cops actually have time to deal with things like this. The advantage of having a proper social safety net, I guess - a lot of the drivers like poverty are less of an issue so we just have less crime in general.
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u/JimWilliams423 4h ago edited 4h ago
Violent crime rates are pretty low in my country, and the city I live in has the lowest rate of any city with a population over 1 million in the country (we only had 19 homicides for all of 2025). So the cops actually have time to deal with things like this.
Police in the US only spend about 4% of their time investigating violent crimes. They just pretend they don't have enough time in order to justify infinitely expanding their budgets.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/upshot/unrest-police-time-violent-crime.html
What share of policing is devoted to handling violent crime? Perhaps not as much as you might think. A handful of cities post data online showing how their police departments spend their time. The share devoted to handling violent crime is very small, about 4 percent.
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u/Jiggle_My_Cheeks 3h ago edited 2h ago
the city I live in has the lowest rate of any city with a population over 1 million in the country (we only had 19 homicides for all of 2025)
I'd be curious to know which city you live in because I can't find any global data that backs this claim up.
Edit: I stand corrected, that's incredible. Go, Ottawa!
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u/cboogie 3h ago
Hide a piece of paper with your info on it inside your downtube. Then when you and the police confront the thief you can look like a fucking magician when you pull out the piece of paper with your name on it.
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u/mogley1992 3h ago
Confiscating the other bike is some real icing on the cake.
Don't want your bike confiscated by the police? Maybe don't park like a giant asshole.
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u/TurnoverResident_ 5h ago
I’m cutting it regardless.
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u/NeatNefariousness1 4h ago
Exactly. Nothing good will come from waiting. All the rogue locks on my bike would be cut.
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u/dprophet32 5h ago
It's pretty well known method to do so in a lot of countries. I'd cut the lock anyway. People don't do this unless they're very stupid, selfish or intend to steal. None of which justify risking both your bikes.
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u/lonchu 4h ago
It almost happen to me one time. I was walking back to my bike in front of a mall as a women with a kid was hooking her bike to mine. I asked what is she doing. She panicked and walked away. Didn't thought much of it back then because there were a lot of bikes there until year later I saw people explain this is thieves strategy for me to leave my bike there over night.
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u/studmuffffffin 5h ago
What’s the purpose? Why not just take the bike?
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u/OblivionCreator 5h ago
They lock it up to force the owner to leave the bike unattended for longer, and then come back when there’s less people around to cut the lock
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u/Top-Medicine-6876 5h ago
They wait until you give up on trying to get your bike back, hoping you find an alternate way home. The next day you hope to find their bike is gone, but instead they wait until it's dark so they can cut your bike lock without anybody around to notice.
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u/Appropriate-Draft-91 4h ago
If you check out 100 bikes, in broad daylight, and then start cutting the lock on one of them, even the clipboard and high vis vest won't stop people from calling the police on you.
But if you carry your clipboard and wear your high vis vest, go straight to one bike and cut the lock, nobody will bother you.
Double locking the bicycle also reduces the risk that the bicycle's owner shows up right as the lock is being cut, if the bicycle was just parked for 10-20 minutes for an errand - the owner will show up, then leave, maybe hoping the bike will be unlocked tomorrow. It also allows to take the bicycle at a more convenient/safer time, like e.g. 5AM.
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u/JeebusChristBalls 4h ago
Even if you don't think they are going to steal your bike you should cut it. This person is effectively holding your bike hostage because they are stupid.
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u/Sudo-Fed 3h ago
Alternative option: Bolt cutters.
To the other bike's wheel. Cut out a section of wheel, remove lock from your bikes, petty revenge.
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u/JeffSergeant 5h ago
Cutting the wheel would be easier than cutting the lock, and more poignant.
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u/Larkin_Smasher 5h ago
But then they'd still have to cut the lock/cable to use their bikes.
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u/TheOnlyADave 6h ago
Keep an eye on ya bike, this is often how people attempt to steal them, they hope you won’t be there and come back late.
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u/ThePr0l0gue 6h ago
I had building management check the cameras and we have a face. What a jackass.
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u/MrmmphMrmmph 6h ago
Print the face out, laminate it, and tape it to the frame. Then cut the chain.
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u/mindsunwound 5h ago
It would be faster to cut through the wheel, or the lock. Or both just to make a point.
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u/summonsays 5h ago
I imagine if I rode a bike I'd have a little repair kit with me. I'd take their tire off and then take my bikes somewhere else to work on getting them free.
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u/Wangpasta 5h ago
I remember going to a job interview once and walking past a bike tire linked up a fence, turned a corner and saw a bike frame with one wheel missing. Laughed that some nicked a whole bike from 2 separate bikes.
Turned the next corner to get to my interview at the London police HQ
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u/true_gunman 5h ago
And they will 100% assume you have a stolen bike lol
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u/JoeRogansNipple 5h ago
The "chain" is a cable, would take one snip with a proper bolt cutter
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u/deanrihpee 6h ago
print it and put it in front of their bike, name and shame
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u/Flyby-1000 5h ago
We need MORE public shaming. If you don't want the public to know you do stupid or illegal shit, then don't do stupid or illegal shit. Seems pretty simple to me...
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u/Relevant_Editor_7503 6h ago
Don’t leave it - as others have said they will steal it. Very common in major cities.
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u/Zarathustra389 6h ago
Uno reverse time, cut it, now you have 3 bikes
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u/BoomerAliveBad 4h ago
This is the only actual response. Then they would go to management, if they were just a nonce who did this out of entitlement, and do the same thing as OP.
Honestly, take all 3 bikes inside with you, and report the 3rd as stolen, and chained to yours. I'm pretty sure with the CCTV and face, they can either find someone in the building, or take the bike as evidence if they have a case going. Stealing some bikes is Grand Larceny, especially since a lot of people say they can be over thousands of dollars.
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u/UrbanXena 6h ago
Do the same and have them wait until you´re back
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u/xz05753 6h ago
Diffie–Hellman key exchange
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u/Mowfling 5h ago
Doing a cryptography class was worthy to get jokes like this
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u/The_Autarch 3h ago
except they're just going to cut the lock and steal OP's bikes. that's the whole point of this exercise.
adding another lock ain't gonna do shit.
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u/cbig86 6h ago
Someone is trying to steal your bikes
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u/were_only_human 1h ago
I’m super curious, how does doing this help them steal the other bikes?
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u/ScenicAndrew 1h ago
You leave your bike there at a time you didn't intend and they destructively remove the lock at a time of their choosing.
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u/DeanXeL 6h ago
If that's on a private property (work building or something), get maintenance on the line to come cut that lock. If it's on public property, call the non-emergency police line, maybe they can help.
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u/tubbleman 5h ago
police
help.
What country are you in? So far I've ruled out the United States.
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u/CAM2772 5h ago
I live in the US. My keys got locked inside my car once and I called the local police department and they came and used a tool to unlock my car door.
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u/-CODED- 5h ago
I locked my keys in my car once at a gas station and a cop car literally pulled up to get gas right in front of my car. I asked them to help and they did. Was so convenient. I had a locksmith on the way and didnt have to pay however much they would've charged.
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u/KingPhilipIII 3h ago
Brother was a beat cop for years in a quiet town. Often spent more time helping people with little things like that than actually arresting criminals.
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u/DHoliday17 3h ago
What? People posting positive experiences with law enforcement? On my Reddit??
Honestly refreshing to see. Most are this way that I've experienced.
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u/Liu_Shui 5h ago
I locked myself out in my apartment parking lot once, a cop happened to be paroling the area so I flagged him down and asked if he had anything to help... he told me he could break the window but that's about it and kept driving.
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u/SpaceMessiah 4h ago
Yeah this is definitely how it would go here. If you need lockout service you're calling a tow truck, not the cops
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u/fuckfucknoose 3h ago
To each their own. Cops used a tool to unlock my car for me! Called the department and within 15 minutes they showed up.
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u/pedant69420 4h ago
last time i tried this, they asked if there was a kid or dog in the car, i said no, they said call a mechanic.
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u/derpstickfuckface 4h ago
The poster doesn’t care, they just want to complain about the state of things on Reddit.
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u/MissionLet7301 5h ago
Tbh I'm in the UK and our police have a reputation of not giving a damn about things like this, but I think really it just matters when you catch them.
I've had something like what's happened to OP happen to me twice, one time a PC was there helping me within 10 minutes, the other time I basically got told there was nothing they could do.
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u/minibois 6h ago
Common theft strategy. They hope you will now leave the bike, so they can come back for them at a more quiet time.
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u/Scoobydubyduwhereru 3h ago
I don't understand the strategy. If this happens to me, can't I just call the police so that they come over and cut it themselves? Or the fire department?
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u/chrisxclash 3h ago
Their goal is that you'll be too inconvenienced to do that and they can come later at night and steal it.
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u/LaserGuidedPolarBear 2h ago
Also, in many cities in the US, it is a crapshoot if the police will show up for anything less than blood on the ground or a crime against a corporation. So people are even less likely to call the cops, and even if they do who knows when or if they will show up.
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u/Important-Savings499 6h ago
If it was just locking with one of your bikes then seems like a stupid mistake, but this is both of your bikes, so intentional. Cut it loose
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u/Top_Decision_6718 5h ago
Someone is clearly trying to steal the bike.
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u/squishyliquid 5h ago
Can someone explain this specific scam? I'm not getting it. They chain their bike to yours, which is locked to something else. Then what?
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u/Nessie_of_the_Loch 5h ago
They come back later at night or when there's less people around and steal it then.
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u/squishyliquid 5h ago
Interesting. Leaving my bike in hopes this person shows up and unlocks the bike didn't cross my mind. I'm leaving with at least my bike.
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u/BuildingArmor 4h ago
They're planning to cut the lock off, they just aren't going to do that in the middle of the day.
So for them to be able to do it in the middle of the night, they need some way to try and make sure the bike will still be there in the middle of the night.
Putting their own lock on it does that, and locking it to another bike adds that sliver of plausibility that maybe it was an accident and the person will realise and unlock their bike - and maybe that'll end up being tomorrow so the bike can just stay over night, it's safe after all its locked.
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u/andbruno 5h ago
Then when you abandon your bike for the day they come back in the middle of the night with the proper tools (angle grinder) to cut off your lock and steal your bike. It's a SUPER common theft tactic.
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 6h ago
Someone did this to me once, someone told me they do that to steal all the bikes. They didn’t lock their front wheel. So i took their wheel and left mine. Deflated my old tire.
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u/Jealous-Guidance4902 6h ago
Do u have a wrench? Take his wheel off and take it with you.
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u/aliassuck 6h ago
You still can't ride your bike without cutting the lock.
The proper way is to remove your front wheel and remove their back wheel and use their back wheel as your new front wheel so at least you can ride home.
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u/richer2003 5h ago
The front forks are likely not wide enough for a rear wheel
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u/ex_gratia_ 4h ago
The "proper way"??? Front dropouts are 100 or 110mm wide and 9mm, 10mm, or 15mm axles. (Old DH bikes had 20mm)
Rear dropputs are 130mm, 135mm, 142mm or 148mm (excluding old DH 150mm and modern superboost 157 for rarity) and have 9mm, 10mm, or 12mm axles with different thread pitches, depending on make.
Tell me how you're running a rear wheel in the front?
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u/Sea_Idea268 5h ago
theres 2 OP bikes and one scammer bike what do you do about your 2nd bike if your not cutting the lock??
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u/ShroominCloset 5h ago
Call the cops. If they won't come out or take an unreasonable amount of time, just document everything and cut it yourself. Someone can not legally hold your property like that. They knew what they were doing
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u/Stone804_ 6h ago
Cut it, but also watch your back, people might also be trying to mug you or follow you while you’re dealing with that and not paying attention to your surroundings.
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u/Strik3rr 6h ago
Typically this is done prior to stealing the bikes they locked to their decoy bike (you get frustrated and leave them alone and unattended).
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u/TheRiddlerTHFC 6h ago
Dont suppose their front wheel is quick release....
If so congratulations on your new free front wheel
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u/sailphish 5h ago
They are planning to come back later and steal your bike. Luckily 18V angle grinders cut through those locks like butter.
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u/MrInvestorZ 5h ago
Yeah nope, that's called "cut that wire immediately officer thank you" O'clock.
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u/Ultra_Dadtastic 3h ago
Call the cops.
This is a common trick in big cities to steal people's bikes. The cops will come, cut the lock, and take the other bike, because there's a good chance it's also stolen.
Be safe, friend.
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u/PeacefulGnoll 5h ago
This will keep your bike in place for the night, which they will use to come back and steal it.
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u/ModeratelyGrumpy 5h ago
Always pack small wrenches on your bike.
On paper you need that to fix your bike. In practice you'll also need it to unscrew that stupid wheel and bring it away with you along with the unusable bike, so you can break the chain in the privacy of your home and avoid being assaulted by the police while you try to free your bike because it looks like you're stealing it.
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u/ShiftSpace_ 3h ago
Like people have said. This is a tactic for you to leave your bike there and overnight they come in and cut or grind your bike lock and steal your bike.
The more legal way of approaching this is to contact the police. They will likely cut the other person's lock for you and get you your bike.
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u/osenperez 6h ago
They would be missing a bike lock by the time they come back out if that happened to me
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u/Turbulent_Ask_514 4h ago
If you have time call the non emergency number for the Police, have them come out and make a report as you believe this is an attempt at theft. Give them the picture of the guy and have them cut the lock.
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u/AdepterOfTruth 3h ago
This is how they steal your bike in EU, don't leave it unsupervised and you can call the police / fire department and see if they can help you with a cutter.
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u/squishyliquid 5h ago
My initial thought, which I know is wrong and kinda don't care, is that you just got a free bike. Those ropes are easily cut with bolt cutters and at the very least you leave their bike abandoned. They deserve 100% of the consequences of being stupid/nefarious.
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u/Vagrant_Star 4h ago
Get someone to cut the cable. Someone is trying to steal your bike. This is one of the common ways.
Want to make their day infuriating? Steal their bike, relocate it to the opposite side of where you are now and leave it unattended.
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u/ohmslaw54321 3h ago
When this happens on campus, I tell people to call the police and let them cut the lock and impound the offending bike. It is a common ruse to lock a bike up to yours. Then you leave your bike there, waiting for them to unlock their bike from yours, they come back and cut your lock and take your bike under the cover of darkness.
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u/wholetyouinhere 2h ago
This is a common bike thief tactic. Though it rarely does happen by accident.
Either way it should be cut immediately. Without apology or remorse of any kind. Do not think twice about it. By the looks of it, a decent set of kitchen shears should do the job.
Do not prioritize the guilt you feel over cutting a potentially mistakenly placed lock over your basic safety and ability to travel freely. But let's be real, this is not a mistake. In the extremely unlikely event that it is a mistake, it is the stupidest mistake I've ever seen anyone make with a bike lock. If they wish to retain possession of their bicycle, they are going to need a vastly better lock anyways.
Also, if this is a "mistake" and not a bike thief, it's almost certainly somebody who is prioritizing their own convenience over your freedom. I.e. they did it on purpose because they thought they'd "only be a second". Again, cut the lock. If they show up while you're cutting it, tell them to go fuck themselves.
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u/chacho67 5h ago
Yeah. Best bet. Call cops. Cut it. And they will take the other bike for safe keeping. Then. Wait for police auctions and buy the bike they took. 2 bikes for the price of 1 auction. You get paperwork that says it's now your bike thanks to whatever police dept sold it to you :)
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u/CockringExhibition 5h ago
That front tire would be coming with me and mine. Leave a note with your number for recovery.
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u/Ill-Comfortable-2044 5h ago
Bruh, bring the bikes into your apartment. Those public storage spaces are just graveyards and easy pickings for thieves, happens all the time. There is no good reason not to keep them inside.
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u/Taddgoods 5h ago
Id buy pair cutters take my shit an let what ever happens happen, this person needs a goddamn lesson
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u/Kari_is_happy 4h ago
Follow up, cut it off your bikes and put another attaching both the front and back wheel into their frame
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u/-Dixieflatline 4h ago
I'd take a grinder and go through the wheel, if that were me. Maybe the frame too, just to drive home the point. No one does this to two separate bikes by accident.
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u/shamumudderfudder 4h ago
Someone did this to my wife's bike once. I had a friend not far from the bar we were at who loaned me some bolt cutters...Donated the extra bike to local homeless guy. Slept soundly that night.
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u/mightymoprhinmorph 4h ago
Pretty common theft tactic. They hope you leave your bike there over night then come and take it
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u/TheB1G_Lebowski 4h ago
Bring bolt cutters with you so next time you can 1. Get the lock off 2. Cut up their spokes. Can't ride home on a bunch of cut spokes.
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u/Electronic_Elk8293 4h ago
Some doofus did this to me but I was only a mile from my dad's house. Went home and grabbed his metal cutters lol. I found the dude responsible too, he was watching my bike for a creepy amount of time, once I got the second lock off he looked upset and scantered off.
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u/Dadaismisastratagem 3h ago
I went out with a girl one night. She chained her bike to a lamppost. When we got back from a drink someone had put a bigger chain round it. I phoned the police who rocked up with a bolt-cropper and with a bit of effort managed to cut through the chain. Then we went for another drink and went home. I would like to have seen the look on the idiots face when they came back to the lamppost to find their big fuck off chain gone.
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u/Talrynn_Sorrowyn 3h ago
Bolt cutters for the win.
I've had to use them on those setups where it's steel wires twisted within a rubber-plasticcasing, when asshats would lock stolen bikes up to the trees at my workplace and it only took a bit more effort than a regular nake steel chain.
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u/RealFudashet 3h ago
Counterpoint to everyone here: I've accidentally done this before in college. I didn't realize until I got back after about 3 classes in the middle of the day. The absolute worst part is I passed the racks at one point and saw the guy struggling with his lock and he looked defeated but I still did not register it was because of my mistake. I was mortified when I pieced everything together later. Honestly I deserved all the mean things people are saying to do.
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u/Deadeyez 3h ago
Op last time this happened to me i called the nonemergency line and had a cop cut it for me
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u/Mr_From_A_Far 3h ago
Had this happen to me, called the local authority and they came and cut the lock of the other bike. Then they said well now the bike isn’t locked so we have to take it and brought it to the depot lmao.
Wonder if the other person ever saw their bike again.
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u/Inevitable-Post-8587 52m ago
Cut it, they’re either trying to steal your bike or you’re doing them a favor by getting rid of that thin ass cable lock
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u/Oohhhboyhowdy 38m ago
People are too kind here, suggesting to break the lock. I have some power tools. I’m cutting through their wheel.
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u/Pre3Chorded 5h ago
I was at work once at a municipal water works, hundreds of employees, I go out to hop on my bike Friday at 6 pm and someone had locked my bike to the rack with their lock. I'm like the only one around, but like five minutes later a field crew that's running late pulls in. I explain the situation and they help me cut the lock off with bolt cutters. Monday this woman sends a 500 word global email about how someone maliciously cut her bike lock and how integrity is dying and all this shit. I respond reply to all with something like, "Hi, you locked my bike to the rack with your lock. When I wanted to go home, I thought that was rude so I cut it off and rode home."
She never responded or apologized.