So... the very first time I had to lock up my darling of a Brompton IT GOT STOLEN. Which is painful & frustrating, but the Brompton shop has been the most amazing in being kind & finding solutions. I'm going to need this one to have the anger issues of Calvin's bike in dealing with thieves though. - ThreadSky

onslies.bsky.social • 31 days ago

So... the very first time I had to lock up my darling of a Brompton IT GOT STOLEN.

Which is painful & frustrating, but the Brompton shop has been the most amazing in being kind & finding solutions.

I'm going to need this one to have the anger issues of Calvin's bike in dealing with thieves though.

Comments

lsangha.bsky.social•31 days ago

oh no! I'm sorry Liesbeth, that's just horrible.

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

😔 thanks! It's the second one... Still deeply unpleasant but where last time it made me feel unsafe in the street I work in, at least this time they haven't gotten that over me...

lsangha.bsky.social•31 days ago

You clearly have highly desirable bikes! Yes, the violation as much as the inconvenience is nasty. Take care of yourself lady

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

Now, if we could encourage the thieves to steal my book instead and make it look superdesirable that way...

(LOL, actually, scratch that, they're already doing that: our School's display case got broken into and mine got nicked. Notably: the *really* heave books of 300+pages were left behind 😅)

lsangha.bsky.social•31 days ago

someone is stealing books?!

onslies.bsky.social•30 days ago

We're thinking of putting into our Research Environment statement for REF: books *so* desirable people commit illegal acts for them in broad daylight.

apuddleofmuddle.bsky.social•31 days ago

I am SO SO sorry to hear this! I was writing you a message about the Cambridge Stolen Bikes page but just seen your post there. (They helped me retrieve my bike after it was stolen in Cam a couple of years ago. I found it on Gumtree being resold and asked the police to sort it out)

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

Thanks! Yes, excellent tip-off just earlier today! I didn't know it existed and got a bit lost in the cool detective work they're undertaking there. I have little hope for a basic black Brompton with little distinctive markings, but the admins know the frame number at least.

Glad they found yours!

apuddleofmuddle.bsky.social•31 days ago

The work that group does is incredible! It's always worth a try and sometimes the frame number reunited people with their bikes later down the line... I will keep a look out!!

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

honestly, who needs true crime podcasts when you can just read along with Cambridge-tracks-down-the-thieves? Truly impressive.

And thanks so much!

davehitchcock.bsky.social•31 days ago

Not a Brompton but I had a bike stolen a few years ago, it really sucks!! Sorry it happened.

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

It's silly, right? It's just a thing... But damn it gave me the freedom to roam around quite easily and it really feels uncomfortable that someone with an industrial cutter can deprive me of that.

riakapoor.bsky.social•31 days ago

What! Nooooooo!

onslies.bsky.social•30 days ago

Some mild swearing may have occurred.

My trusty steed!

bostonoxford.bsky.social•31 days ago

what?!?! noooooooo

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

AGAIN. I had to find a picture of it to put the Facebook detectives on it and (only) found my excited tweet from when I picked it up in February 2023 😔

Lesson learnt: never EVER locking it up outside again, also not outside-of-London.

bostonoxford.bsky.social•27 days ago

UNREAL. So sorry. S*cks.

adamchapman.bsky.social•31 days ago

A pox on all bike thieves. I'm so sorry to read this, though not entirely surprised that it was Cambridge, unfortunately.

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

ah, see, naively, I thought 'it's not London, so I can risk it after 2 years'. In the 7 years I cycled around that town nobody tried to steal my perfectly decent city bike that had spent many a day in the exact same spot.

A pox indeed. I hope there's a particularly clammy circle in hell for them.

adamchapman.bsky.social•31 days ago

High itinerant population turnover, masses of bikes, relatively wealthy people - so from a criminal POV, not a v. discerning second hand market - v. relatively obviously nickable and distinctive looking thing with a ready market - not a great equation, unfortunately.

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

🧐 Methinks, you have quite the clear insight into the criminal mindset... A suspiciously clear insight....

adamchapman.bsky.social•31 days ago

My late-father-in-law (in the Met for 30 odd years), was not a good influence...

adamchapman.bsky.social•31 days ago

... for rather different reasons, we both had a thing about bad/uninsured/useless drivers.

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

Seriously, I had to buy a superfancy bike lock last week because I simply hadn't locked up my bike for two years since the first one got stolen. A couple of hours outside, in the bike parking at the Cambridge University Library, among a bunch of other perfectly decent looking bikes, and gone...

emilydourish.bsky.social•31 days ago

On behalf of the good folk of the UL, a million curses on bike thieves 🤬

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

♥️ much love. (Security team was equally lovely in acknowledging that this is Not Fun before confirming they could indeed send cctv to the police).

I wonder if some of those medieval manuscripts hold some curses to put upon thieves-of-transportation-means? we could adapt a horse one to add wheels?

marievc.bsky.social•31 days ago

My favourite curse at the moment is wishing that the house was unbearable in summer and too cold in winter.

I'm sorry about the bike theft, and glad you've been in contact with supportive people (UL & Brompton).

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

I do genuine love the Brompton people though. Actually acknowledging that this is distressing, worrying that they don't have the bike in the colour that I wanted, ensuring I don't have to come in twice if once can do.

People who actually care about their craft and product. ♥️

onslies.bsky.social•31 days ago

But, you know, little black bikey of mine, wherever you are, feel free to take inspiration from Calvin's bike and make those thieves' lives stressful as hell.

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