General Cycling Discussion - Got to watch dudeman case my ride...

...at the library yesterday. I was to be there only for a few minutes, so I stuck my ride into the far corner of the empty foyer behind the vending machines. Time was 5pm and 100 degrees, so not many people there.

Went to the info desk a mere thirty paces away and the girl there said "did you just bring your bike into...?"

Great, I'm in for the "you can't bring" harangue.

I say yes, I'm just here renew a book --(Clavell's Shogun if anyone is interested)--and there's nobody in there, it'll take mere moments yada yada,

she says you know we've been having a theft problem,

I say there's nobody in there,

she says someone just went in there (as in *towards that dark corner behind the vending machines*),

I beg her pardon and return to the foyer.

Dudeman doesn't see me as I sit down at one of the convienence tables adjacent to the front doors and proceed to watch.

Sure enough, he turns from the wall where he was studying the informational flyers and proceeds to "study" my ride for a hard 20 seconds. He then turns his head and, ta-da, there I be.

I'll give him credit, he mean-eyed me as he brazened past and outside but I was too much enjoying the moment to be anything but a bemused onlooker. He got on "his" blue bigbox mtb and buggered off.

I don't know if he was up to villiany, but there was no legit reason to occupy that darkened corner in the 20 seconds it took me to walk away. Besides, my rig, even slammed, wouldn't have been a proper fit. Shigata go nai, neh?

Here's the floorplan:

http://www.shastalibraries.org/spl/images/About/Redding_FirstFloor.png

Oh, umm, Shogun's online here http://www.peteava.ro/id-579027-shogun-cd-1-part-1, if you're so inclined.

I barely trust my mirror reflection, so my bike gets locked up (one way or another) EVERYWHERE. (Oops -- except work, where it's parked 15 feet from me, in a corner no one dares enter when I'm there.) Had a few people scope my bike for about 10 seconds, and they usually get a cold stare in return. (If you like what you see and are admiring, SPEAK! Otherwise, go about your business and you won't get crippled.....)

Hanging horse thieves worked pretty good, grand felony kinda helps a little with car theft. Maybe a public flogging with a Tazer to the nads would help deter bike thieves.

I would have asked him if he was planning to steal my bike?

IMO, if America would dish out punishment that fits the crime, even a good ol fashion caning, I bet crime rates would drop. You **** a woman, you get your nuts teabagged in a tank of piranas, you kill someone, you get executed in the same fashion, you steal, either fingers first or the whole hand.

This is the only thing I think the Muslim world has correct. Cut off those fingers/hands. Thieves are the second worst people there are, following only those that want to protect them and keep them in business.

My early summer experience at the Civic Center Main SF Library:

I had DVD's to return to the library. So I locked my old Nishiki Sebring road bike to the heavy duty bike rack outside and proceed towards the return area. Suddenly, I thought about how nice it would be just to have the DVD's renewed, instead.

I therefore, stand in the renewal line for just about fifteen minutes before I get my materials renewed. I get back to the bike rack and my bike is missing from the rack! I'm instantly bewildered and PO'ed, simultaneously! I turned around to witness my bike parked on the sidewalk ( the kick-stand fully engaged ) with the Kryptonite Lock, re-locked and hanging on my top tube. There's this really tall surly and unkept-looking guy standing with his back against the library building, nervously smoking a cigarette, looking away from me, and totally too focused upon his cigarette.

I was happy to see my bike and that I could repossess it. I unlocked my lock and placed it back into my backpack. Upon further inspection, I could plainly see that the lock had burn marks around the key hole and that something had a grinding like affect upon it in the same area. I quickly replaced my lock at a LBS in preference to the old Kryptonite Lock.

Life in the big city can be so forever weird! :rolleyes:

IMO, if America would dish out punishment that fits the crime, even a good ol fashion caning, I bet crime rates would drop. You **** a woman, you get your nuts teabagged in a tank of piranas, you kill someone, you get executed in the same fashion, you steal, either fingers first or the whole hand.

Just what the world needs: More violence and brutality.

This is the only thing I think the Muslim world has correct. Cut off those fingers/hands. Thieves are the second worst people there are, following only those that want to protect them and keep them in business.

Just what the world needs: More violence and brutality.

Actually what ever happened to good whoopin'? Just enough mayhem to get the point across.

Funny, even if I am on my bike, if I see another bike, I will check it out because I like bike stuff. Levels above and below my own.

I've spent more than 20 seconds casing a bike,. I wonder how many riders were happy they "busted" me wanting to steal their bikes!:roflmao2:

..........then dissed my bike as I rode off!:D

I wonder if we should examine how the countries with low crime rates do things, rather than mindlessly ape the brutality of the countries with high crime rates.