Originally Posted by awc380
Nope...the one on campus required a little....finessing.
But I wouldn't break a lock.
However, after 6 months of a bike sitting forlorn outside, I might be willing to maybe loosen and replace a front brake cable because someone had u-locked their bike only through the front housing loop.
Maybe.
I think if a bike is u-locked, it belongs to somebody. Maybe to somebody who doesn't appreciate their bike as much as somebody else would appreciate it, but it still belongs to somebody.
FWIW, I was given an abandoned bike by my apartment manager. The manager put up notices throughout the building for a month in advance, advising all residents that any bike that wasn't claimed by a resident would be disposed of. I had my eye on this bike, and when it was confiscated by the manager, I asked for it. It had a cable lock through the frame and wheel, so yes, people do occasionally abandon locked bikes.
In the instances you're describing, it's dubious at best that these are abandoned bikes.