Bike Vandalism
 

Arrived in the (locked) bike room at my work to find that things had been shuffled around (it doubles as a storage room, since there are ~4 people who ride out of 400-500 employees) and a bunch of crap leaned up against my solitary bike.

Upon closer inspection, I found out my rear tire was flat and AND it was the result of a shingle nail that was in the TOP of the tire. My bike is locked with a u-lock through the back wheel, so my bike didn't "roll" over some debris, this was deliberate. What is wrong with people? I haven't so much as been yelled at riding in Regina for 2 years, and now, in the locked bike room at my office, someone vandalizes my bike?

As far as I know, only the maintenance personnel (who else would have moved the crap in storage?) and the other cyclists have keys to this room. I rest assured that nothing will come of this incident.

Splendid.

Had to vent. :mad:

Are you absolutely certain you didn't pick it up on the way in?

I had my bike put on a pallet and stacked in the warehouse, as a practical joke.

A tire will often pick up a nail, causing a slow leak that's not apparent until much later. The nail will partially seal the hole and you won't notice the air leak until you come back to get your bike out of the storage room. Not vandalism so no need to piss off the maintenance guys.

Sounds like something that would happen in America, not Canada.

Obviously, I can't be absolutely certain I didn't, but it just seems highly unlikely that on a day when the staff decided to randomly re-arrange the junk in the bike/storage room and shove it up against my locked bike that I would just happen to have also picked up a nail on the way in. Always possible, I suppose.

I *may* have been under the influence of anger at the time of my original post... :)

Can you imagine the poor maintenance guy who spent hours looking for that lost nail?

Many people lack insight and emotional reason and/or control. This often causes them to exhibit an immature response to others they see who have something they can not have or are able to do something they can not or will not do. Someone who feels oppressed by commuting issues such as expense and traffic and feels unable to use cycling as an option my take this frustration out on those who can. Then there are those who are just turds by nature.

I have had explainable flats but a few mystery flats - intentional - at work. Missing the stem cap afterwards. The air was let out a time or two. My buddy's bike had the crank arm broken by someone who stood or jumped on it (on purpose). I'm afraid Ira is correct.

if it actually broke in two, the vandal did your buddy a favor because it was going to let loose sooner or later. Hope he broke some teeth though.

Thanks. I needed that Unterhausen

Yeah, people thought it was hilarious to let the air out of my bike tires at work and then watch me pump them back up. It was a whole work community joke until I flatted the tires on the prankster's car.

I think everyone looked at the bike as a toy and not my genuine mode of transportation. When they related it to a flat tire on their car, it didn't seem so funny anymore and my flats stopped.

What size tires do YOU have on your bike? Slow leak from a nail in a car tire, OK. But I have NEVER had a SLOW leak on a bicycle tire from a nail.

I once even had a nail go through the tire, tube and rim.

How was pissed was the co-worker coming out and finding a flat tire on their car?

Agreed, I once picked up something very much like a nail going over to Tampa. It wasn't a slow leak it flatted me all at once. Knock wood it didn't go through the rim just the sidewall and the tube.

this may happen with car tires, but I don't think it's likely with most bike tires. And furthermore, if you catch a nail, you'll hear it smacking the ground, and probably the frame.

You should have removed the valve cores as well, that would have been good for loads of laughs. Your co-worker obviously has a sense of humor right? ;)

Depends on the size of the nail. It's happened to me with small nail (about 1" long not much of a head). I didn't notice any problem until I got my bike the next morning. The head was flush with the rubber.

Same thing with a carpenters staple. The head broke off. I noticed the tire needed air every morning but not too much. So on the weekend I checked. The two staple ends were sticking thru the tire and tube. You couldn't even see where it was from the outside.

Some people just need empathy taught in a more concrete way than others. Well done.

Nothing is totally random or without cause. Unlike a car tire I'm pretty sure a shingle nail in a bike tire would cause an immediate loss of air. At the same time it's very doubtful that the person that jammed that nail in your tire did it randomly for no reason. That person seems to have a problem with you dude. So sorry for the trouble.

Happens to the best of us

Yeah I'd vote about 80 percent for vandalism- just about every nail I've picked up was the hiss-and-flat immediately type.

I worked at a middle school a few years ago and my bike got trashed by some of the sketchy teenagers one day. Nothing a little wheel truing and headset adjustment couldn't fix, but they ruined my new bar tape. They even tried to let the air out but never got past the confusing presta valves. I brought it into my locked office every day after that.

Some people are just dicks.