So Here's This Guy Riding My Bike

[5-7HEAVEN]

HawaiiEd gave me an old Gary fisher mountain bike. It had flat tires and rusty drivetrain. I filled the tires, greased everything and the bike runs pretty well.

I'm thinking it'd be great to have it at my workplace. I walk a few bloocks for lunch. I also walk several blocks to night school, so I could make good use of it.

So I put it in my van and the wife drives me to work. While securing the bike I realize I left the key to the bike chain in the van and my wife drove away.

No biggie. I'llsqueeze the bike between the bikerack and the wall, block it in with a cinder block. Then I'll run the chain thru the wheel and rack. From a distance no one would notice it's unlocked.

Two hours later my wife drops the key off on the first floor parking area. I catch the elevator to the fourth floor where my bike is at, so I can lock my bike....

and I catch the building maintenance man riding my bike!!!

"Bra, you wanna put my bike back on the rack?" I asked in a serious ominous tone.

"But the bike wasn't locked up." was his main defense he and his partner kept insisting.

So he rolls my bike between the rack and the wall and places the cinder block next to the crankset.

I asked him what he was thinking. He mentioned again that the bike was unlocked. It's not like the bike was sitting there abandoned for months. I just brought it there two hours ago. I told him not in my wildest dream would I do such a thing.

His friend utters the same lame excuse.

It's not like this guy's a young naive guy. Both men were in their 50's.

I was upset. If I'd reported the incident both men would probably get fired for such a stupid mistake.

Two family men losing their job over poor judgment over a bike not worth $40.

If they were messing with "The Dragon Lady", my regular commuter bike I would've pressed charges and have them fired.

It's not over yet. I'm looking for an apology. They never said they were sorry.

What would you have done?

 

[cooltoy]

I guess they look at it like it's thier turf and they were just messing around with an old bike. It may have even started out with a "look at that old bike"..
The thing is that there really is no excuse and I would freak out if I walked out to see some guy on my bike.
I think they may be getting to comfortable in that job, with so much time for play.

 

[Hawaii_Ed]

Glad you got the bike together and functional, and low buck too! It really is not a bad looking bike, they should not have thought it was junk. And I am glad the wife was OK with getting the bike

While it is old, most people know that Gary Fisher = $$$. My read is it that he was checking it out to see if it was worth taking home, no other reason to ride it

Ed

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Hawaii Ed's guess about motive sounds convincing to me. At least I'm willing to bet that this guy was riding your bike for some other reason than the sheer fun of it.

Last summer I came across a situation where a guy definitely deserved to be fired. I kept quiet for the same reason that you did. "After all, this is a human being with obligations...etc....maybe we're just looking at a small lapse in judgement..." and so on. But the guy in question is just rotten to the core and really doesn't deserve a break. So I'm not at all sure that I did the right thing. It's likely to end up the same way with you.

I'm used to working alone. I'm pretty new at working with others, day to day. (I'm pretty sure that's going to end soon. I'm getting tired of it. Back to working alone, I think.) So I'm not sure that my judgement in getting along with co-workers is all that well-developed. But I think I've learned one lesson; being easy on the creeps is probably not worth it.

 

[Silvaire]

5-7HEAVEN, With jobs a bit hard to come by as they are right now, how would you feel if you or a friend got laid off - and these two creeps, er, "family men", were kept on?

But I think I've learned one lesson; being easy on the creeps is probably not worth it.

I think you are absolutely right about that bluegoatwoods. What's hard is making the decision as to what is the right thing to do, and then having the guts to do it - whatever that decision is.

I've had 4 bikes stolen in my life. One I got back. I left it unlocked in a bike rack with a flat tire while I went in a store to buy a tube. When I came out my bike was gone. I ran out to the main street and looked. I saw the guy walking away with it a block away. I was 13, he was about 20, and I felt pretty good just getting it back...

Venting on a forum regarding such matters can be good therapy!

 

[lordoflightaz]

There is just something wrong with our society. I hate, absolutely hate, having to lock up my bike. Why can't I just get off it go in the store, buy my stuff and get on the bike.

I had to go to the doctor today. On the way to the doctor, I had to stop at the X-ray place to pick up some X-rays. I was going to have to chain the bike up just to run in sign my name and get the film. I got lucky the security guard was sitting outside the door. I asked if he was going to be there a while and would he watch my bike while I ran in. I got lucky again at the doctors office, there was a bench bolted to the ground so I locked the bike to the bench.

The sad thing are that doctors office's have security guards, I have to find a place to lock up my bike, that people don't respect personal property, and now when I think of Hawaii, I will think about bike thieves.

I think you should have reported them. They "may" not have been planning on stealing the bike, but who is to say what the might not plan to steal from the job.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

cooltoy, yeah you might be right. They think they own the place.

Hawaii Ed, thanks again for the bike. Will I have any problems registering it? Then I'll upgrade with rims, tires, brakes, engine, etc.

I think you're right, Ed. The guy had shorter legs than I, and was studying how his short fat build matched the 15.5" bike frame. I think he WAS sizing up the bike and seriously thinking about taking it home "because it was unlocked".

bluegoatwoods, I believe I did the right thing. My wife has been unemployed for 14 months, so I'm at my absolutely BEST behavior at work. The situation could've gotten nasty with me seriously hurting him or vice versa. Jail or hospital. Then more bills, medical or legal.

Then less time to ride that THING!

Silvaire, I work for the State so they're not gonna lay me or any permanent worker off...unless I REALLY mess up...like fighting in the parking lot, seriously injuring a fellow State worker.

And yes, venting is good therapy. I can kick butt on cyberspace and no one gets physically hurt!

lord, that's why I brought the regular bike to use at work. Too much hassle running and securing my twin-engined monster. Once I start up "The Dragon Lady" I just want to keep riding.

I'd want to ride home at lunchtime and call in sick for the rest of the day.

 

[Mountainman]

well who truly knows what was going through their minds ??
one thing for sure -- thinking and doing such as that
does not fly up top the mountain........

I think that I would get the guy alone
tell him to never touch mine or anyone's elses anything at work !!!

the guy seems to have no morals
or mabe -- just to be jumping on someone's bike for the fun of it
really meaning no harm -- at least seems to prove -- not much in the way of brains !!

ride the motor bike THING

 

[macarollo]

I think you did the right thing. That would have made me very upset too.

 

[mlcorson]

When I was young, I got caught fishing in someone's private pond. My excuse was that I was practicing catch and release, and that wasn't really fishing. No harm was really done...a minor trespass. Embarrassed, I felt stupid afterwords, because I was doing something I shouldn't have been doing but I justified it with a lame argument.
Well, my point is that people do things for lots of different reasons, and you can't always expect them to react how you would after being caught is such a stupid situation. These guys may have pushed the limit, but in this case, I'd advise forgive and forget. Good karhma is the gift that keeps on giving.
-M