Aborted bike theft or malicious prank?

October 7, 2013 4:59 PM

Someone messed with my parked bike today, and I'm not sure if they were just extremely incompetent thieves or if they were some jerk trying to make my bike surreptitiously unsafe.

The first thing I noticed, of course, is that the wheel was disconnected. Someone had taken out the quick-release skewer entirely and dumped it on the ground but left the wheel in place. Based on this, I presume that this was some sort of stupid prank, because— unless I am missing something— why would a thief bother taking the skewer all the way out?

On the other hand, I noticed that the front brake pads are super bent, too (see a picture here and a close-up here; and yeah, I know my bike is a mess already.) I was just curious if anyone had any ideas about how the brakes might have ended up like this: someone not understanding how a bike is properly disassembled trying to wrench out the wheel? Or someone just trying to maximize the likelihood of me injuring myself? (I should mention that they did properly disengage the quick-release brakes, which further confuses things for me.)

Also, on a more practical note: do you think I could just bend the pads back into a straight line, or is it best that I just replace them?

Thanks.

posted by caaaaaam to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I reckon someone was trying to steal your wheel front wheel, but was too stupid to realise you can unhook the brakes, unless you had angel wire or what have you running through the front wheel, in which case they were trying to steal the bike without the wheel.

Don't underestimate the stupidity of street thieves, really don't.

Regarding your second Q, I think you can do both. Your brakes will be crappier for the bending, and I think you will find getting a straight line harder than you think. However it's up to you how crappy you are prepared to put up with regarding brakes. I would replace them myself.
posted by smoke at 5:10 PM on October 7, 2013

Someone was trying to steal something and wasn't good at it.

I rode my back to/from/on my college campus for four years--I've seen it all.
posted by Precision at 5:24 PM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Attempted theft. Replace those pads. Avid 20r pads are like $11 and will work better than your fucked pads. I see pads bent like that and upon further inquiry find out the customer doesn't know how to properly remove their wheel. They probably figured out how to release your brakes accidentally or after it was too late.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:33 PM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Damage like that comes from the "steal to ride home because I'm too high to walk" category of bike thief, rather than the "steal to sell on Craigslist" sort. My neighborhood has a plentiful supply of both kinds.

N'thing replace the pads. Call it a winter safety upgrade.
posted by Kakkerlak at 5:39 PM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Sorry, they're more like $7, not $11.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:43 PM on October 7, 2013

Best answer: I'd like to also vote for incompetent theft attempt, but point out that, at least around where I live, fucking with bikes for fun is a thing, especially around train stations. Disconnected brakes, cut cables, slashed seats [?], loosened QR skewers are all things that I see often. I never try to fix them, because I don't want to look like a thief, but I always hope to see people walking to unlock those bikes so I can warn them.

two anecdotes:

When I was young, the first bike I ever repaired made exactly one trip to the train station before having all of the above happen [plus slashed tires]. Nothing was stolen.

When I was a courier there was one incident of a guy undoing someone else's front skewer in [given the context] an obvious attempt to injure.

People are crazy.
posted by Acari at 7:58 PM on October 7, 2013

As a data point, someone stole my rear skewer while my bike was locked up on campus. I suspect it was vandalism there were no other visible attempt to remove the wheel. I discovered this much to my dismay when I sat on the bike and the wheel jammed in the frame. It wouldn't rotate and I couldn't even walk the bike, so I had carry it to the nearest shop on a 90 degree day.
posted by TungstenChef at 11:11 AM on October 8, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for your anecdotes and suggestions, everyone. I'll count myself lucky that this was the first time I've had to deal with something like this...
posted by caaaaaam at 5:37 PM on October 8, 2013

I should mention that I'm a big, big fan of Delta Axlerodz. They're not completely theft proof, since you just need a 5mm hex wrench, but they're light years more tamper resistant than a quick release. And if you get a flat, it's only an extra 30 seconds to get your wheel off.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 7:41 PM on October 8, 2013

Additionally, they may have been trying to make it enough hassle for you to fix that you'd leave it there overnight. Then they can come back with a van and load up a bunch of bikes. In London at least, bike thieves work on a professional scale and have a bunch of scams designed to make it easier to steal in large numbers.
posted by danteGideon at 8:01 AM on October 9, 2013