Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Haddon on November 11, 2013 at 4:05pm

I re read the above and even in retrospect, stick to it.

Permalink Reply by Eric R on November 11, 2013 at 4:20pm

Nice try. Four kids walk by, three continue on while the fourth stops to pull the saddle covers off and doesn't put them back on. You dont dont do that when "looking" at someones bike. "Looking" is one thing, but removing a saddle cover is another thing.

I'm no fool, I did stupid stuff when I was a teenager. The kid that messed with our bikes wasn't admiring the saddles, he was "looking" to take one of them.

Haddon said:

I think the OP and many people here are being dicks. 

I regularly look at bikes I see locked up, I've noted the uptick in direct drive gearing, there is a new class of top tube bike bag (that is on top tube just back of the handle bars that I think is pretty great and I might get one) I learned about Ergon handle grips this way.  I don't read bike magazines so the only real way I learn about new stuff out there is to look at bikes and see what other people have - I scan locked up bikes everywhere, I do it all the time.

The fact that some young kids were looking at your bike and you took it upon yourself to follow / take pictures, post them and everyone was quick to brand them as thieves, "punks" and the like doesn't make you some do-gooder it makes you a cratchy old man with nothing better than to stalk and photograph kids and them post them online.  Nice pic of that kids ass - are you a pervert?  This posting is not heroic you (and many others) falling short of of the basic tenants of civilization along with it's aspects of guilt / presumed innocence and the like.

How about if some guy actually takes your stuff or messes with your ride you can get indignant but this piling on of kids WHO LITERALLY DID NOTHING is rather much a group of people being assholes.  And what argument would the OP have had? What did you have to argue about? You don't want people to look at your bike?

A particularly galling dick:

"It seems like the Chicago Bike Sellers group on Facebook is where a lot of the brooks and wheels get moved. I bet these guys have profiles on there."

Another

"I will keep my eye out for these "punks". - and just what are you going to do? are you going to follow them and post pictures as well?

For all the young kids (because I was one once and believe it or not - you were one once too) I extend the invitation for many of you to go fuck yourselves

H

Permalink Reply by Haddon on November 11, 2013 at 4:24pm

Your words:

(He apparently already looked at my wife's bike and took the cover off of her saddle.)

Your going changing your story from "apparently", you have moved from "apparently" to actually assigning action on his part.

Get your story strait and again - go fuck yourself.

Permalink Reply by El Dorado on November 11, 2013 at 4:36pm

 They are thieves and they need to be dealt with. Of course, calling 911 is first, but I always advocate taking the "law into your hands" Because the real poleece don't care. "Can ya feel me?"

Permalink Reply by Haddon on November 11, 2013 at 4:43pm

I am offended that the kids did nothing and they are branded as thieves, the most the original post offers up is "Apparently", --  apparently is a mighty weak assertation by anyone's measure.

Apparently is not theft, if the OP is sure they stole something he should have called the cops. Please do explain to me what I missed.  If they did steal why weren't the cops called? Why are you not calling them now? Did you see a crime or not? If you did see a crime and you didn't call the cops than you failed your civic duty. 

If you didn't see a crime following and photographing is an invasion of privacy at best.

And they are branded as bike thieves, punks, tied to sites where stolen goods gets sold and the like. And pictures posted, now the story is changing, is it 'apparently' or was something actually seen?

There is guilt, there is innocence but this is a mess. Sure stuff gets stolen but again, by the OP's own original statement, he saw nothing.  For that and the castigation that followed I stand by my words.  If the OP wants to present an amended statement that's on him.

h

Permalink Reply by Eric R on November 11, 2013 at 4:53pm

First, I did say POTENTIAL thieves. Second, you are correct in that they didn't steal anything but why would someone stop to "look" that closely at our bikes and remove one of the saddle covers? Then after I spoke to him, why would he ride off as quickly as possible instead of attempting to ask me about my wonderful, rare (I actually mean ubiquitous) Brooks saddle?

Haddon said:

I am offended that the kids did nothing and they are branded as thieves, the most the original post offers up is "Apparently", --  apparently is a mighty weak assertation by anyone's measure.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on November 11, 2013 at 5:02pm

Photo with obscured faces, with the subject "potential thiefs", of people who were fucking with bikes at the lockup. 

Probably better things to spend your moral outrage on. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on November 11, 2013 at 5:18pm

Please, tell us more about this direct drive gearing trend.

Haddon said:

I've noted the uptick in direct drive gearing

Permalink Reply by Haddon on November 11, 2013 at 5:25pm

Its not my job to divine some kids motivation, they are not following potentially underage kids taking pictures of their asses and then putting them up online.

People in this thread got to a fully George Zimmerman-ish sounding "I will keep my eye out for these "punks". 

WTF? At that point you should have applied the breaks, or at least when the stolen parts-facebook  "I bet these guys have profiles on there"  got made.

Go sit down and get your story figured (did he apparently or not apparently touch the cover?) out at some point.

They are kids, teenagers?  And there you go following them and photographing them?  What if he was scoping your seat? What then?  You live in one of the largest cites on the planet, take basic precautions. Get a seat lock of one sort or another or bring it inside.  Following kids in some huff and anger that you think are criminals? Are you needing to get into a fist fight?

I wouldn't want to have a conversation either about bike saddles / seats with an old Perv that would later be following kids around and photographing their butts. Is that what turns you on?  As you are reading into their actions just as I am going wildly excessively off of yours. 

The lack of sane judgment I'm seeing here all around is fairly galling. Have some mother fucking grace about it all.

H - still standing by my words.

Permalink Reply by Eric R on November 11, 2013 at 5:28pm

Disclaimer appreciated.

As far as I know our Orbs are not connected...

My wife and I spent about 15 minutes discussing whether or not following them was an appropriate response. The decision was to try and find them and get a picture - no confrontation - as someone else mentioned, arguing with teenagers will get a person nowhere. All of this occurred on public property and as you mentioned, I showed restraint and did NOT post images of their faces, but after reading the DNA Info article I question my restraint.

h' $550 said:

Your post would almost make sense if "Eric Roach*" posted names and faces.

Your suggestion of calling the police with the expectation that they respond to an "almost bike theft" is not serious, right?

*Standard disclaimer-- I do not share a computer nor a bed nor a social circle nor a telepathic link with "Eric Roach" and my defense of anything he may have done, or almost done, does not constitute full support of anything else he has done, or may have done....

Haddon said:

I am offended that the kids did nothing and they are branded as thieves, the most the original post offers up is "Apparently", --  apparently is a mighty weak assertation by anyone's measure.

Apparently is not theft, if the OP is sure they stole something he should have called the cops. Please do explain to me what I missed.  If they did steal why weren't the cops called? Why are you not calling them now? Did you see a crime or not? If you did see a crime and you didn't call the cops than you failed your civic duty. 

If you didn't see a crime following and photographing is an invasion of privacy at best.

And they are branded as bike thieves, punks, tied to sites where stolen goods gets sold and the like. And pictures posted, now the story is changing, is it 'apparently' or was something actually seen?

There is guilt, there is innocence but this is a mess. Sure stuff gets stolen but again, by the OP's own original statement, he saw nothing.  For that and the castigation that followed I stand by my words.  If the OP wants to present an amended statement that's on him.

h

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on November 12, 2013 at 3:49am

How do things even end up this spun out of sense?

If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck and looks like a duck it's probably a duck.

Fact is there is a problem right now with kids nabbing Brooks saddles and other parts off bikes; given that it is not unreasonable to think that a couple of kids scoping your nice parts out pretty close and then beating feet when you say something to them are up to no good. 

Yes, lots of people look at bikes that are locked up; I do it myself but I keep a certain distance.  In my opinion you can tell a lot about people's intent through body language and how they act so I agree with the OP that, given age, circumstances and current trends, those kids could very well be the peopel ripping off bike parts in the area.

Haddon said:

Its not my job to divine some kids motivation, they are not following potentially underage kids taking pictures of their asses and then putting them up online.

People in this thread got to a fully George Zimmerman-ish sounding "I will keep my eye out for these "punks". 

WTF? At that point you should have applied the breaks, or at least when the stolen parts-facebook  "I bet these guys have profiles on there"  got made.

Go sit down and get your story figured (did he apparently or not apparently touch the cover?) out at some point.

They are kids, teenagers?  And there you go following them and photographing them?  What if he was scoping your seat? What then?  You live in one of the largest cites on the planet, take basic precautions. Get a seat lock of one sort or another or bring it inside.  Following kids in some huff and anger that you think are criminals? Are you needing to get into a fist fight?

I wouldn't want to have a conversation either about bike saddles / seats with an old Perv that would later be following kids around and photographing their butts. Is that what turns you on?  As you are reading into their actions just as I am going wildly excessively off of yours. 

The lack of sane judgment I'm seeing here all around is fairly galling. Have some mother fucking grace about it all.

H - still standing by my words.

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