To think my brother should give me the money back for this?

[morefalafel]

6 years ago I lent my brother my bike (under duress from my Mum to help him out). It was sitting in my mums shed, unused as I had bought it to use when I didn't have a car and then stopped using it when I did get one.

It was £279, plus however much on lights, helmet, and lock.

I then heard that he had 'ruined' it after about a year of use. From that I took to mean it had rusted through him not looking after it.

I am now in a situation where I don't have a car and so would like my bike back. I have asked for it back as even if its rusted, tires flat etc, I can still make something of it. My brother and Mum have stalled on this so I now believe the bike to have been stolen. (Despite me having given my brother a sturdy lock)

From what my Mum has said, he is annoyed at me "Making this all about money", which it is a little but mostly I just want a bike and given that I bought one for myself already, I dont see why I should pay out again for another one when he neglected to look after one that was loaned to him.

Even if this is about the money - because it was an awfully expensive bike to replace, AIBU?

I had room for it here, I didn't ask for it back because being unaware of how badly 'ruined' it was, I thought he might still have been using it.

"DP has suggested we NEVER leave anything of value at my Mum's ever again, as a few of my things have been gifted to people I have never met."

On that point YANBU, store your own stuff.

I think Yabu on 2 counts... The first is you should not have left any valuables at your parents house, if they are yours take them with you when you move - if they have gone or been given away you should have took them. The second is the time lapse - it's unreasonable to ask for something back after six years.

You heard 5 yrs agothat the bike was trashed! Do you expect themto keep on housing your rubbish for 5 yrs on the off chance you want it back!

Really? You posters have nothing left in your parents lofts or sheds?

And your brother should give you the money back. I think £100 is very reasonable for the free use of a bike for a year, which would have been more if he'd taken better care of it.

YANBU

no many adults have "nothing left in parents lofts or sheds" why would they?

He got the use of your bike, he either didn't look after it properly or he sold it and made good use of the profit.

If he is a decent person he will acknowledge that he had something of yours which was clearly a loan and not a gift, and will offer some kind of recompense.

Trashed may not mean unusable. I agree, YANBU. Your mum cant have cared about keeping it for 6 years in her shed or you would have heard about it sooner if it hadnt been nicked

OP has said she was willing to pay for repairs.

Those who say OP is unreasonable, I wouldn't be lending anything to you in a hurry!

Do you really think it is worth falling out over a bike?

A bike left in a shed for 6 years would not be much use to anyone. You should not have been leaving your stuff round other people's houses and you should not whinge on about this after all this time. The time to act was 6 years ago, putting it in your own shed, not hers.

If I was your mum I'd tell you to sort it out yourselves too. Can't believe you are telling on your bro to your mum when you are a grown up!!

I think he should get you another bike. But OP I got a great one free on Freecycle...it's amazingly good...otherwise, local selling sites on Facebook will have them. He's been shit about it but move on.

Yanbu.

But 6 six ago is a long time. Most bikes would be possibly unsafe to use if they had been left rusting in a shed for 6 years. I think that's the main problem here. If I were your brother I would give you a contribution towards a new bike. But from his point of view the bike and favour you did him is long forgotten. I think you need to put this down to experience and get on eBay or gum tree for a secondhand one.

I'm sorry to say I think you are being unreasonable (purely about the bike), due to the length of time you have waited to ask for it back. A £279 bike that had been used for six years would probably be close to worthless now, on top of this you admitted to knowing it was ruined a year after giving to him.

I think it's a bit petty to go after him six years down the line and demand £100 in compensation. If you still had your car I assume you wouldn't be bothered either way.

If you wanted money for it you should have asked him when he borrowed it or when you first heard it had been ruined, not 5 years later . It clearly didn't matter that much to you back then so shouldn't now even if it is inconvenient.

Funnily enough I've lived a very similar experience to this.

I moved out to a tiny cottage years ago and left my expensive, newly serviced with new chain, new padded lady seat etc etc at my Parents house. There was no room in my cottage for it and I thought it would be safe in the garage.

My father moved it from the garage to make way for his hobby, it was in the conservatory for a while and then it got left outside in the Summer and then the Winter, everything rusted and crumbled and the bike is now a heap sitting in my garage at home (not the tiny cottage).

This happened probably 10 years ago now. I was pissed off but knew it was my fault as if id taken it with me in the first place and just found some room for it, it wouldn't have happened.

You shouldn't have left it there.
You're Mother shouldn't have forced you to lend it out.
Your brother should have taken better care of it.

Unfortunately I think too much time has elapsed now and you're going to have to just suck it up and chalk it up to experience.

I don't understand adults who leave lots of their stuff at their parents houses - why on earth would you leave anything of value with your mum anyway?

Can you just directly ask, has it been stolen, if so, can you either replace it or claim on your insurance?

Altough to be honest, a £279 bike is not an expensive one, even if he'd been looking after it and using it daily, after 6 years it wouldn't be in a good condition and probably only fit for being thrown out.

It's a bit much expecting someone to store something large like a bike for 6 years and it still being there ready for use when you want it. It has most likely all gone to the tip, as you were told it was 'ruined' 5 years ago.

Your mum is perhaps fed up of you wanting her to store your stuff, hence her wanting you to let your brother use the bike and giving your other stuff away, it's out of her way and she's making a point.

Buy yourself a new bike and store it at your place.

Needavacation my parents dont have a loft...

I'm still in the "if you use something of someone else's and fuck it up, you replace it" camp. Your brother has been a shit.

YANBU. Next time they say "you're making this all about money", say that it's actually all about bicycles, and if he won't give you the money he needs to give you a bicycle in the same condition he borrowed yours in.