Neighbours "Stolen" Bike

[FergalHunter]

A very curious incident occurred in my block of flats recently that I am eager to hear the forum's perspective on.

Our development runs along the corner of two roads. There are three buildings with about 55 flats in total. There's a shared garden at the back with a covered bike store where I keep my bike. There aren't any allocated spaces, but people tend to leave their bikes in the same spot and leave their locks on the stand when out for a ride. I've parked my bike in the same spot for the last two years, and there are always spare racks.

When I leave my bike there, I use a D-lock, a cable, and a bike cover. There are about 4-5 other people also using covers. I usually put another small lock on to secure the cover. This might sound like overkill, but we've had multiple instances of bikes getting nicked while I've lived here.

Anyway, onto what happened. A couple of weeks ago, I took my bike out to head to the gym, leaving my D-lock and cable attached to the rack in my usual space. When I came back about 90 minutes later, another bike was attached to the same rack. I'd seen the bike before, but don't know who owns it. Not a massive issue, but a little annoying considering there were racks nearby with spaces where people don't cover their bikes.

I was due to head on holiday for 10 days early the next morning and didn't want to leave my bike uncovered that long, so I threw the cover over both bikes. It wasn't locked down and could easily be lifted up. I didn't think it would be an issue, if anything, her bike was getting the benefit of the cover too!
While I was away, someone posted in the residents' chat that her bike had been stolen. Like I said, this isn't an uncommon occurrence, so I didn't think too much of it.

When I returned from holiday 10 days later, her bike was still sitting under the cover right next to mine. I took my bike out for another 90ish minute gym trip and when I got back, I decided I'd move my bike to an empty rack next to it so I could go back to my normal setup. I moved my bike and my cover over to the new rack, leaving her bike completely exposed on her rack.

About an hour later, the same woman posted on the residents' chat claiming her bike had been "returned", but that she'd already bought a replacement!
I'm flabbergasted that a supposedly grown adult seems to lack basic object permanence. Arriving back at her rack, seeing a cover draped over it, and immediately concluding her bike was stolen, without taking two seconds to lift the sheet, is genuinely mind-boggling to me.

Now she's on the chat insisting someone must have stolen it, taken it for a joyride, and returned it, and she is demanding CCTV access.

Is it worth trying to engage with someone like this?

Cover it up again, wait a week, see if she posts anything again.

Even better, cover the new bike, then alternate between covering each one.

She might think the bikes are magically changing into each other

Tbf whenever I cant see my keys where I left them on the side I always assume I've lost them and replace the door lock instead of looking around 🤷‍♀️

I'd look at what was in the space I thought I'd left my bike in. And had she done that, she'd have found your cover wasn't secured and her bike was under it.

But I would admit it in the chat 'sorry, I stuck my cover over both bikes as I had no choice, but left it unsecured. I've only just seen this and just assumed the owner of the bike I covered would look under the cover.'

So then she has to admit, she's a muppet who didn't look. Or demand CCTV and then discover she is a muppet who didn't look.

I don't understand the issue people are having with the whole bike rack cover set up - you have to lock the frame to the bike rack, locking the wheels is no good. If you connect bike to rack via the frame, you can only either pull the cover down over both bikes or 1 bike + frame. If you tried to cover half a bike, that'd be pointless and the cover would blow off pretty quickly.

Do you look in strangers' pockets though in case they've "nicely" hidden them 🤣

While I agree she is making more fuss than needed, I also think what you did is really bizarre. You should just have parked your bike in another rack and covered it - very strange behaviour to cover someone else's bike too. You give the impression you think it is 'your' space when it isn't, even though it is your habitual space. I think you should contact her, explain what happened and apologise that your thoughtless behaviour caused her stress and inconvenience. And make sure you don't repeat it another time!

If the strangers pocket was on the side in the same place I left the keys then sure!

You could say, "I have just come back from a 10 day holiday, and when I uncovered my bike there was another one under the cover with it. Did you look under all the covers when your bike went missing? It might have been there all the time!"

I think it is very strange to cover up someone else's bike. She might not have remembered exactly whish spot she left it in and cannot be expected to go looking around under covers to find it.
And actually, I do think you could have covered one bike not two. The cover would have been a bit hitched up over the D-lock but your bike would still have been 90% covered. Or hey, you could have moved to a different spot if it was so important to you.
I think this was an unexpected thing to do and you need to immediately own up on the facebook page. You should offer to cover any shortfall she gets from buying the new bike after she sells one of the two bikes she now owns.

What about if you'd left your keys on a communal table and when you went back to it they weren't there, there was only a pouch that said GEOFF'S KEYS? Would you assume they'd been tucked beside Geoff's to keep them company, or would you think surely not as that would make Geoff a loon and therefore they must have been swiped?

I'd lift the pouch up and see my keys underneath 😭

Im getting the feeling you've never put something down somewhere and had someone come along and put a letter/pair of gloves/hat/bag etc on top meaning youve had to move stuff around a bit to find it. Just instant "nope, its gone forever" 😂

as shes not got a set space she uses all the time she probably doesn’t remember exactly where she left it. I’d be the same and I wouldn’t go around uncovering everyone else’s bike to check. Surely you could’ve covered your own bike while not covering hers?

Bit weird to claim ownership on a space just because you are used to have it.

But at the same time, if I park my car on a space, come back to find a mystery car parked at exactly the spot I left mine but hidden under a car cover.. I"d look before reporting mine stolen? 😂

I would translate the cover as a passive-agressive way to try to claim a space, not assume whatever is obviously underneath has been stolen.

Weird.

Of course I have 🤣 and I realise the analogy isn't exactly right, and I also said previously that I would have probably looked under the cover. But I can really see why she wouldn't have done, given the previous thefts and also the fact that OP's cover was usually locked, so it would be a fair assumption that it was locked this time too. But also, in your key scenario, isn't that the same thought process as the woman's? - i.e. that it's not where she left it, so she must have left it somewhere else?

Yes she should have checked under the cover but I also understand why she didn’t. She’s posted on the chat in the hopes that someone had any information, at that point you could have replied explaining you’ve covered a bike.

It wouldn’t have taken her long to check and it wouldn’t have taken you long to reply and explain what’s happened.

If you have made a mistake, however well intentioned, you own up.

Not just checking under the cover is on the same level of stupidity as covering someone else's bike.
But you've created that situation so YABU. You could have taken 5 minutes to put your bike - covered - on another rack.

I think you were peeved about her using "your" rack and wanted to make a point & inconvenience her or give her a fright that her bike was gone. I think it's a bit of a fib that you had no alternative than to cover her bike.

She must be absolutely amazed by magicians. Does she think no one can see her when she covers her eyes?

Not the same thought process because I said id lift stuff up to look for them if said stuff was in the space i left them 😩

I’m so confused by this. Sorry if it’s already been answered but why did you have to use that stand if you wanted to cover your bike? Why couldn’t you move bike and cover to another stand?

OP, you’re a wally. At least she gets a new nickname “Sally two-bikes”.

@FergalHunter
I personally wouldn't bother
Strikes me as lacking common sense
Alongside righteous assumption

Hopefully she can get the cctv and see you hiding her bike. Such a weird thing to do. And then to say nothing when she assumes it’s stolen. And then to blame the other person for not lifting the cover and looking. What odd person would cover someone else’s bike before going on holiday. Pure laziness and selfishness. And she should have expected this behaviour? Hilarious. Can’t be real. Not allowed to say that but hmmm

I totally agree with this statement and advice!

Exactly this.

and I also agree with the person who said you did it out of spite. And now you’ve lost your nerve because she is going to
find out you’re the oddball