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?

I think she’s going to be seriously fucked off with you. I would be too. What an odd thing to do.

There's no way she didn't find her bike under the cover and think, this is some weird passive aggressive shit from Weird Bike Rack Woman. I'm going to tell her my bike's been nicked. Then when no response, she escalated and said she'd had to buy a new one. Then when hers was uncovered,"it's been miraculously returned!!"

OP she's on a wind up.

Is it a single sex block of flats? We know, but Someone-nicked-my-bike-woman might not know that weird-my-bike-rack-for-two-years-woman is female.

You were in the wrong. You could have chosen not to cover someone else’s bike or cover it and then put a message in the groups letting the group know that one of their bikes is under your cover just in case they think it’s gone AWOL whilst you bugger off for ten days. You could also have replied to her message in the chat when she thought it was stolen BUT you went with “fuck you you’re in my spot so I will do what I like because I’m alright”

Also given the set up you describe does this mean you expect to have a two bike rack all to yourself at all times?

I can see why she didn’t check if she hadn’t really registered exactly which rack she had left her bike in. Either that or she is trying to beat you at your own passive aggressive game and try to shame you into admitting your weird behaviour.

Eh? What the eff are you on about?

Eta: sorry, right, I see what you mean! But I'm guessing that everyone knows Weird Bike Rack Woman.

To be fair I can understand her not looking under someone else’s cover. It isn’t necessarily the obvious thing to do. What’s obvious to us isn’t always obvious to others, but certainly I wouldn’t engage with her as I don’t think it will end well with someone that lacking in critical thinking skills.

I am glad I am not the only one who is confused here 😂

In my view, covering somebody else’s bike is insane behaviour

Totally

I cannot understand the insults towards the person whose bike was hidden. It’s insane to cover someone else’s bike that it would not be something you would lift and check. If someone covered your car you would not expect to uncover it and say oh there it is 😂 you’d assume stolen. Particularly as we are told all about the regular bike thefts and the ops need for multiple locks including one for the cover itself. If this happened the op is selfish and spiteful and I hope they find out

Well said

Given she locked her bike on the only occupied rack when there were other free racks available, I’m guessing this woman didn’t even remember where she locked her bike in the first place, hence her total lack of investigative skills with the cover.

Some people are just very unobservant.

You’ve learnt your lesson not to cover another bike. Don’t engage with her.

And you don't think you are the fruit loop for hiding someone else's property?

It is very common for people to forget where they parked their car and this appears no different.

In contrast you are probably the first person on earth to cover someone else property for absolutely no reason

Thing is, no one has a claim to any of the spaces. The OP clearly thinks she does as she’s been parking her bike there for two years. But it means naff all and anyone else has the right to park there. You see threads on here about people getting annoyed that others park outside their house on roads with no parking restrictions.

Someone deleted the wrong post

If something was offensive, it cannot be the post asking what it meant 😂

Just put a post-it note on her bike saying 'Abracadabra!'
Forget that. She's an idiot and I have no idea how you could reason with her. She'll probably try to bill you for the new bike.
She'll check the CCTV and see that her bike went nowhere and hopefully shut up about it.

I mean... couldn't she have a point? My tort law is rusty admittedly but I think it would be an interesting lawsuit!

Don't engage. Let her see via CCTV that her bike was never stolen. If she asks questions, just shrug it off and joke about everyone being absent minded sometimes (not bothering to check for her bike).

I think it’s weird that you covered up a strangers bike, almost like you were making a point about how annoyed you were about your space being taken. I would never cover up someone else’s property?! It’s so batshit crazy?! You basically hid her bike for 10 days?!

I think you are coming across as incredibly arrogant, OP; covering her bike as you think you own the section of the rack and then making out that she’s weird and unhinged for understandably thinking her bike had been stolen!

Why did you also have cover her bike? We need a diagram.