What to do if someone else locks your bike up? Freeing locked bikes

Maybe already covered.
So you come back to your bike eg on the railings in gower street and someone has put a d lock on it as a prelude to nicking it later when its dark.
You have no identifying documents on you and you are on your own . If you're lucky you may have a photo on your phone.
Would a locksmith do it ?.

You have two choices:

1) You go borrow a ton of locks from friends and lock the hell out of your bike (and theirs) and leave a note with a phone number.

2) You go straight to a shop that sells an angle grinder and you cut their lock off.

Failing either of the above, you post a panic message on LFGSS and beg for someone with an angle grinder to meet you to help do it.

But given that you are on Gower St, I'd jump a bus to Camden, visit the Leyland store there, and would put a battery powered angle grinder on credit card. Then I'd go back to Gower St, sit in a cafe with some visibility of the bike and charge the grinder. Before cutting the lock off.

Both of the above are much cheaper than calling a locksmith and far more satisfying.

[edit] deleting this post as it might inadvertently be a guide for stealing bikes for some scrote that doesn't already know how

and no one will challenge you whilst angle grinding, this is London.

But if you want total immunity pick up a hard hat and high vis + googles with the grinder.

But given that you are on Gower St, I'd jump a bus to Camden, visit the Leyland store there, and would put a battery powered angle grinder on credit card. Then I'd go back to Gower St, sit in a cafe with some visibility of the bike and charge the grinder. Before cutting the lock off.

The Leyland store on Goodge St. would be more convenient, but it's not huge so they may not stock one.

The Leyland store on Goodge St. would be more convenient, but it's not huge so they may not stock one.

They're closed on a Sunday, whereas the Camden one is open.

They're closed on a Sunday, whereas the Camden one is open.

Thorough bugger aren't you!

I know this is extreme, but if it happened to me and I was in a bad mood I'd be inclined to cut through their frame depending on how they had Locked it. Hacksaw would go through an alu frame easily I guess?

Extreme, but the inconvenience caused, even if by mistake would piss me off enough to do it.

I know this is extreme, but if it happened to me and I was in a bad mood I'd be inclined to cut through their frame depending on how they had Locked it. Hacksaw would go through an alu frame easily I guess?

Extreme, but the inconvenience caused, even if by mistake would piss me off enough to do it.

Seems reasonable, you're only retrieving your property. Would probs take less time to cut their frame than the lock...

though you will probably have to remove their lock from your bike at some point

Went to pick up bike from the station, some sod has tried to get through my lock probably with a drill, which being Kryptonite has resisted, but is now unlockable. We've tried many things, but the lock is living up to its impregnability. Any suggestions? apart from tearing up the bike rack?

Same as this: Angle grind the hell out of it

Where abouts is it locked up?

Put superglue in their lock and wait across the road with a big wrench and three mates.

Me and a mate did it like this...

(clicky)

What kind of lock?
Happened to me a few weeks back, I just used down cable cutters I borrows from the bike shop.

I phoned the police and the council first, they were expectedly shit.

Me and a mate did it like this...

(clicky)

How long did that take?

And can you then get a free replacement from Kryptonite? I seem to remember their literature saying they'd cover any replacement or theft - as long as you could provide them the broken lock.