How do i claim a presumed abandoned bicycle l in Dublin city

read more

I have seen an old bicycle that I would like to restore looking abandoned while locked to a post in an un-useable state. Does anybody know how I can claim this bike?
This is my first post.

Thanks in advance.

fred funk }{

read more wrote: »

I have seen an old bicycle that I would like to restore looking abandoned while locked to a post in an un-useable state. Does anybody know how I can claim this bike?
This is my first post.

Thanks in advance.

You can't, you'd be stealing someone's bike. Look on the free section of the selling sites.

Peregrinus

The fact that it's locked to the post suggests that it's not abandoned. Who secures their abandoned property?

PhilOssophy

Surely the council etc cut these away after a while when they reach a certain stage of a wreck?

Housefree

Bolt cutters or wireless grinder

magicbastarder

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Surely the council etc cut these away after a while when they reach a certain stage of a wreck?

i suspect they do; i know trinity college at one point were tagging bikes and cutting them loose if they hadn't been moved in X months, but they were giving them to Rothar rather than to any general joe who liked the look of them.

it'd be harder for the council to do that tag and monitor system though.

Lumen

Peregrinus wrote: »

The fact that it's locked to the post suggests that it's not abandoned. Who secures their abandoned property?

A better question might be "who abandons their secured property?".

loyatemu

people forget where they've locked their bikes, or they move address or leave the country and they just don't care. Cheap bikes are practically disposable. The city centre is full of abandoned wrecks, i think the council periodically removes them.

The Continental Op

Watch out OP maybe its a Honey Trap to catch bike thieves

cletus

What bike is it? Is it particularly desirable?

Del2005

read more wrote: »

I have seen an old bicycle that I would like to restore looking abandoned while locked to a post in an un-useable state. Does anybody know how I can claim this bike?
This is my first post.

Thanks in advance.

The only legal way to get it is to bring it to you're local Garda station as lost property and if it's not claimed after IIRC 3 months you can claim it. Getting the lock off and bringing it to the station would be illegal as you'd have stolen it.

read more

Del2005 wrote: »

The only legal way to get it is to bring it to you're local Garda station as lost property and if it's not claimed after IIRC 3 months you can claim it. Getting the lock off and bringing it to the station would be illegal as you'd have stolen it.

Thanks for that, and thanks for all the ideas so far. its an 1989 mountain bike, it is desirable to me.. Its been in the same position for a few months now near O'Connell bridge. it has a broken rear derailleur, rust is starting to show. and I flimsy lock chain.
yep, I would look well dodgy with my bolt cutter in city centre that is why I'm trying to find a honest way to claim it or buy it from the owner if that person is around.
but my gut feeling is that it is abandoned.

SouthWesterly

read more wrote: »

Thanks for that, and thanks for all the ideas so far. its an 1989 mountain bike, it is desirable to me.. Its been in the same position for a few months now near O'Connell bridge. it has a broken rear derailleur, rust is starting to show. and I flimsy lock chain.
yep, I would look well dodgy with my bolt cutter in city centre that is why I'm trying to find a honest way to claim it or buy it from the owner if that person is around.
but my gut feeling is that it is abandoned.

Go up to pearse St Station and have a chat with one of the guys on the counter. See what they say

StupidLikeAFox

read more wrote: »

Thanks for that, and thanks for all the ideas so far. its an 1989 mountain bike, it is desirable to me.. Its been in the same position for a few months now near O'Connell bridge. it has a broken rear derailleur, rust is starting to show. and I flimsy lock chain.
yep, I would look well dodgy with my bolt cutter in city centre that is why I'm trying to find a honest way to claim it or buy it from the owner if that person is around.
but my gut feeling is that it is abandoned.

Throw on a hi vis, be grand

JustAThought

Persons probably back home under 5k restrictions & you want to justify nicking their bike. Sickening scumbag thing to do.

StupidLikeAFox

read more wrote: »

its an 1989 mountain bike, it is desirable to me..]

How do you know its an 1989?

StupidLikeAFox

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Throw on a hi vis, be grand

That'd be my approach. If the bike is obviously abandoned, then just take it. No one will care.


If you felt like there was any chance at all that someone is actually using it, sellotape a note to it somewhere (not obvious, like the underside of the pedal or something). If the note is still there a week later, you know no one has touched it.

The Continental Op

Or put your own lock on it with your number?

Kevhog1988

read more wrote: »

Thanks for that, and thanks for all the ideas so far. its an 1989 mountain bike, it is desirable to me.. Its been in the same position for a few months now near O'Connell bridge. it has a broken rear derailleur, rust is starting to show. and I flimsy lock chain.
yep, I would look well dodgy with my bolt cutter in city centre that is why I'm trying to find a honest way to claim it or buy it from the owner if that person is around.
but my gut feeling is that it is abandoned.

Put a note on ut for a week and then take it. If it's in as bad a state as you say I'd assume it's abandoned

km991148

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Put a note on ut for a week and then take it. If it's in as bad a state as you say I'd assume it's abandoned

Except the entire country is under restrictions??

lalababa

Yeah you could put your own lock on it....then come back and cut the other lock.

Kevhog1988

km991148 wrote: »

Except the entire country is under restrictions??

The fact the derailleur is broken etc leads me to believe its abandoned... Even during restrictions nobody would leave a bike outside for months on end

magicbastarder

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

How do you know its an 1989?

bikes are usually only available in one colour, which often changes year to year, so it's usually possible to date them more easily than you would with a car.

loyatemu

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

The fact the derailleur is broken etc leads me to believe its abandoned... Even during restrictions nobody would leave a bike outside for months on end

some people would have an old bike they leave in the city centre for when they're at work. Those people might not have been into town in a year (I haven't).

(having said that, it's probably abandoned, but these aren't normal times).

km991148

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

The fact the derailleur is broken etc leads me to believe its abandoned... Even during restrictions nobody would leave a bike outside for months on end

Sorry, missed that.

It probably is abandoned of course, and it's probably illegal to take action, which means it will probably end up scrapped.

Good luck tho!

magicbastarder

loyatemu wrote: »

some people would have an old bike they leave in the city centre for when they're at work. Those people might not have been into town in a year (I haven't).

yeah, there is the possibility that someone has simply not called into town to pick up a bike they know is there (a 30 year old bike, so very low financial value) because of the restrictions, and it has been vandalised within that year.

i don't see any way around it, taking the bike by means of bolt cutters/angle grinder, is theft.
if you want a project, you could probably pick up a bike like that for 50 or 100 quid. if the choice is either 'spend the 50 quid' or 'possibly be guilty of stealing someone's bike', that's a choice i know which option i'd take.

PhilOssophy

Well is it reasonable to leave a bike lying around the city for a year, taking up bike rack space which is often at a premium as most of us who cycle around the city know only too well?

Del2005

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Well is it reasonable to leave a bike lying around the city for a year, taking up bike rack space which is often at a premium as most of us who cycle around the city know only too well?

If you suspect a bike is abandoned contact the council and they'll deal with it. Anything else is theft.

Eire392

Criminal damage to break the lock
Theft to take the bike

Only correct way is to get the council to take it away.

PhilOssophy

Del2005 wrote: »

If you suspect a bike is abandoned contact the council and they'll deal with it. Anything else is theft.

I'm not saying he should steal the bike - what I am saying is that anyone who leaves a bike around the city and expects it to be still there over any period of time is being unreasonable.

shtpEdthePlum

Same with a car near me, it was a 30 year old car abandoned by owner and nobody had claimed it for six months so I hot wired it and took it home. You shouldn't be able to expect to just leave a car when there's a shortage of space, I was doing the whole world a favor and I'm the protagonist in this tale.

km991148

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

Same with a car near me, it was a 30 year old car abandoned by owner and nobody had claimed it for six months so I hot wired it and took it home. You shouldn't be able to expect to just leave a car when there's a shortage of space, I was doing the whole world a favor and I'm the protagonist in this tale.

You wouldn't steal a car now, would you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU

Lumen

km991148 wrote: »

You wouldn't steal a car now, would you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg

PhilOssophy

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Well is it reasonable to leave a bike lying around the city for a year, taking up bike rack space which is often at a premium as most of us who cycle around the city know only too well?

With that logic should I be worried that someone is going to nick my expensive keyboard thats been sat on my desk in work for the past year plugged into nothing?

The Continental Op

Deleted User wrote: »

With that logic should I be worried that someone is going to nick my expensive keyboard thats been sat on my desk in work for the past year plugged into nothing?

How do you know they haven't. I know when I was off sick for a while my fancy ergonomic keyboard was borrowed by someone in the office.

The Continental Op

The Continental Op wrote: »

How do you know they haven't. I know when I was off sick for a while my fancy ergonomic keyboard was borrowed by someone in the office.

Maybe they have. Thankfully theres only about 5 people still in the office.

Del2005

PhilOssophy wrote: »

I'm not saying he should steal the bike - what I am saying is that anyone who leaves a bike around the city and expects it to be still there over any period of time is being unreasonable.

Which is why you contact the correct people to remove it if you suspect it's abandoned.

AMKC

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

Same with a car near me, it was a 30 year old car abandoned by owner and nobody had claimed it for six months so I hot wired it and took it home. You shouldn't be able to expect to just leave a car when there's a shortage of space, I was doing the whole world a favor and I'm the protagonist in this tale.

There was a car abo so we near where I live a few years ago and I regret not doing that. It was in a fairly good state. Of course by the time I decided I was going to do it it had been taken away unfortunatly. Sad part is it was probably scrapped and in another 10 years it would have been a classic.

AMKC

As for the bike I say dress up as a council officer in a weeks time if as someone else said your note on it has not been noticed and take the bike home. Wear a mask to hide your face too incase there are camera's and they think your steeling it lol.

magicbastarder

The Continental Op wrote: »

How do you know they haven't. I know when I was off sick for a while my fancy ergonomic keyboard was borrowed by someone in the office.

is it *your* keyboard though?
thankfully those days are behind me, but i used to spend a depressing amount of time telling employees that 'their' laptops did not belong to them, and that yes, i could do things to their laptops they didn't like.

The Continental Op

magicbastarder wrote: »

is it *your* keyboard though?
thankfully those days are behind me, but i used to spend a depressing amount of time telling employees that 'their' laptops did not belong to them, and that yes, i could do things to their laptops they didn't like.

I bought it myself because I wanted an ergonomic keyboard. Everyone in the office then wanted one.

As for the OP my plan would be clipboard and bolt croppers. Nothing looks more official than a clipboard. Then there is the added feature that jobs worths, opinion pollers and bloggers use clipboards so people tend to keep clear of anyone with a clipboard.

A week from now the OP will be back; "So lads, anyone know of a good solicitor?"

breezy1985

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Surely the council etc cut these away after a while when they reach a certain stage of a wreck?

I bought my bike in London from a shop who had the contract to snip abandoned bikes in my area. You got notice frost with a tag from the council warning of impending removal

magicbastarder

as mentioned, if you want a project, pick one up on adverts or donedeal and do that up. i did it, was good fun.

Mimon

Not commenting on the rights or wrongs of either case but it's a bit mad that someone can come in and squat in an "abandoned building" but a bike that is more than likely abandoned and sitting for a year plus is not allowed.

Mimon

breezy1985 wrote: »

I bought my bike in London from a shop who had the contract to snip abandoned bikes in my area. You got notice frost with a tag from the council warning of impending removal

Seems like a far better solution and better than the council that would probably scrap everything good or bad.

magicbastarder

an interesting comparison but there are multiple factors in which they differ. the most obvious probably being that someone squatting in a building is utilising it but not actually stealing it.

OP,
Contact Dublin city council, most likely the litter warden dept. and ask them exactly what happens with abandoned bicycles, if there is anyway to claim them etc.
They may give you some good advice, considering they will be the ones removing it eventually.

PhilOssophy

Deleted User wrote: »

With that logic should I be worried that someone is going to nick my expensive keyboard thats been sat on my desk in work for the past year plugged into nothing?

Well I don't think its the same. Your keyboard isn't impacting anybody else who needs to use the desk nor is it in a public space.

The Continental Op

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Well I don't think its the same. Your keyboard isn't impacting anybody else who needs to use the desk nor is it in a public space.

The temptation is the same

PhilOssophy

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Well I don't think its the same. Your keyboard isn't impacting anybody else who needs to use the desk nor is it in a public space.

The poster doesn't want the bike removed because he wants to clamp his bike to that spot. He wants the bike.