My Bike Has Been Stolen HELP NEEDED

[EltonFrog]

I’m bloody gutted about losing this bike, I’ve ridden it around New York, Cape Town, around various parts of France including up the Champs-Élysées and around the Arc de Triomphe, I’ve ridden around Berlin, four Ride London Surrey 100’s, Luxembourg, From Paris to London and raised thousands for charities along the way. I’m thoroughly and abjectly farking pissed off.

 

[Gunk]

I’ve never heard of it.

You have now!

 

[Reynard]

Oh man, that's just rotten...

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I really hope it gets recovered unharmed, that's a terrible thing to go through. It's a gorgeous bike too.

Sadly, recovery is highly unlikely. That was a targeted attack, the thief was probably already loitering nearby watching the bike racks when the bike was left there.

locked our bikes together, popped into the Westgate Centre, 15/20 minutes later mine was gone, hers was not taken, they took the lock, which is odd

Your bike was the one the thief wanted. Wife's bike probably worth considerably less money. Thief probably on foot and rode it away, so they could only take the one. More profit in yours, so they took that and left the other one. Lock taken so no possibility of leaving forensic evidence from handling, plus it gives them a couple of minutes extra getaway time while you stand and scratch your head and ask "did I really park it in this position or not?"

Most eejits posting won’t know the spec and value of your bike
Hope bike is returned and perps brought to justice

They'll know the value, and they'll probably have other stolen bikes too, which means they can mix and match a few parts like wheels & saddle to disguise it before selling it on. It might not reappear on the market immediately either.
When I bought one of my secondhand old Raleighs over a year ago, the seller had a second bike (a cheap Apollo hybrid) which nobody bid on. That unsold one only reappeared a few months ago, and this time it did sell (not for much though!). Bikes are not hard to store and if someone has some space, then a stolen bike may not appear for sale until months later, when the victim has replaced the bike and is no longer actively monitoring sales sites.

 

[Randomnerd]

Sorry to hear about this. Sadly, Skip is right. These amoeba are full-time bike thieves. Oxford is ranked high for thefts, and they would’ve been waiting and watching for a good bike. They steal to order. Lots of bikes parked together helps disguise their activity. Two gold standard locks and insurance is only way to go in this miserably greedy country, but is still no deterrent to a determined thief. Hope you can let it go, learn and move on: karma will sort it eventually. Best wishes

 

[johnnyb47]

Thieving Bar stewards.
You must be feeling gutted. Let's hope it get spotted by someone here.

 

[EltonFrog]

Thanks for your thoughts folks, what would’ve helpful is if you could put it in your search lists for eBay and other online sale media.

Things that might help you recognise the bike.

Shimano RS81 wheels
Brooks Swift Saddle with titanium rails.
New Full Ultegra Group set, ( original bike came with 105)
Ortleib Pod saddle bag.
black with red dot bar tap

 

[johnnyb47]

Just been scouting through the classifieds but no luck. A thief will no doubt not put it up for sale on the Internet, as they will know it would be the first place yoi would look. If they did, it would be done a good few weeks later when the dust as settled down.
Fortunately though your bike is distinctive and would stand out against the mainstream if you where to spot it.
All best and don't give up on it. You never know, it may well turn up one of these days buddy

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm not a great Social Media user but I've posted where I can.

 

[EltonFrog]

I'm not a great Social Media user but I've posted where I can.

Much appreciated, one never knows who’s looking.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Much appreciated, one never knows who’s looking.

No worries, BTW I realise that I clicked "Like" by mistake on the "Your ride today" thread which must have seemed a bit heartless, sorry about that.

 

[Vantage]

Please do tell us what lock you were using so we know what to avoid buying!

No such thing as a safe lock. The best you can do is buy a lock that meets the insurance requirements and hope for the best.
My sympathies for your loss @EltonFrog.
Been through it too many times myself. Its horrible.

 

[Tom B]

There is a tool you can use that auto monitors the likes of eBay etc and send you email alerts.

I've known people identify bikes, months and years later when they get readvertised. By which point they've often changed hands several times, had new parts added and stuff removed and become subject to an interpleader.

Recording the serial number stamped in the frame is always a winner in these circumstances.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I’m bloody gutted about losing this bike, I’ve ridden it around New York, Cape Town, around various parts of France including up the Champs-Élysées and around the Arc de Triomphe, I’ve ridden around Berlin, four Ride London Surrey 100’s, Luxembourg, From Paris to London and raised thousands for charities along the way. I’m thoroughly and abjectly farking pissed off.

This is what really hurts. It's not just a machine, it feels like your memories have been stolen too.

 

[EltonFrog]

There is a tool you can use that auto monitors the likes of eBay etc and send you email alerts.

I've known people identify bikes, months and years later when they get readvertised. By which point they've often changed hands several times, had new parts added and stuff removed and become subject to an interpleader.

Recording the serial number stamped in the frame is always a winner in these circumstances.

yes, doing/done both those things.

police told me yesterday that 90% of reported bike crimes to Thames Valley Police the owners do not know/have the frame number.