Son's school run, hack bike stolen :-( RECOVERED :-) Mix & matched :-(

[I like Skol]

Got a phone call at work this afternoon, 12yr old son's bike has been stolen from the bike racks at school

The locked bike was taken sometime during the day and despite being a bitsa' built from bits of this and bits of that, specifically to be low value and unattractive to thieves it actually adds up to a fair investment when you count up the stuff put into it!
This is not an 'Alert all ports' type post as I don't expect it to be recovered in a useable state. I just need to vent some frustration and mourn the loss. Jnr is probably more upset as even though he has a 'good' bike too, this is the one we built together

The frame/forks were donated by a friend and the rest came from the Skol parts bin. Wheels were a nice disc ready set with Shimano LX centrelock hubs. Biggest cost was front & rear Deore hydraulic brakes with discs and adaptors, safety 1st as the saying goes. Also bought some decent budget pedals and a set of F&R lights have gone with the bike. Well over £100 just in brakes, pedals and lights. So much for the cheap bike theory

Anyway, the school has asked that we report it to the police and I will be keeping my eyes open as there is always the chance I will spot it. If not, it will hopefully be a valuable lesson for the boy. All my reminders to always lock it up and not leave it anywhere silly were not just paranoia!

 

[Saluki]

Sorry to hear about the theft. School racks used to be safe when I was at school, then again it was a million years ago.
I hope it turns up, your lad must be upset at the loss.

 

[ColinJ]

Aw, I feel his pain - it happened to me when I was 13 ... (@Saluki - that was 46 years ago, so I don't agree that school bike racks were safe back in the day!)

I'm sure that you will not let him make the same mistake that I did - I didn't get another bike for 20 years, an error that I still regret to this day. I hope that Skol jnr is back on 2 wheels soon, and does not have to experience that horrible feeling again!

PS To show what an impact it made on me ... 4867715. I have an awful memory, but despite that, I can still remember standing in the police station in Coventry reciting the frame number when I reported the theft!

 

[summerdays]

How easy is it to steal from the bike shed? Certainly at my children's one and another school I've been to, they both have bike sheds that are locked during the day, and you need to get someone to unlock it for you if you need to go out during the day.

Good luck on finding it!

 

[I like Skol]

How easy is it to steal from the bike shed?

I always knew the bike facilities were poor. The racks are in the open in a dingy, quiet corner, hidden at the back of the sports hall near a side gate. This is why the bike was built from old bits (mostly) on a frame salvaged from the tip by a friend. Bald tyres and mismatched parts were supposed to discourage the scumbags

 

[cyberknight]

Bugger , what wheel size
Mini ck has a 20" Full sus mtb that he was given i was gonna sell as hes getting a new one for crimble , any use although you could probably pick on up cheaper on fleabay than the pertol would cost you.

 

[I like Skol]

Bugger , what wheel size
Mini ck has a 20" Full sus mtb that he was given i was gonna sell as hes getting a new one for crimble , any use although you could probably pick on up cheaper on fleabay than the pertol would cost you.

Thanks for the offer but he is already on full size bikes at the age of 12. His best bike is a GT Avalanche Expert, Size L with 27.5" wheels and he throws it around with ease! He is not allowed to take that bike to school!!!

 

[simon.r]

I empathise.

My lad had a 'bitsa' stolen when he was on his paper round a few years ago. It had a really nice steel Diamond Back frame that I'd bought new because it was so ridiculously cheap. The rest of the parts were basically my cast offs, but it was decent quality kit.

Annoyingly, a witness named the thief, but he was an addict who was living here here and everywhere.

 

[summerdays]

I always knew the bike facilities were poor. The racks are in the open in a dingy, quiet corner, hidden at the back of the sports hall near a side gate. This is why the bike was built from old bits (mostly) on a frame salvaged from the tip by a friend. Bald tyres and mismatched parts were supposed to discourage the scumbags

Would adding a gate to the bike shed make it slightly more secure, that's what they did at their primary school to make it more secure after a couple of bikes went missing. It didn't stop it entirely but as we used a D lock and most used cable locks it wasn't ours that went.

Is the side gate locked during school hours, if both are open then it will be really easy for potential thieves by the sound of it.

 

[I like Skol]

Would adding a gate to the bike shed make it slightly more secure,

There is no bike shed. The racks are bolted to the back of the sports hall, in the open. I might encourage the school to review the cycling policy, especially as there is a new headmaster this year who is a cyclist.

 

[dan_bo]

Bummer @skolly'slad.

 

[I like Skol]

Best picture I can find. Still image taken from a short vid clip of the bike being ridden at Clayton Vale last year

I keep remembering more little details, like the XT front mech and 8spd LX shifters. Lots of good parts were used to build that bike.

 

[Crackle]

Grim. I feel your pain after son2 had his stolen on his paper round. Even the old hack I built him now cost over a hundred and a lot of time and effort so I don't really want him to lose that either

 

[Drago]

Aren't schools supposed to be secure to keep out Jimmy Savile and Anders Brevik type loons?

It's sad that the bike has gone, but a worrying reflection of the security of the children at the establishment.

 

[glenn forger]

The racks are in the open in a dingy, quiet corner, hidden at the back of the sports hall near a side gate.

Might as well be a sign saying Free Bikes.