Ever had a bike stolen as a kid?

[3narf]

I did, it was one of these:

BSA Firebird 3-speed

I was at rugby practice at school and stupidly never locked it. If the one in the pic says HA7001635 on the BB shell it's mine!
Parents couldn't afford to buy me another bike; I was given an old Carlton by my uncle.

 

[Sharky]

Yes when i was about 12. Left my first decent bike, a Hill Special, outside Woolies, unlocked. In those days never thought that somebody would nick it. My dad made up another from spare parts until I acquired the Bates in my avatar when I was 14.

 

[ColinJ]

Yes, and also from school, way back in 1969. It had been a combined birthday and Christmas present and my folks couldn't afford to buy me another one either.

It was in the days when children still cycled to school, or walked, or caught the bus! (Yes, I know that SOME still do but if I walk past my old school now when the kids are coming out it is gridlock central ... 4x4s and people carriers double parked on double yellow lines, or even in the middle of the road!)

There used to be lots and lots of bike racks there and my bike disappeared during school hours. The racks were way inside the school grounds in front of several classrooms so unless it was stolen by a fellow pupil, the thief must have had the cheek to just stroll in off the street and go exploring to have found it.

My memory is bad these days that I sometimes forget what day of the week it is, but I can't forget the frame number on that bike. How stupid is that - it is 47 years since it was stolen and that number is still there - 4-8-6-7-7-1-5! I remember going to the police station to report its theft.

I didn't own a bike again for 20 years. Fortunately, I put the TV on after work in July 1989 and was immediately hooked on the Tour de France coverage on Channel 4. I bought a bike later that summer and have been cycling ever since.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Yes, and also from school, way back in 1969. It had been a combined birthday and Christmas present and my folks couldn't afford to buy me another one either.

It was in the days when children still cycled to school, or walked, or caught the bus! (Yes, I know that SOME still do but if I walk past my old school now when the kids are coming out it is gridlock central ... 4x4s and people carriers double parked on double yellow lines, or even in the middle of the road!)

There used to be lots and lots of bike racks there and my bike disappeared during school hours. The racks were way inside the school grounds in front of several classrooms so unless it was stolen by a fellow pupil, the thief must have had the cheek to just stroll in off the street and go exploring to have found it.

My memory is bad these days that I sometimes forget what day of the week it is, but I can't forget the frame number on that bike. How stupid is that - it is 47 years since it was stolen and that number is still there - 4-8-6-7-7-1-5! I remember going to the police station to report its theft.

I didn't own a bike again for 20 years. Fortunately, I put the TV on after work in July 1989 and was immediately hooked on the Tour de France coverage on Channel 4. I bought a bike later that summer and have been cycling ever since.

What kind was the bike? We'll look out for it on Ebay/the vintage section of this forum!

 

[TrishE]

My parents gave my Raleigh stowaway shopper to my gran and I never saw it again

I cycled to school in the early 1980's and someone nicked the pump off the frame while it was locked in the big racks there.

 

[ChrisV]

I chained mine to the bike rack at school on a Saturday then off we went on the bus to a game of rugby.

Came back later to a broken chain and nothing else.

The police phoned 5 weeks later to say they had recovered it. Duly went down to the police station and was handed a frame, 2 wheels and a bag of bits.

The whole lot was thrown in a bin.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I had a mk2 Grifter stolen twice. First time, it was nicked by a scrote who lived on my estate, his dad did a clumsy respray to change it from silver to blue. It was spotted, some big lads went and visited the house, and it was returned, although never the same.
Not long after that it went once more, never to be seen again. Probably being ridden round Hoxton by a bearded hipster now. I got a Burner with mag wheels the next Christmas.

 

[Tin Pot]

Owning a bike ≈ Having had a bike stolen

 

[screenman]

A Claude Butler lugless when I was about 14.

 

[Cubist]

A 1976 Raleigh Olympus. I'd ridden it for years, then resprayed it blue from rattle can, added cowhorn bars. Interestingly I used the same brake levers from the drops, and they were positioned at the bend halfway down the bars so braking took a bit of planning. I lent it to Colin Raz, who was an peanut to start with, and he confirmed that by leaving it outside school unlocked. Tosser.

 

[ColinJ]

What kind was the bike? We'll look out for it on Ebay/the vintage section of this forum!

Ha ha!

It was a catalogue bike, when catalogue bikes were better than they often are now; a 10 speed Raleigh racer. That is a TOTAL of 10 gears, not a 10 speed block - 2 x 5.

It had chrome-plated rims which were lethal in the wet, and it was quite heavy, but it was my first racer and I loved it!

I have never forgotten the sick feeling I had when I discovered that it had been stolen.

 

[keithmac]

My lad cycles to school but I only agreed to it after teaching him how to lock it up properly.

I had a bike stolen from my old house , they climbed over a 7 foot wall to lift it back over, scrote scum..

 

[Firestorm]

I had a chrome daewoo mtb , which I had treated myself to from my bonus at work, lent it to my son one day and he left it outside the house unlocked. By the time he remembered it had gone.

 

[RoubaixCube]

When i was 15 or 16 I had a Trek MTB that my uncle had given me that was stolen just down. I went out to see a friend and locked my bike up to one of them sign posts that tells you residential parking only. Went to see my friend up in his flat only to come back and find someone hand completely ripped the sign out of the ground, tossed it to one side and ran off with the bike. My mother in particular gave me such a hard grilling about losing it. I guess seeing locals ripping sign posts out of the ground and tossing them to one side is a regular occurrence for her.

Reported it to the police about 5mins away but was never seen or heard from again.

If i have a nice bike, I will always make sure that its insured. God forbid one of my bikes ever get stolen, though I am fortunate to be able to lock my bike indoors while at work. I have seen quite a few bike thefts around the holborn area

 

[PaulSecteur]

Yeah, a Raleigh Night burner. The neighbours had some pikey types in to do some work on the flat roof between our houses. When we were all out the bike "disappeared" out of the back yard, that the pikeys were overlooking.

Gits.