thieving bampots

[botchjob]

To my shame I unknowingly bought a stolen bike from ebay. It all seemed quite legit at the time and he had a good and lengthy seller history selling bikes and bike bits. Seemed like an enthusiast. So I got the bike, and was pleased with it.

Six months later I get an email to my ebay account hotmail address from DI Plod saying they’re investigating a bike theft ring and to get in touch with them with the serial number of my bike. This is the shame part. Knowing that if it was stolen, and the serial number was listed, I would lose the bike, I didn’t reply. Arrgh.

Six months later I read in the Evening Standard that a former Police Officer in South London had been convicted of running a bike theft ring. It was the chap I got my bike from. You just can’t trust anyone these days can you?

Two months after that, the bike is stolen, neatly bringing it all full circle. But all’s well the ends well – I got a nice, new, legit bike with the insurance.

I have since got another bike on ebay but checked out the seller very carefully beforehand. I’d never buy an bike from ebay unless the seller was willing to give out the serial number before selling it. If they don’t reply then it’s nicked.

 

[noadapter]

The reply to where in Glasgow and how long did you leave the bike unattended is the charring cross end just up the road from the stand comedy club next to the Esso petrol station there is a little van that sells coffee and coirssant it was here on one of the 3 bike poles i was gone for about 2 hours Sunday at 200pm

 

[alp1950]

The reply to where in Glasgow and how long did you leave the bike unattended is the charring cross end just up the road from the stand comedy club next to the Esso petrol station there is a little van that sells coffee and coirssant it was here on one of the 3 bike poles i was gone for about 2 hours Sunday at 200pm

Student territory. I wonder whether bike thieves target these areas?

 

[swee'pea99]

You'll never guess....

 

[Keith Oates]

Well whoever buys that bike can't say they didn't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[John-XTC]

When I am commuting and use my giant xtc, i take two locks, one is a MAGNUM-ONGUARD-BULLDOG-Mountain-Bike-D-U-Lock and I also have a 14mm thick coil lock.

I am still aware a theft could break these locks, but If someone is going to try to steal my bike, i will make it as hard as possible for them, and I always try to lock my bike up in a public area.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

When I am commuting and use my giant xtc, i take two locks, one is a MAGNUM-ONGUARD-BULLDOG-Mountain-Bike-D-U-Lock and I also have a 14mm thick coil lock.

I am still aware a theft could break these locks, but If someone is going to try to steal my bike, i will make it as hard as possible for them, and I always try to lock my bike up in a public area.

It's all you can do, John. If the b*****ds want it, they'll get it - I've heard of a motorcycle being stolen from a locked and alaremed garage: it was D-Locked front and rear to a pair of ground anchors set into the concreate floor.

The best you can hope for is to make yours harder to steal than the next one along .. sad, but true.

 

[John-XTC]

Lazy-Commuter - When I first got my giant bike, i used to lock it up in town for a year (when I was new to cycling) with one of them really cheap coil locks, and looking back I am amazed it never got stolen!

I didn't make much sense when i said "public area", what I meant was a busy public area, as a couple of times I have caught people eyeing up my bike and looking shady, yet as it was locked in front of cctv cameras and outside a busy shop, I let them stare, before I walked past him and said "nice bike", before I unlocked it and he was gone before i turned round!

 

[swee'pea99]

I sent ebay an 'I suspect stolen goods' message, using their form for such things, on this, about 18 hours ago. No signs of them doing anything about it, and it ends in less than 6 hours. Not that I'm saying it is stolen, I don't know. But it does look highly dodgy to me. And as per my earlier message, I can see no evidence that ebay give a tinker's cuss about it. 'We still get our commission, right?'

 

[bryce]

If I was noadapter, I'd take/ borrow another good bike, lock it in the same place and then lurk nearby waiting for the toerag(s) to turn up and then administer a D-lock to the face..

 

[Joseph]

Is there any real info anywhere on which locks are the most off putting to thieves? I'm not sure how much faith I put in these 'gold seal' awards

 

[GrahamG]

Judging by the ebay listings and anecdotals about bike theft on here, I'd suggest that any major brand is a no go as a utility bike!

Further question here, as I'm always interested in this overlooked aspect of bike theft, how was the bike locked?

I.e. was it a U lock through frame and wheel? what was it locked to? (nice thick sheffield stand or something else?), was the lock near the ground?


Basically, any chain or cable lock can quite easily be cropped - plenty of demonstrations of this. Leaving them a little higher off the ground could be off-putting but basically they're going to get attacked if they aren't seriously substantial.
U locks are often 'mis-used' i.e a huge 300mm shackle used to lock a 30mm diameter tube to a 50mm diameter tube - the rest is fresh air in which a bottle jack can be inserted to blow the thing apart, or if it's less than 18mm diameter and nearer the ground, it can be cropped fairly easily if the tools are there.

 

[John-XTC]

Further question here, as I'm always interested in this overlooked aspect of bike theft, how was the bike locked?

This interests me too, as where I stay, I often see pretty expensive bikes locked up, and they just use basic £10 coil locks (I was guilty of this at first) and I very rarely see anyone lock up bikes using a strong d-lock, and if they do, they just lock the frame.

People do say if a thieve wants your bike, they will get it, but how many thieves carry round the tools that allow them to break a d-lock & thick coil lock in a busy public area? (touch wood)