Stolen bikes

just be careful if you head up Smithfields way, loadsa meat-heads up there…

and don't worry about covent garden market they are all pansies there

dicki and don't worry about covent garden market they are all pansies there

bu dum pishhhhhhhh!

http://www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk/campaigns/stolenbikes_bricklane.html

It's a start - printing off the generic form and recording the details.
Having a string of pics of your trusty steed would also go some way to proving it was yours - especially if you're in the picture too.

It's a sore feeling, this "being wise after the event..."

Posted a pic in flickr (me and my mercian in manhattan) but don't know how to edit the link (duh...)
If you see it, please drop me a note - ta muchly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13695903@N05/1398250282/

Martin's nicked bike..

I'm in Berlin this week. It's not Amsterdam, but it's good to see a lot of people travelling around by bike. Unfortunately, it's Shank's pony for me.

I saw some eyebrow-raising cycle parking yesterday on Friedrichstraße.

Must be a one-off, you might think. You'd be wrong!

Are there no bike thieves in Berlin?!

Ideally one of those is a 'sting' bike wired to the national grid.

Or perhaps the police take theft more seriously there?
I assume there were no Litepseed / Colnago / Pinarello / Boardman bikes in that batch !!!

my bike just got stolen
from INSIDE the atrium at work on Calvert Avenue, E2 7JP
it's a crappy mountain bike -
i'm a little on the angry side right now but i'll come back here in a calm frame of mind before Sunday - I may as well look out for any other bikes whilst i'm looking for mine round brick lane with my boxing gloves on !!!

ARGH :( :(

A ray of sunlight out of the darkness; I recovered my Red Baron Langster today, thanks to putting word out through various networks...

..and found it half a mile from Brick Lane and half a mile from my work. Seen by the manager of the bike shop I work in (I'm a part-time mechanic) he slapped on a lock, a message saying it was stolen property and a phone number. By the time I'd turned up, they'd resolved it and regained possession (no mistaking it was mine) by suggesting to phone the police and that would be a waste of everyone's time to do so.

The girl who had it handed it over fair and square - but has left when I got there - and they got her phone number. Apparently it was lent to her by a male friend who had picked it up in Brick Lane last weekend, so I gave her a call this evening to say I was the owner, how much I loved the bike and to say thanks for handing it back graciously and without fuss. I was inclined to believe her that she'd had the bike lent to her, it's definitely a blokes choice of bike, not to mention the 61cm frame.

I pointed out that it makes no sense to buy bikes from Brick Lane, everyone has lost out here (even though I've got my bike back, I'm two locks down, and her mate is out of pocket) and I'd do my best to help her source an honest bike, possibly even see if we can help her out at the shop. Call me soft, but I see this as an opportunity to educate her and her friends on the f'ing stupidity of it all.

Things I've learned?
To record all my frame numbers - I've got my good ones documented, but not my runarounds.
Despite it being customised, I was wondering how I was going to prove ownership beyond doubt? Will now be sticking laminated cards w. contact details somewhere inside (ie headtube/bb/seat tube) all my frames, and photographing (with me in the pic as someone suggested above) my bikes.
Having a distincitve bike definitely helped out.
Be nice. These people are ignorant to the fundamental problems of bike culture, so flying off the handle wouldn't have helped anyone.

It's not really a 'success story', but thanks for reading. I'll keep looking on here for stolen rigs to keep my eyes open for.

well done for actually getting it back, rarely hear stories of that..

Great to hear you got it back - it has raised my ever dampening spirits that I might find my Mercian.
Like you it means a lot to me, and I would dearly love it back. You're right that blowing up at the current owner is the wrong thing to do, as they aren't necessarily the thieving scrotes who nicked it.

Death's too good for them !

That's some good news, Chopsicle.
I agree about not blowing up, but it seems more people think it is okay to buy a nicked bike than to, say, buy a nicked telly.
If you buy a nicked anything, you deserve the wrath of the owner AND/OR to be out of pocket if you are caught with the goods.

Cheers guys,

I guess I had a lot of people looking and was lucky,

I'll do my best to turn the guilt on, but unfortunately the only tangible way some people understand loss it through talking £££, which I'm sure her mate will have made pretty clear to her. In a ghoulish way, of course I'm curious as to how much was paid for it, and exactly where from.

....but one of the reason's I went soft was it was the first time she'd been back on a bike for a year, following what sounded like a horrendous smash, so bad that she had to have a leg broken (again) a few months later to re-set! @X!!$* She sounded pretty distressed when I spoke to her because she was walking across town to get to work, and her bad leg was getting painful... She even said it was her birthday. Not so sure about that bit.

Ha ha, I know what this looks like; either she's created the best sob-story ever and I'm a daft c@nt, or she's been unlucky and stupid in equal measures.

Thoughts please before I ask to see the scars??!

you got your bike back, that's the main thing. might be best to let sleepig dogs lie, or am I just a suspicious fucker?!

Cheers Elvis,

In different circumstances I would just get on with things, but I've been given an opportunity to change a (formerly ignorant) person's attitude towards buying a 'Brick Lane bargain'.

It's only a tiny gesture, but if I can stop one person returning, then it's a start; Maybe she'll tell her friends not to shop there, maybe she won't, but I'll feel better for it.

I'll also teach her to pump up her f@cking tyres beyond 30psi.

Did you try and find out who sold the bike?

slamm Did you try and find out who sold the bike?

yes, that is the interesting question

Not yet slaam, but will do asap, and post details as and when I find out.... And go down fill their locks with glue.

jonnywilkinson [quote]slamm Did you try and find out who sold the bike?

yes, that is the interesting question[/quote]

Tha was whta I was thinking get a positive i.d on the person and then do some stalking, find out where they live and may be catch them in the act.

Good idea - then cave their head in with a jar of pickled eggs.

mushy peas

TheBrick(Tommy) [quote]jonnywilkinson [quote]slamm Did you try and find out who sold the bike?

yes, that is the interesting question[/quote]

Tha was whta I was thinking get a positive i.d on the person and then do some stalking, find out where they live and may be catch them in the act.[/quote]

egg-zackly!

Chopsicle
Things I've learned?
To record all my frame numbers - I've got my good ones documented, but not my runarounds.
Despite it being customised, I was wondering how I was going to prove ownership beyond doubt? Will now be sticking laminated cards w. contact details somewhere inside (ie headtube/bb/seat tube) all my frames, and photographing (with me in the pic as someone suggested above) my bikes.
Having a distincitve bike definitely helped out.
Be nice. These people are ignorant to the fundamental problems of bike culture, so flying off the handle wouldn't have helped anyone.

Sound advice, is there a thread with more info. like this on how to prevent possible theivery and to make it easier to get bikes back? Just about to get a new bike and want to do everything possible to keep it safe, have heard of people doing things to make their bikes look tacky (stickers, electrical tape etc.)... any other tips?

p.s. I'm new, hence why this might seem rather naiive!

I've just switched on the laminater and will be putting my details in my bike today! I've also got some pictures and was thinking about datatagging it. Haven't heard much about datatagging on here. Thought that would be the perfect was to prove it's your bike!

Another problem is my frames been respray and I can't see any serial number. How do you get around that?

Any thoughts?