Stolen bikes

They must have been doing something that took a while if they were hiding behind that crate. I wonder.

I bought a Fagh a couple of weeks ago. Im not loving it. I knew it was small but I cant get the bastard through my frame & wheel of my bike and round the bike park pole at the same time, resulting in one of my wheels left exposed even if I use my other chain. It's only a beater (which could be why it doesnt fit), but I had the wheels pinched a little while ago, so Im fucked if Im leaving that to chance again.

i used to use a fagh round the rim and chainstay nearest the lamppost, and take my q/r wheel into work with me

Yeah, I was thinking about swapping out the front for a QR. Or maybe just buy yet another lock...

milk troll (odd nickname, are you going to troll soon), check this topic out;

http://www.lfgss.com/thread52914.html

also think about getting some security bolts instead of quick release, like pitlock, make it less likely for the front one to go walkie.

cheers mate. Some of those pitlocks would definitely be a good idea.

Id rather not have a QR wheel to be honest. It was just a possible solution after buying the Fagh and getting annoyed with it because my frame doesn't wanna work with it - for example, this doesnt work : http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/edscoble/Lockingmethod.jpg?t=1283000003

However, I gave it another go tonight in Camden Town and after a bit of a wrestle and a few Krypton factor moments I got the sucker to lock rim, bar and pole - just about - above the back wheel. Joy!

the name... It's something to do with the film Clerks. Its an old Aol handle - popped up in my head when I was signing up here and I went for it. I guess Im stuck with it now... right?

Yes you are stuck with it.

the wheel/frame lock is usually varied on what bike you have, some (like the Bob Jackson in the photo) have a closer clearance between the wheel and the seattube allowing enough room for the Fah to lock properly.

However some bike have a much larger clearance (those are usually design for mudguard), so the gap is greater between the wheel and seat tube, the other method is instead of locking the rear wheel + seat tube, simply lock the rear wheel + seat stay instead as it's easier (as displayed in the photo below).

my bike is the latter, the solution? I went for the longer version of the Fah; The M18

Absolutely gobsmacked! I don't have a bike but lots of my friends do and my brother has had two stolen in South Hackney.

I've added a link to this site to my blog.

Here's some more details of my stolen Brompton S2:
It was stolen from outside the Brazilian Consulate in Vere St on 22/11/10. It was basically as stock/as shown here other than having bright orange handlebar grips (torn on the right hand - seen in the second photo), an extra-long seatpost, and Schwalbe marathon tyres. It also has/had a knog sticker on the left-hand side of the frame near the main join.

The frame number is: OBS/E79313 and it is security coded with AlphaDot. I have reported it to the police.

if anyone comes across it please let me know!

Tim, thats not the frame number but the British Standards No. The frame number on you bike would have been a 6 digit all numeric number that if you bike is about 2 years old or less would start with a 2 or a 3.

OK that's what CycleSurgery told me... will give them another call this afternoon.

It was just a possible solution after buying the Fagh and getting annoyed with it because my frame doesn't wanna work with it - for example, this doesnt work :

I often get impatient with my Fahg when I'm trying to lock up. But I find you can manage the rim/seattube/post if you move the bike forward or back a bit so the lock is going through diagonally (difficult to explain but somehow works for me), especially with a deeper wheel rim.
Depending on how tight the clearance is...

sheldon method (sorry ed)

I had my wheels and brooks stolen about 2 weeks ago in Shoreditch on a Saturday night.
The bike was locked with a fagh so they took whatever they could.
I went to Brick Lane next morning early and I saw the old Chinese guy selling loads of parts, none of them mine. But I was surprised to see about 10 officers around asking and questioning everyone who was selling bikes or parts.
I approached one of the officer and I pointed out that the Chinese guy has been selling stolen parts for long time with anyone stopping him.
I went back to Brick Lane last Sunday and the Chinese old man, wasn't there anymore....
I wonder if he has decided to move somewhere else.

A nice way to announce you bike has been stolen: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/stolen-specialized-enduro-comp-2010-medium-one-456-/120650935009?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c175b2ae1

A nice way to announce you bike has been stolen: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/stolen-specialized-enduro-comp-2010-medium-one-456-/120650935009?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c175b2ae1

ha, we should ask the seller how it was locked up, to keep up with the spirit of this thread

Absolutely gobsmacked! I don't have a bike but lots of my friends do and my brother has had two stolen in South Hackney.

I've added a link to this site to my blog.

Where's your blog, gw? You don't list it on your profile and Google doesn't seem to have it under 'gobby wench'.

Tim, thats not the frame number but the British Standards No. The frame number on you bike would have been a 6 digit all numeric number that if you bike is about 2 years old or less would start with a 2 or a 3.

OK that's what CycleSurgery told me... will give them another call this afternoon.

Would that be the Cycle Surgery branch on the Holloway Road?

thanks Ed - yeah, its an old raleigh frame so no doubt. I just bought it for the wheels, but decided to keep it as a backup so Ive been riding it around instead of my other bike for a bit. I havent tried the Fagh with the other one as it's still on bricks, so to speak.

As for shoreditch, definitely seen a lot more bikes minus wheels lately. Thats where mine went, too, outside 333 / electricity showrooms. Maybe those little fuckers from the Hoxton street estates have become bored of bothering to unlock them and are just taking the parts instead.

Ive actually seen a guy walking along with a whole section of roadside barrier before now, with a bike attached to it, just along from brick lane bikes. He gave me a bit of a 'what the fuck are you staring at?' look as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing.

Last Sunday Brick Lane crawling with police and pcso taking frame nos from gen pop! Chinese guy got searched previous week - for snide DVD's not stolen bike parts.

Other stall to check for mysteriously cheap parts of unknown origin is the first stall on the left in the right hand compound second entrance.

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http://www.gumtree.com/london/17/68931417.html

SERIOUSLY DODGEY GUMTREE ADD!
I PROPOSE WE FLASH MOB THIS BIKE SALE ABD RECLAIM STOLEN BIKES !!!!

People who have had bikes stolen in the past few months, i reckon you should check these fuckers out

Dom, send that to the Cycle Task Force instead.

My Brooks saddle and seatpost were stolen from Vestry Street, N1 between 2pm and 8pm yesterday:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=east+road+london&sll=51.529943,0.008181&sspn=0.195641,0.617294&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=E+Rd,+London,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.528938,-0.088078&spn=0.001528,0.004823&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.528859,-0.088193&panoid=DqNpgK5CRf0mSvvbhuuZig&cbp=12,223.67,,0,5

The saddle was "secured" to my bike frame in the standard way: a length of chain wrapped in an inner tube. But they just undid that, leaving it on the floor. So I guess they had a chain link tool as it looked quite neatly taken apart.

The saddle was covered in the waterproof nylon it comes with, so you couldn't immediate tell it was a Brooks saddle, but perhaps it was the chain which gave it away.

The weird thing it, they actually left a different seatpost and saddle on the floor by my bike. So rather guiltily I tried it on my bike, found it fitted (though I didn't have an allen key to tighten it), and rode rather uncomfortably home. I did check the other bikes locked around mine and none were missing a saddle. Still I can take a photo and return the saddle if anyone can show a pic to prove it's theirs.

I can't work out whether the thief just nicked my saddle and replaced it for his own which he left on the ground. Or if he had stolen lots of saddles that day and for some reason - I refuse to accept considerateness - decided to leave one behind.

It was the first and of course last time I had ever locked my bike there. I have to be in the area once a week for work, and usually lock my bike to the white railings on the side of the building on Silbury Street. But unfortunately this time just as I was locking up there, a lady from the office banged on the window, told me not to lock there, and motioned me towards the bike racks from where my saddle was stolen.

I'd had the saddle a couple of months, but hadn't ridden it enough to get past the uncomfortable stage. I'm annoyed mostly because I don't know where I can leave my bike around there in future.

^get quick release seat clamp and take saddle and post with you

I should have glued a couple of ball bearing into the sockets, really....

Last Sunday Brick Lane crawling with police and pcso taking frame nos from gen pop! Chinese guy got searched previous week - for snide DVD's not stolen bike parts.

Other stall to check for mysteriously cheap parts of unknown origin is the first stall on the left in the right hand compound second entrance.

Mr Light Thief yeah he there every Sunday