Stolen bikes

It's so annoying when you can't do anything about a theft like that. We saw them disappear across London Fields and into a friend's estate.

Happy ending!
Just spoke to Stuart. He got it back!!

pics in private

Another newbie to this forum sadly because my bike got lifted today (11 June) between 2pm and 6pm from Langham Street locked to the bike rack opposite the Yorkshire Grey Pub.
Believe it or not this was my first time cycling in central London because of the tube strike. Lock was not the most expensive I will admit, but I had removed the seat post and thought the spot was public enough not to be a problem. (A lesson learnt) Another cyclist said I had been really unlucky since he often left his bike without a lock at that spot!

Anyway absolutely gutted as I have had it since 2004 and have done much work to it and had some great times on it (and also had to walk home!)

Reading the forum there seem to be places where these bikes turn up so please keep an eye out for my old hardtail. It is a bit unusual for a City bike so might stand out. Thanks.

Specialized Rockhopper 2004 (ie round tubes rather than hydroformed) Black with Silver decals. Quite worn and muddy paintwork.
Mavic 525 wheelset with brand new Michelin XCR Dry2 Pro Tyres (Grey sidewalls, Black tread)
Deore LX Dual control levers with LX Discs.
Rockshox Recon Coil Fork. Black with white Recon logo.
Flat V12 Pedals
Custom Fully jacketed gear cables run over the top tube. Very unusual.
The seat post and saddle were not on the bike when stolen.

If any one spots this on the web or down Brick Lane I would be very grateful to have it returned.
Thanks.

P.S. I do have pics if that would be useful.

Hi there,

My boyfriend and I had our beloved bikes nicked Tuesday night between 2200-2330 from outside Pub on the Park, London Fields. His was a red Orbea touring racer, taken around Europe and Africa and covered in scratches, good luck charms, rags wound round it here and there: lived in. Mine was a Sparta Dutch 'city shopper' from Brighton's Amsterdammers, just serviced and resprayed British racing green by me with love over the course of a week, with a chrome "B" on the back for Bethany, her name, flowers, a Welsh dragon... also Shimano shift gears 4 speed and roller brakes, flowers round the rear rack, side stand, Dutch frame lock with key still in [I know! what an idiot] .... just serviced too, my baby! Rear metal plate saying 'Amsterdammers, Brighton.'

Ahh but there's nothing to be done. I'm posting to see if anyone out there has spotted either of these tatty but utterly loved bikes. Picture, mine is now RESPRAYED GREEN - We're going to check out the market on Sunday, but I've heard that a lot of bikes get nicked outside here and other pubs, guys have a van and set of tools. Does anyone know anything about these bastards?

We'll never replace ours, it's just devastating and the first time for us. But heavy duty locks, insurance, not taking chances and definitely not using a flimsy Halfords lock in a dark spot by London Fields might be a good start! I feel so stupid. Should insist on taking the bike through the pub and double lock within eyesight, always. I'm so gutted - it's like losing your dog. I keep imagining a face-off at Brick Lane on Sunday, a re-union... Aggh, they're probably long gone.

The Orbea is an extension of Jim, not that I need to explain this to you guys. We have crime reference, I have my frame numbers but the Orbea, can't find the receipt. £900 new, anyway. I keep checking Gumtree and eBay, in vain, but still. I'll have to give up hope soon, and say goodbye. We were gonna go to Marseille on the pair this summer. Jim was gonna cycle to Capetown. Bastards.

Mine is now DARK GREEN, Orbea v scratched, a touring bike - so who's gonna buy it?!

Cheers everyone. Grief sticken still

Cathryn amd Jim :(

Happy ending!
Just spoke to Stuart. He got it back!!

I was there, two bikes taken around between 10-11pm. Who is stuart, can he help? I'd do anything to get our bikes back. Red touring Orbea and dark green Dutch shopper. 0 7 7 9 0 3 3 2 6 8 6 - Cathryn. Please help!

I was there, two bikes taken around between 10-11pm. Who is stuart, can he help? I'd do anything to get our bikes back. Red touring Orbea and dark green Dutch shopper.

Cathryn, the other bikes posted upthread were stolen on different occasions. Stuart's bike wasn't stolen from the PotP, and the other bike that 606 and I were talking about was stolen from the PotP on Wednesday night. It's depressing to think that there may be bikes nicked from there every day. I've put this on a few LCC mailing lists. Good luck!

sorry this is long and waffly.

my girlfriend's bike was strangely *not *stolen last week while i was away on holiday. but one of neighbour's was. the seige continues.

i live on the ground floor of a block in a secret location in a poncey bit of north london. there's a pretty high security fence round the front yard area and quite a few bikes and motorbikes locked to various trees there. my bike always lives in the flat but the girlfriend's dutch bike sometimes stays outside locked to a tree, which i realise is a technically a "dick move" but there isn't anything alse to lock it to and it's so big and heavy i don't want to be tripping over it in the hallway.

last time i left it out there i chose a pretty feeble looking tree, maybe 5" in diameter on the grounds that it was the only available one, it was pretty much out of sight in the bushes, away from the main fence and that there was already an expensive looking trek road bike locked to it. i then forgot about it and went away for a week. whoops. dick move indeed.

on coming back from holiday noticed that the bike was gone... along with the tree to which it had been locked which had been snapped off at about head height. i then spotted the girlfriend's bike standing safely behind another heavy locked gate that leads to the communal back garden. It had a note on it from the maintenence man saying he'd moved it to stop it being stolen and left his number. it didn't mention anything about dick moves. it probably should have.

i spoke to him and he said that the other bike (the trek) that had been locked up there was nicked but they'd left the dutch bike. probably as it weighs about 4 tonnes and getting it over a 8 foot fence woul have been a serious undertaking? anyway he moved it to relative safety behind the second gate. nice man. sorry for the trek owner though.

then last night about 7pm (it was still broad daylight) i heard a load of banging and clanging on the second gate that leads to the garden. i looked out to see a guy trying to get over there (or maybe he'd already been over, i don't know?) to where the rescued dutch bike still stood in plain view. he then vaulted over the main fence by climbing a lamp-post and sauntered off apparently totally unconcerened about being seen. made me feel really weird as if he gets over that inside gate he could easily go round the back and press his nose up against the bedroom window. it wouldn't take much more effort to get in. last night i dreamed about being trapped in a room holding a disintegrating door shut while an angry lion tried desperately to get in. i didn't sleep that well.

this morning was a bit more cheery though. friendly maintenence man knocked on the door and liberated the dutch bike for me. i thanked him heartily and we had a bit of a chat about recent goings on. he immediately suggested a whole raft of extra security measures involving fitting up a new gate round the side out of sight, a better lock, bike racks all along the wall and extra bars to stop anyone climbing over the inside gate. what a legend! said he'd got the go ahead from the landlord for most of it already and would hope to get it all sorted by next week.

sorry for the waffle. just getting it off my chest i suppose. i should have known better. everything will stay inside from now on.

he immediately suggested a whole raft of extra security measures involving fitting up a new gate round the side out of sight, a better lock, bike racks all along the wall and extra bars to stop anyone climbing over the inside gate. what a legend! said he'd got the go ahead from the landlord for most of it already and would hope to get it all sorted by next week.

Sounds good, dooks! Make sure to give them some info on how to install bike racks, like the Cambridge Cycling Campaign guidance:

http://www.camcycle.org.uk/resources/cycleparking/guide/

They're bound to get stuff wrong otherwise--dimensions, type of stand, too close to the wall, etc.

Thanks man, i will.

HI,
Just seen what looked like a fairly new black brompton with a black shopping bag type thing on the front. The thing that was strange was the guy had it had some home made tatts and a bottle of cider at 8.15. Nothing wrong with that (sort of) but just didn't loo like the bike and the owner matched each other knowhadayemean

PQR- where?

HI,
Just seen what looked like a fairly new black brompton with a black shopping bag type thing on the front. The thing that was strange was the guy had it had some home made tatts and a bottle of cider at 8.15. Nothing wrong with that (sort of) but just didn't loo like the bike and the owner matched each other knowhadayemean
you haven't seen sam

Hi there my mates swobo sanchez was stolen last night, locked up on the kingsland rd. Bike had all stock parts except the white handle bars had been chopped down. Been down to brick lane etc. no luck so far. If anyone saw/has seen this bike in unusual hands or on gumtree etc. please let me know. Thanks

...and again how was it locked and what lock did he use?

Dodgyness alert - just saw two proper chavs near Walthamstow central, on the high st. One was riding a nice looking powder blue Condor geared road bike, the other a yellow SS/fix with carbon fork and track ends. If these sound familiar, hang around there all day every day for the next few weeks?

It was locked with an abus granite lock round the frame and a d-lock for the back wheel.

I'm shocked by the amount of thefts in this thread! Here is mine to add to the mix.

Last night (June 16, 2009) my friends bike was stolen in London, take from outside the Mary Ward Centre in Queens Square near Holborn sometime between 6:00pm and 9:00pm. It was a yellow single-speed, originally a 531 Falcon frame but repainted yellow with a white head-tube, Shimano cranks and SLR brakes, Campag Omega rims on low-flange Campag Record hubs(different from the pic but everything else is as it was). She has grown very attached to it and was quite upset when I was speaking to her. I don't think the lock she had was upto much to be honest, just a basic D-Lock and a Kryptonite cable lock for the wheels.

I know it's a massive longshot and will check the obvious spots when I can but if anyone sees it, I'd appreciate it if they'd give me a shout or If you see it and can pick it up cheap I'll sort you out. Cheers.

Tis

Dodge/daftness alert: Yesterday afternoon I spotted a lovely turquoise Bob Jackson, small frame, parked outside the Brixton McDonalds with the key left in its lock - house keys also attached.

I hope whoever left it this way had a lucky escape, but the likelihood is it's now being ridden by a guy seven times too big for it with streamers billowing out the bar ends.

What lock?
Kryptonite Cable Lock http://www.cyclexpress.co.uk/Products/Kryptonite_Kryptkeeper.aspx
Through both wheels and the frame to a bike stand. Based on the 20% of value of bike rule this was a crap lock and I know that now, but where I come from you can tie your bike to a lampost with a shoelace and nobody will nick it!

See above for description of the bike: Black Specialised Rockhopper with Black Rockshox Recon Forks.

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Yeah, something like that one. I'm fully aware that it's not up to much, it was just for keeping the wheels in the frame with the D-Lock for locking to fences etc...

Dodge/daftness alert: Yesterday afternoon I spotted a lovely turquoise Bob Jackson, small frame, parked outside the Brixton McDonalds with the key left in its lock - house keys also attached.

I hope whoever left it this way had a lucky escape, but the likelihood is it's now being ridden by a guy seven times too big for it with streamers billowing out the bar ends.

She called today at brixton.

It was stolen.

Nhatt, does leaving someone's keys in the lock, count as real theft? Its like not locking the bike at all, and leaving it outdoors.

Dogballs will be along soon enough.

Nhatt, does leaving someone's keys in the lock, count as real theft? Its like not locking the bike at all, and leaving it outdoors.

Yes, it is theft. You're not asking the question in any seriousness, are you?

Even though this is London, my friend, it's still theft.

Oliver, I think Dale has copyrighted the phrase "*This is London my friend*", and unless quotes are used, and an indication of the author's rights, a fee may have to be paid. I think he's only accepting Geekhouses as current currency.

Sorry about the insensitivity, but even though it was probably an accident, that happened due to rushing, its given a thief an easy day's work. Hopefully she might get it back though.