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that's amazing. well done. did tim get his back?
Sadly, I don't think so.
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• #8
Wrong forum name mate! But really glad I could help today, despite my bike not turning up. After your brothers bike I thought I was gonna be sick from adrenaline and lack of sleep!
Literally just got home after spending nearly 12 hours down there, countless cups of tea, enough cigarettes to last me a lifetime, and a really good insight into the world of shitehawk bike thieves.Lessons learned today and if you do go down there. Do not approach the guys selling the bikes and try to nick it back during the 'test ride'. Saw one very lucky business prat get his Brompton back by doing this, but was hotly pursued by 3 guys wielding heavy chainlocks as weapons.
Call the police. Keep an eye on it until they get there, and make sure you have evidence that the bike is yours with you.
Two bikes rescued today by waiting until people had bought them and then following them to say they've bought a stolen bike, with proof it's nicked. If they don't shit themselves, it's relatively easy to get it back off them.
Most importantly, please spread the word to anyone you see trying to buy one of these dodgy bikes on Cygnet St and Sclater St, DO NOT FUCKING DO IT. I tried explaining to a couple of people today that the reason bikes are getting stolen is because idiots are buying them. Get rid of the demand for stolen bikes and we may cut down on the number of thefts. Utopian dream I know, but today has proved that it is possible to recover a number of bikes quite easily.
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what ever happened to the "most of these bikes are stolen; buying bikes from these vendors perpetuates bike theft" signs that people were talking about making and posting around brick lane?
like that?
In all honestly, the person who test ride Tim's bike don't care whether if it is stolen or not, but it's better than nothing. -
Sweet! Glad you found it! Out of curiosity which of the stalls we have seen this morning was storing your ride?
It wasn't a stall as such. Just some young (16-20yo) hoodies on the street, the corner of Sclater St and Cygnet St.
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i think it makes a difference. people who buy bikes off brick lane can easily convince themselves that, "oh, well maybe they are just honest businessmen that buy new-ish bikes off ebay and turn them around for a small profit."
but confronting potential buyers with the truth makes it that much harder to justify the purchase.
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thats what we need people like you , well done i am glad that you found it , well i past holloway market this morning will people still queing to get in and i spotted a black fixed gear langster for sale and a kona paddywogan , and a brand new lemond , thats market its full of stolen bike and its located right beside a police station , what a joke
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oh, fucking win, althought it would've been better if the police officier stay in Brick Lane till the market finished.
There was undercover police there today, I know as I walked past their van in which one guy was writing on an evidence bag full of knock DVD's. Obviously, taking a list of logged nicked bike numbers with them is asking too much..........................
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This thread is 100% win... Well done, dude! :D
+1
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Epic win :d
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This is an excellent story, and well done to all involved. However, there is absolutely no chance at all that signs requesting people to stop buying stolen bikes will work.
I see loads of stolen bikes around the Lewisham area; like the guy who tried racing his expensive geared Cannondale against my Capo 5. Of course he lost, but the thing that told me it was a bought-stolen bike, was how he rode it. Knees all akimbo, as if he had never seen any decent pedalling actions before. I saw a girl on a Brompton today, and I could tell it was another bought-stolen, because of how she totally disrescted the bike.
At Xmas on Oxford Street, street hawkers gather to sell what they tell the public is "Stolen Perfumes"....and they sell loads.
Many people, given the choice of buying someting at full price, and at what seems to be a "stolen price", will plump for the latter. It appears to be human nature. Lil's idea, and others who espoused it before, of lurking aroung Brick Lane Market on given meeting days, seems to be a good plan though.
I mean "DON'T BUY STOLEN" doesn't work for pirate DVDs, so why would it work for bikes?
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About
Success story from Brick Lane Market - A play in three acts
Posted by
@ehren_fried_chicken
Well, you all know that mine and my brother's bike got nicked out of the communal garage in our block of flats.
First Act
I befriended Tim here from the forum, who had his nicked too, and we arranged to meet up today at Brick Lane at 7am to check out the bikes being sold. We did that and I hung out there until about 9 but since my bike wasn't there I took the bus back home, having resigned to the fact, that the bike was gone forever.
Second Act
After having had a kip I got a phone call from Tim telling me that he had spotted my bike. I got on the phone to the police and asked them to come down and me and my brother went there on our spare bikes. My bike was still there! I frantically ran around Brick Lane and actually met two police officers in a car (I don't think they were dispatched after my call - just happened to be there). I asked them to help me and they actually did. They came with me to the street corner where I spotted my bike and the guys, who were selling my bike, ran away leaving my bike locked to the fence! I showed the PCs the evidence I had (various photos) and the market traders on the other side of the fence offered to cut the lock with their angle grinder. And so they did:
Third act
As if that wasn't lucky enough there was more to come. I locked up my just liberated bike on the top of Brick Lane near some police officers. I returned to the spot where I found my bike. Sure enough the gang, that had run away, had returned and kept on selling more bikes. I sat there looking out for Tim's bike as well as my brother's. About one hour later I saw a guy test-riding my brother's bike right in front of my nose.
I ran back to where I had seen the police last but they were gone. So I ran back to the place and saw the guy, who had test-ridden my brother's bike, wheeling it away. So I politely confronted him and told him that he had just bought a stolen bike. I was prepared to split the price he just paid or come to some other agreement.
He however was very arrogant and tried to make off. His girlfriend was also very hysterical and gave me shit. I grabbed the bike and his rucksack whilst he tried to cycle away. We struggled along for about 100 metres right into the market where I managed to get him to a stop. I cried for help and sorta wrestled the guy off the bike. By that time Tim had arrived and helped to keep the guy in check.
A circle of people formed around us and I shouted "I have evidence! I have evidence!" and held my brother's insurance papers in the air like in a bad movie. The crowd turned against the guy on the bike and I sorta shouted "Lets see the frame number! Lets turn the bike around." I managed to turn the bike around and a market trader helped me to read the number from the BB shell. "It his! He's right!" he shouted and the crowd nodded approvingly. The guy who had bought the bike and his girlfriend shouted "That's theft! I call the police." to which I just got my phone out and phoned the police myself. At this stage the buyers made off having acknowledged their defeat.
I stood there for another minute catching my breath and bought the trader who helped me a beer (it definitely wasn't his first). My brother arrived at the scene and I gave him back his bike.
Pheew! What a day! Faith in humanity: restored.
The biggest thanks to Tim (
Timmy2WheelsTooTallTim) who was extremely helpful, called me and help me get my brother's bike off the hands of the buyer. I can't say how much I am in debt to you Tim.Me and my brother have also been exceptionally lucky having gotten back both our bikes on the same day.
This forum rocks!