Saw this on Sticky Bottle - Bike Trade involved in robberies.

godtabh

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/irish-burglars-expensive-bikes-they-stole/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Clearly it’s only speculation but it does beg the question.

I know my LBS well. My sister is very good friends with the owner and I trust him (after many mishaps else where I now got out of my way to go here).

Without trust the industry suffers.

amcalester

It's a bit of a leap to go from 1 bike mechanic possibly involved in robberies to the bike trade involved in robberies.

Anecdotally, a friends brother used to run a bike shop in Dublin and would regularly have people come in and try to flog what he suspected were stolen bikes.

Not much he could do other than turn them away.

Macy0161

An (apparently decent) mechanic involved does not equal the bike trade imo. Biggest takeaway is set your privacy zones and don't post your bike details on strava!

magicbastarder

Macy0161 wrote: »

Biggest takeaway is set your privacy zones and don't post your bike details on strava!

yeah, that stood out like a sore thumb.

gmacww

Macy0161 wrote: »

An (apparently decent) mechanic involved does not equal the bike trade imo. Biggest takeaway is set your privacy zones and don't post your bike details on strava!

This. I have codenames for my bikes on Strava and have set privacy settings. As I couldn't be less interested in leaderboards anyway I don't care that I'm not visible on local segments. I know plenty who have fully public profiles with pictures of their bikes and all bike details up there with no privacy settings. Not worth the risk.

Article is a bit of a leap though. There was however the issue in the UK of the store blending in chinarello's with real Pinarello's and while you would try the real deal when you got a fresh one from storage it was the china version. That's as good as stealing in my opinion.

Wishbone Ash

Would a mechanic know the anything about cleaning a bike? Usually they like to leave greasy paw marks on it.

eeeee

Or the people who stole the bike knew exactly what they were doing? The industry professional angle is pure conjecture; it could just as well be that the thieves had done this innumerable times before, and have a sophisticated system to maximise their 'investment'. You don't need to be an industry professional to work your way around Strava, or give the bikes a service (experience certainly in that regard).

I think this article underestimates the level of skill of the thieves. I imagine I'd be surprised how expert they are, it is their business after all, and these people appear to operate at the higher end of that market, so it makes sense.

Or there could be an industry professional involved. We simply don't know.

magicbastarder

it could be a boardsie! has anyone been asking any furtive questions about how to replace cables on cervelos recently?

LollipopJimmy

Bikes are actually ridiculously easy to work on once you get a bit of practice. Usually the hardest bit is forking out for the correct tool.

I clean my bikes (oh I can plural that now yay!) ridiculously well, I'm regularly asked if I just bought a new bike when I'm on my 3 year old Scott that was used as a commuter for 2 years. I also do most of my own maintenance now too unless I've not got time I'll drop it in somewhere. So I wouldn't necessarily think it's somebody involved in the trade.

velo.2010

The fact that he was targeted and probably followed/watched for some time is the creepy aspect of it. Wasn't he just out that morning IIRC - they were waiting and probably knew his household routine on his return. That's why they were apparently so brazen to enter while the family were still inside.

I agree with the above that anyone who regularly services any bike (mechanic or bike owner) could have serviced the bikes.

Glass Prison 1214

I don't think the article is suggesting that professional bike mechanics are necessarily involved. It could easily be the case that the thieves brought the bikes to a shop for a professional service and clean, and that the bike shop was completely unaware that the bikes were stolen.

Peterx

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

I don't think the article is suggesting that professional bike mechanics are necessarily involved. It could easily be the case that the thieves brought the bikes to a shop for a professional service and clean, and that the bike shop was completely unaware that the bikes were stolen.

Ahh come on.
It is entirely unlikely that I could walk into a bike shop with 2 stolen bikes and ask that they be stripped, cleaned, serviced, wrapped in bubble wrap and returned to me in neat little tubes.

For the craic I should try it next week. Where's the nearest bike shop to wherever the van was found?

The strong likelihood is that these lads have a workshop of their own and are extremely capable of the above.

Kaisr Sose

It’s great that he got the bikes back. Well done the neighbour for being so vigilant. Worrying that this theft appears to be an onganised process. They hide in plain sight.
Unfortunately, the perpetrators, if even charged and convicted, will get a meaningless sentence - because it’s at the lower end. That type of sentencing keeps the judiciary employed and ensures lots of tax payer funded legal aid..

Eamonnator

I absolutely guarantee, that if I were asked to clean a bike, I would do as good a job as those thieves.
BTW, I'm not a thief, or a bike mechanic, just a little bit OCD.

ford2600

Eamonnator wrote: »

I absolutely guarantee, that if I were asked to clean a bike, I would do as good a job as those thieves.
BTW, I'm not a thief, or a bike mechanic, just a little bit OCD.

More importantly you are not a triathlete.

FFS talking up cleaning a bike and putting on bar tape like it's some art like steel folding swords.

07Lapierre

That’s a pretty good deal! Bikes are collected from his house...gets both of them back AND both bikes serviced, cleaned and new bar tape!

plodder

07Lapierre wrote: »

That’s a pretty good deal! Bikes are collected from his house...gets both of them back AND both bikes serviced, cleaned and new bar tape!

was just thinking the same, except he is down one patio door, and a few panes of glass.

I think I might stick with the regular type of transaction myself.

07Lapierre

plodder wrote: »

was just thinking the same, except he is down one patio door, and a few panes of glass.

I think I might stick with the regular type of transaction myself.

You see broken glass...i see bike lovers who did everything they could to ensure the bikes weren't damaged during transit! :P

(Transit...a Ford Transit!)*





* sorry...it's quiet in work today...feels like a Friday.

RacoonQueen

What is more concerning, is that they had no issue going into his home, in broad daylight, with weapons, while his young children were inside. I mean my bikes are my children, but his actual real living, breathing children were inside. That is scary.

Kaisr Sose

RacoonQueen wrote: »

What is more concerning, is that they had no issue going into his home, in broad daylight, with weapons, while his young children were inside. I mean my bikes are my children, but his actual real living, breathing children were inside. That is scary.

Someone broke into my mothers house over Christmas. She is 90 and was in the house (8pm) with a neighbour. They were in but must have heard the second voice and left. They don’t care...risk of being caught is low and they rap up another conviction to add to the 100 other non custodial convictions they already have.