T’other night I was out riding on my own, climbing a road in the Peak towards houndkirk a van parked up at the side of the road, three young lads got out, I could see them hanging around the side of the road staring at me from about 400m away.. they kept staring at me as I rode to them.. in the end nowt happend.. I was being paranoid.. but sat on a £3k mountain bike it did cross my mind, will there come a point were they just start taking bikes from solo riders ?

Too paranoid ?

Happens round here in spates. End of the Bath-Bristol bike path, and even in the woods.

Not paranoid at all, in fact I’d have probably stopped well short. On a cheeky trail a mile from home I was blasting through after dark once & got legged by a group of kids. Hearing one shout “just get the f#’cking bike” gave me a sudden blast of energy.

no

scary

Think next time I’ll just turn around and go the other way.

BTW, just in case it becomes real… this was at the top of the Porter Clough climb just as you get on to Tarmac. a spot that I’m sure many people know that a lot of bikes pass.

You lot need crapper bikes.

I picked up a tail, and was followed home by 3 likely looking Moss Side locals. Not the sharpest tools in the box. They were going the opposite direction. I watched them clocking the bike as I rode past, then just blatently turned around and followed me on their bikes*. I led them a merry old dance around in circles around the South Manchester burbs, before using a gap in the traffic to dive across the road and disappear down a back alley

*Why does every scrote ride a (no doubt stolen) Specialized Rockhopper

Nope. Most people couldn’t ride my bikes anyway.

Yes – I live in a pretty safe area but there are groups of pikies that set up on some local bridleways – one lot had about 50 caravans and trucks and stuff, it took a while to cycle past them and the thought has crossed my mind. Being glared at for having the temerity to cycle past and being attacked by their dogs doesn’t help…

Cheap and expensive bikes look pretty similar to the casual observer these days. Perhaps in areas where there is “proper” riding a higher % of the bikes are likely to be pricey and people are more likely to get into this.

The only times I have ever actually been knocked off my bike or attacked while on it have all been by feral dogs abroad…

If you turn around on clough lane and head back down, they aint catching ya, unless they head to the break in the road, back to the parks.

Cheers for the heads up though, it’s a route i often frequent.

Get a shitter bike and look meaner. I find sleeveless riding tops with biro tatoo’s does the trick (if you’ve got big guns like me).

😀

I’ve seen doggers and smokers on that track but no bike jackers!

It is a valid concern though, I know people who’ve had bikes nicked from under them. Bolehills is a hot spot (someone had a lame go at me a while back, and there was a more serious one with knives recently), the old Iron Justice course had a few attempts but I’ve never heard about it in the Peaks. Hopefully it stays that way!

Not had it yet, although i don’t ride on my own very often. I think we’re in a fairly safe area gwj72 😉

nope

Oh dear . . . I probably will worry now 🙁 , especially after reading about this incident near Rivington

A kid in Edinburgh had his Kona Stinky taken from him this week by three youths on motorbikes wearing balaklavas, distressing for him as he now doesn’t have a bike, in the long run they did him a favour as he’s got rid of a heavy skill compensator so he’ll now learn to ride properly.

@sambob – unless sheep start coveting bikes, I think we’re safe as houses.
Although it does sound an appealingly easy crime…..

“Oi you! Are you on STW?”
“er, yes!”

<brill, the bikes expensive and I can **** him and escape while he’s posting for advice on how to react>

(someone had a lame go at me a while back, and there was a more serious one with knives recently),

Just to clarify – the knife incident was some other riders, not me, but they did get the bikes, although they were later recovered.

Ages ago (mid 90’s) I met a lad running around in lycra, no bike, on Leckhampton Hill, having let someone have a go on his bike on the top of the hill. He handed it over and they rode off.

I cycle to work on the Bristol-Bath cycle path, it crosses my mind all the time, I work with colleagues that have been bike jacked and mugged cycling to work. I won’t be riding in the winter, for mine and my bikes security.

Does winter have a higher crime rate?

Fewer people about, darker earlier etc.

Besides, in Bristol most folk’ll pass by while someone is being mugged/getting a kicking.

it happened to me when i was 12, it was a terrible experience, it took me until i was about 21 (and six foot five) to not get creeped out in the woods or passing where it happened on the way home. i got punched in the head, but not terribly badly. i lost the bike though, years and years of saving up, unreplacable, terrible. happened in a posh area too and i imagine the criminals were opportunists, so watch out it could happen anywhere, anytime. my poor dad didn’t know what to do with himself afterwards, him freaking out probably had a bigger impact on me than the actual event.

Now i know where you live, you better watch your back 😉 I’m around during the week if you ever fancy a midweek ride btw.

Pikeys stole my raleigh comet when I was about 10 (my first and last road bike <spit>). They jumped out the side of a transit and shoved me off it. But I stole it back off them that very afternoon 🙂

Easy to find are pikeys. Although creeping in their camp to retrieve the bike should have been awarded with a george cross or something.

I once got punched in the nose for not letting someone take my bike, . . .

best of it was, it was a chap I went to school with . . . bloody bully, . . . he was drunk, day of exam results!!

Tosser, . . . runs n hides . . . .

Local cycle path a few years ago, stoped to help a fellow cyclist with apuncture, got his wheel out, chatting to him, looked around and he was riding my bike down the path, chased and caught him, he fell off, with some help, rode back to his bike and threw his wheel over the nearest hedge.

As for the bristol bath bike path, last time i used it about 1981, was warned about bike mugging, by the chap who latter went onto lead Sustrans the cycling charity.

Nice to see police still havent mastered the problem.

@sambob

yeah I need to pop over whaley way as I don’t know the trails that side of the A6 very well. Most evenings next week are free.

Remember reports of it happening in Lordswood (soton) last year.

Funnily enough, on the way home yesterday, it occured to me that someone may have been attempting this – was going past a private (industrial estate) road and this skinny midle aged bloke was standing on the junction looking stressed and he flagged me down. “he jumped out of the skip!” he kept saying. Just inside the road was a skip full of crap. I just said “what do i care” to which he replied ,” you should care!” so i said ” f off and play in the road” and rode away. I think he was pissed, but may have been trying to lure me into a trap…

To be honest there’s not that much near Whaley apart from the stuff up the Goyt. Still good though.

One tip – if it happens, gouge, bite tear, scratch and pull their hair = get at least some of their DNA on you, under your nails, wherever. The Police will do wonders with it.

Had a couple of attempts. Years ago when I was about 16/17, riding round the park one evening after school and 2 lads wandered into the road in front of me and just stood there. Blatently obvious what they were up to and I veered off across the grass and started pedalling very hard. Glanced back and they were legging it after me but I had enough of a head start not to be in any danger by then.

The other one was at Brockwell Park BMX track with a couple of mates and 3 lads all about 14/15 wandered over and asked for a go on my bike. Refused, they turned nasty and kept telling me to get off or they’d knife me. In the end we talked our way out of it and it helped that only one of the three was actually interested in ‘borrowing’ my bike, his mates were just hanging around rather than trying to beat us up.

It does cross my mind on some of the off-road trails I use to and from work in Manchester, there’s a few dodgy areas without much in the way of escape routes but so far I’ve always been OK.

i think ive said before i always ride with a comabat knife and pepper spary, if you try and take my bike one of us is going to die…. you want it you going to have to kill me first, and **** me im going to try my hardest to kill you… id rather wwake up in nick than in hospital

i just carry a chain-saw with me 😉 so nope im not worried 😉

The Police will do wonders with it.

No they wont, you will get a crime reference number and a nice letter from victim support and that’s your whack.

Only in Boggart Hole Clough at night 😉

anotherdeadhero,karen805

which end of it is this stuff happening? or is it all along it?

I live in a pretty safe area but there are groups of pikies that set up on some local bridleways – one lot had about 50 caravans and trucks and stuff, it took a while to cycle past them and the thought has crossed my mind. Being glared at for having the temerity to cycle past and being attacked by their dogs doesn’t help.

so despite your daily mail style description nothing actually happened then..what a shame it did not change your view of travellers.

i think ive said before i always ride with a comabat knife and pepper spary, if you try and take my bike one of us is going to die

both those items are illegal and will get you your night + some in the cells.
Personally I am not prepared to either kill or be killed for my bike
In all my years of cycling i have had exactly nothing happen. I ride alone at night as well and still nothing.

i know 2 people who have had this happen. But its never crossed my mind that it could happen to of. But i’ve twice had biker nicked by people who must have spotted me ridding.

Not normally.
When I used to ride into Manchester along the canal that was pretty sketchy in places.
And any big gang of lads is always worth giving a berth, they’re really brave when there’s lots of them. Apart from that I expect it’s far more likely they’ll either follow me home or see me going into my home so I’ll never ride straight onto my drive if there are any likely looking lads around.

I *wish* with all my heart some would follow me like binners there. I’d give ’em a right treat.