Or know someone who did?

Did you/they respond to this ad, attracted by some low resolution shots of the bike?

“Orange 5 Mountain Bike (2009)

This Bike Is In Really Really Good Condition And Was Serviced On Last Month.
I Will Sadly Miss This Bike But The Bike Hardly Gets Used Now Which Is A Shame.
Work Thieving Takes All Time Up Now

Bike Spec

FOX FLOAT R (130MM TRAVEL) FORKS
FOX FLOAT RP23 REAR SHOX
HOPE HYDROLIC BRAKES
SHIMANO XT FRONT AND REAR MECH
SHIMANO DEORE CRANK
WTB SPEED DISC WHEELS WITH HOPE HUBS
ULTRA LITE SPU REAR SWING ARM
SHIMANO XT SHIFTERS
FRAME 16INCH

This Is On Of Orange Top Of The Range Bike And Will Not Find A Better Down Hill Bike

£450.00

NO TIMEWASTERS PLEASE

BARGAIN BIKE”

Did the the person say they were called Tony from Kirkstall?

Perhaps the deal was done in a car park.

If so then you/they have almost certainly bought my stolen bike. A 2005 Orange 5, frame number – 416007. Perhaps the frame number has been ground off?

If this is you/someone you know. Please contact me or Keighley police and let’s get some bike thieves nicked.

Thanks

as much as you’re right be to pissed at your bike being sold on, the chances of someone spending £450 just to hand the bike over are pretty slim

Thanks legend. Genius. As much as there are some despicable characters out there, there are also some diamonds. I am hoping for a diamond. Which are you?

The trouble is though, grittyshaker, that anyone who thinks that your bike was a legit buy at £450 clearly isn’t a diamond.

I suspect legend may be right, but wish you well.

Surly the buyer is guilty of handling stolen goods? If so, they’d want to come clean asap. i’m sure that there is a police unit that works with ebay to nail people like this.

It wasn’t on ebay though, the guy said gumtree

There’s the remote chance that the purchase was made in good faith by someone who’s moral character they value above £450 or that they’re a nob with mates happy to shop them. Maybe you know them?

Now then Detective Redfordrider, I see one small problem in your summary, this is gumtree not ebay 😉

ban: Rocketdog

Lets face it a 2005 Orange Five ain’t going to be worth much more than that anyway!

Surly the buyer is guilty of handling stolen goods?

only if they know it’s stolen. Otherwise they’re just in the unfortunately position of having plod take it off them and losing their money (happens all the time with cars)

Grittyshaker – are you that copper that used to do Crimewatch regularly? Your opening post would suggest so…

Good luck getting your bike back.

His phone goes on to answerphone funnily enough.

@scott – don’t have nightmares.

Sounds like the one, stolen on mon night tues morn ad on gumtree showed seller to be in Kirkstall.

@drinkmoreport – yes. Sturmey knows about this. I’d be pleased if you could pass details to West Yorks police. Crime no 619/31st. Thanks

will do Clive

i feel pretty shit now as the chap looked shady as and i read your post earlier in the week too! really really sorry i didn’t link em!

Michael

Great stuff Michael. You never know, there’s a chance I might get my bike back and we get a bike thief nicked.

Where did you see the bike, Michael? Unlikely, perhaps, it’d have been pedalled far.

@legend – harsh earlier. Apologies. Got to be hopeful though. You never know, and it’s worth chasing these people. It’s probably not just my bike they’ve nicked. My break-in was specifically targeted, planned and determined.

Gritty, keep on it mate. Theres been a few happy endings on here for folk with similar situations.
Are the police being helpful/taking it seriously? Hope so.

Police being really helpful, keeping me informed. I’m mindful of their priorities. A relatively small number of people responsible for lots of crime. Locking up 1 burglar can make a big local difference. Contributing to that would be a result for me regardless of whether my bike is recovered.

“anyone who thinks that your bike was a legit buy at £450 clearly isn’t a diamond”
Its a 7 year old mid range aluminium single pivot? £450 doesn’t sound cheap to me, am I missing something?

Good luck in finding it though

@james – I know. Seller clearly doesn’t know what they’ve got.

Gritty think James was suggesting £450 is about right! Really how much do you value it at? I’ve got a top spec 2006 Five that I don’t value at much more than £500 on a good day.

Yes it’s been nicked and culprit needs stopping, very sad, but £450 really does sound about all it’s worth and not a ‘to good to be true deal’, so buyer could be genuine.

The Gumtree ad said it was a 2009 model though.

I saw the ad and noticed the straight top tube in the blurry pics put it as 2006 or earlier but took 2009 to be a typo. Have you tried doing a google search on the phone number? sometimes that gives you information.

I’ve come to the conclusion that all bikes on gumtree are stolen.

This “Orange 5” is clearly twoc’d
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/orange-pro-five-full-suspension-mountain-bike/95070310

@hexhamstu – I think it’s a bit of a sweeping statement to say they’re all stolen … but Google the phone number in the ad for that Orange!! I’d love to know why last week he called himself Lloyd & now he’s called Reece?????

and correct me if I’m wrong but thats an orange patriot, not an orange five.

£450 for a 2009 Orange 5 seems to me a good deal but quite a bad deal for my 2005 bike. Yes, the bike could’ve been bought in good faith. In which case the buyer’s potentially been as swindled as I was robbed. As to the the value of recovering my property from the lowlife the broke into my property and took it, that goes beyond the value of the bike.

£450 for a 2005 Orange 5 seems over the top to me.

I think the same bike was on pink bikes for £450.00 i thought it read dodgy with the price etc,i mailed him & he said it was a 19″ frame,but wouldnt give a mobile said it was flat! ,but the add now states its sold!

Yes. I think we agree that £450 for a 2005 Orange 5, even one as well looked after as mine, is “a little on the high side”. An indication, among many, that the advert was dodgy. If anyone has any information that could help the police in catching what is probably a quite prolific thief and general ne’er-do-well, please pass this on to West Yorkshire police quoting the crime number 619/31st. Thanks.

Grittyshaker, I’m really struggling to get this. Firstly, I hate thieving scum AND people who KNOWINGLY buy stolen gear (cars, bikes, anything). Secondly, I genuinely feel for you having your pride and joy nicked. BUT …. I’ve read the ad again and apart from the spelling mistakes, there is nothing to make it obvious that the bike is nicked. You started by saying that the advertised price was obviously too low, your last post states that the high price indicates it was dodgy …

If some poor unsuspecting fella has bought your bike, you are just making absolutely sure that he/she doesn’t help you out because you’re branding the buyer with the same guilty stamp as the thieving scumbag.

I’m in Leeds, I read the ad, am reasonably intelligent … and I didn’t immediately decide it was a dodgy bike. You’re right be pissed off but don’t call the world stupid. If in the next few weeks, one of the Leeds riders sees your bike out on the trails with its happy, honest new buyer who has just parted with his savings for a shiny 2005 Orange 5 – wouldn’t it be best to have them on your side?

For me this is the line that set the alarm bells ringing ‘ This Is On Of Orange Top Of The Range Bike And Will Not Find A Better Down Hill Bike’.

Can’t blame the guy for venting his anger a little. I’ll add that I’ll also keep my eye out over the coming weeks around the local trails.

I’d argue that his grammar & spelling malfunction just says that the advertiser is not particularly literate gingerss. I’ve put stuff on eBay after a glass of plonk then read it back the next morning and thought WTF???

Of course I don’t blame Grittyshaker for venting, I’d be exactly the same but if some poor bugger has bought his bike in good faith and then reads this, then any cooperation is less likely because the comments were crucifying the buyer as well.

I suppose what I’m saying is, on another day, at another time – any of us could be suckered in. 😕

Forgetting the ad, is it possible that the thief would have been a bit evasive during the buying process?

Doubtful that he invited the buyer to his mums house for a cuppa and a look over all his receipts..

Thanks m2cyclone1. I never said the price was too low. I said, “Seller clearly doesn’t know what they’ve got”. I’ve always thought £450 on the high side for my 2005 bike.

Plenty of people who saw the full ad (with shonky, low res shots) thought it was dodgy. I’m not discounting what, I think, may be the remote possibility that someone bought the bike, without a hint of suspicion, in circumstances that the police tell me are quite likely to conform to the “in a car park/back of the pub” stereotype.

I suppose what is more likely is that someone on here sees a “friend of a friend” roll up on my bike one weekend and decides to do the decent thing. This in some round about, possibly even karmic, way may prevent – their own property being broken into, spouse frightened for the security of our home and safety of our baby, and hard earned possessions being taken from us by lowlife.

I may have been a little scathing in the tone of some of my posts. But if you nicked my bike or bought it under the likely circumstances described to me by the police you are part of the problem not the solution. If the circumstances are different, perhaps the seller did invite you into their home and appeared completely plausible, then “sorry” you’ve very likely got my bike and that doesn’t make you an idiot, we can all be conned. I’d be hopeful and grateful if you’re able to value your principles above what you paid for it and contact the police.

There seems to be a degree of defeatism on here about bike theft. Or maybe, more likely, my bike theft 🙂 . However, as I’ve said, the value of the bike is a relatively minor issue in comparison to the principle that some ne’er do well felt able to come onto my property, break into my home and take what didn’t belong to them. I’ll not be apologetic about doing what little I can to catch the feckers.

Thanks too, to gingerss.

Maybe there should be a thread for dodgy adverts like the ones mentioned here to people can check to see if their stolen bike is on. Just links to adverts and no arguing – might be hard 🙄