Well my turn to be a victim – my frankenbike electric commuter has had someone attempt to strip it for parts. My neighbour alerted me to the fact it was partly stripped in the stairway of the building. Looks like they were after the fork ( a ten year old pike) ( I was trying it in MTB trim) but couldn’t get it out of the frame which was securely locked. they even left the front wheel! Carefully dismantled by someone who knows bikes – all the bolts sitting neatly beside it and they knew how to undo a front maxle. They even unbolted the front brake caliper rather than cutting the brake hose. I am astonished it appears undamaged and the only thing missing is the saddle and seatpost which were nothing special
Its all unfashionable 26″ stuff as well. seems more than a little odd to me.

Aye, had a bike stripped for pars in an Edinburgh stairwell. Took front brake, stem, rear QR and saddle.
Interestingly got Danny macaskill to sort it for me when he worked in Macdonald’s Cycles on Morrison St

Just seems really weird they took the seat but left the front wheel they had removed

LBS gave me a good tip on fork protection once: drop a ball bearing embedded in vaseline into top cap allen key socket. It can only be removed using a magnet, which you have handily at home, but assume the thief doesn’t.
Does sound bizarre theft: are you sure you haven’t been drinking heavily, attempted a head set service on the spur of the moment, then gone home to bed and forgotten all about it?

LBS gave me a good tip on fork protection once: drop a ball bearing embedded in vaseline into top cap allen key socket. It can only be removed using a magnet,

That’s ingenious. But surely any self-respecting thiefscrote has a sharp object with which to flick it out? ie dagger or tip of arrow? Flat bladed screwdriver?

It’s still worth it though. As is electrifying whole bike with a remote breaker.

Maybe being a 20mm wheel, they needed the forks too and not managing to get them left the wheel, as it wouldn’t fit what they already had?
It appears they were careful while removing the parts so maybe they were keeping them to use themselves rather than flogging them for a few quid?

are you sure you haven’t been drinking heavily, attempted a head set service on the spur of the moment, then gone home to bed and forgotten all about it?

😆 So I am not the only one who has decided to “quickly fix something” when I get back from the pub …

Very strange!

Rather than use vaseline use clear nail Polish. Then if you need to remove just squire a little nail vanish remover which is more likely to be at home and not carried by your average NED.

Got home from work really late one night, 1am, was absolutely pissing, decided as it was like a wednesday night, no one would be about, left the old commuter bike in the back garden and took myself off into the shower and bed, couldn’t be arsed putting it away.

Was up for a 7am start the next morning, someone had pinched the mudguards and lights. The bike wasn’t locked, guards and lights were bolted on as well, god knows why they didn’t pinch the bike!

reported to the police on 101. details taken. will the cops want to fingerprint the bike? Place your bets please

will the cops want to fingerprint the bike

Not a chance, nor should they.

No? why not?

In Edinburgh there has been a load of bike thefts and the cops have it as one of their priorities. fingerprints lifted off my bike could lead to a prosecution.

I am not expecting a huge manhunt at all but when I had an attempted theft of a motorbike the cops fingerprinted parts of it and got usuable dabs from a known crim

Take a step back, does someone carefully removing all the bolts, and only really stealing an old saddle and post worth what, 30 quid at best? really sound like some kind of organised en masse bike sting ring?….

No. they even left the wheel which was taken off the bike. Looks like they couldn’t get the fork out of the frame. Carefully removed the brake caliper from the fork rather tan cutting the hoses. No attempt to cut the locks.

sounds very odd all in all. I have no desire to waste police time over this and happy for them to make the call on that.

My Dad has his back wheel nicked off his bike outside Sainsburys. The thief kindly put the crap back wheel from his own bike in my Dad’s frame (complete with puncture 👿 )
So someone couldn’t be arsed to change a puncture so my Dad ended up buying a new wheel, cassette, chain, tyre etc 😥

am about to try and off-load a saddle TJ – do you want a replacement?

cheers kcal – I have a particular liking for botrager ssr saddles so unless its one of them ta but no ta.

.

wot with £30 insurance payout? 😉

No. they even left the wheel which was taken off the bike. Looks like they couldn’t get the fork out of the frame. Carefully removed the brake caliper from the fork rather tan cutting the hoses. No attempt to cut the locks.

sounds very odd all in all.

Sounds more like alanf said….
stealing parts for themselves not to flog.

More likely kids than a pro bike gang ????

I have just found out two more bikes were stolen in leith last night

I think the good locks I had foiled them from stealing the whole bike hence stripping it for parts BOlt cropper proof u lock , very strong chain and a proper wall anchor

A friend had his ancient worthless halson inversion forks carefully removed from his bike in holyrood park while he was bouldering a few years ago, they left the headset components neatly stacked in a little pile next to the bike. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is the same person!

No, ProLogo Vertigo Max – close, but no cigar :/

I go with…. keep the bikes in the flat. Edinburgh stairwell is more “when?” than “if”

bontrager ssr saddles

Depending on exact year and model that could cover a few different shapes, got a pic to hand to compare as I have ‘A’ Bonty SSR I’d happily send you.

I have just found out two more bikes were stolen in leith last night

Not trying to be rude about but what’s the normal?

several more now come to light last night. Seems it was a gang doing over leith stairwells last night

steve – bikes get nicked regularly but this is half a dozen in a small area in a few hours

Wasn’t there a really weird thread on here around a year back about a bike that bit nicked from there the guy worked? ….

Then the thief returned it later that day!

That’s what I call odd! 😀

Holmes 81 wrote:

Rather than use vaseline use clear nail Polish. Then if you need to remove just squire a little nail vanish remover which is more likely to be at home and not carried by your average NED.

Excellent refinement.

I do think fork theft is probably the ‘perfect crime’: off in seconds, easily sellable on ebay, high value, easy to conceal, difficult to trace/prove provenane as no frame number, just walk round with allen keys in pocket so hard to prove ‘going equipped’.

I do wonder though if you are still leaping to conclusions on assuming another perpetrator? Perhaps -continuing the conjecture – as part of your drunken japery you threw the saddle post and saddle into a skip as an act of bitter, internalised recrimination and self loathing for purchasing an electric bike in the first instance?

🙂

there certainly was a spate of thefts around leith last night. Hopefully the leith police will not dismisseth it

🙂

Update

Chat with the copper today. Obviously a £30 theft of parts does not meet their criteria for getting the fingerprint experts out but he would have sent someone to take a basic fngerprint check on the bike – but unfortunately can’t be done until the weekend and I am away – and a set of prints on a bike in a common stair that is left open during office hours is not great evidence anyway

The night in question they did catch some 15 yr olds on stolen bikes and got the bikes back to the owners but he didn’t think this sounded like the same group as they tend to smash things not dismantle carefully.

Lots of the local coppers ride bikes so they do take bike theft seriously but in this case the quality of the evidence they could get is not worth me leaving the bike in its partly dismantled state and not using it at the weekend as I intend.

Slightly unsatisfactory ending but at least my good locks prevented the whole bike being stolen.