[Closed] Anyone lost a cotic??

One would be forced to concur that the gentleman's advertisement appears as dodgy as ****.

Well bugger me sideways - it's a Cotic BFe with RS Reba forks, DT Swiss x1900 wheels, SLX cranks, SLX rear mech I think too. 203mm front brake disk and 180mm rear. Can't remember if the brakes are avid or shimano.

It used to be pink under that amateur blue paint job and used to have White pedals.

Unable to upload a picture but don't know how. Can email it to someone if they are able to.

Stolen from Tal y Bont near Barmouth in Wales a year ago in October I think it was along with a Carrera Blast boys bike in green with blue pedals.

Tried sending the horrible little turd a message but for some reason it won't go through.

They should change the group name to Stolen Bike Exchange. Half the adverts look just as dodgy as that one.

[b]whytesky[/b] email me, I will upload it for you. Email address in my profile.

He looks like a charming young man on his face book page really don't think he would be dealing in nicked bike do you !

Thank you rumbledethumps. Appreciated.

I've emailed you. I know nothing will come of people comparing the similarities on here but at least you can all see the OP was right in the theory that it is indeed stolen.

Tried contacting Wrexham police but there's no answer. I don't for one minute believe I'd get it back but I want them to know he's handling stolen goods.

August 28th it was stolen.

Here you go mate. Hoping you get it back (albeit with an unwanted paint job).

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Disappointing to see how many people are interested in a clearly dodgy bike. You kind of think people would stay clear but seemingly people just want a bargain stolen or not.

Absolutely disgusting, bike theft really angers me. For starters the law needs to get tougher, take it seriously and hand out long sentences.

The turd even has the audacity to answer people asking him questions about the bike like make model and year and he answers with "haven't got a glue"

He might as well say it's stolen.

Someone needs to drive over to buy it and take it back.

For starters the law needs to get tougher, take it seriously and hand out long sentences

Exactly this. It's as if the police don't even consider bike theft a crime these day - even for bikes that are worth thousands. Mate at work had his bike stolen from his shed. Police weren't remotely interest and said it wouldn't be taken any further. They guy found his bike for sale on Gumtree the following week, notified the police, yet they still nothing.

Disappointing to see how many people are interested in a clearly dodgy bike. You kind of think people would stay clear but seemingly people just want a bargain stolen or not.

We had some building work done on our house. About six months in our builders had all their tools stolen. I asked what would happen to the tools, they said that it was common to have someone turn up in their local pub offering cheap tools for sale. They were all *annoyed* their stuff had been stolen, but equally had all bought tools this way. Bizarre.

Police weren't remotely interest and said it wouldn't be taken any further. They guy found his bike for sale on Gumtree the following week, notified the police, yet they still nothing.

This is remarkably negligent of them.

What is the (police) complaints process? Have you pursued/followed up?

1: Take some lads and recover bike. Leathering the pikey little shot optional.

2:Find local Daily Mail owned Newspaper, pass on all details of police incompetence including names. Sell the story in a "scandal of our lazy police" way to create maximum likelihood of follow up by journo
3:do some on Wrexham Police social media channels. Basically create a shitstorm that highlights how useless they are

The police will not do anything unless you put pressure on them, even then you have to do all of the detective work.
My Barry white inbred was stolen last year, the guy had it up for sale the next day on Gumtree. The phone number in the add lead me to his girlfriend's facebook page. They were selling all sorts of stuff through her page. I had to push the police really hard to get them to go and recover it. When they eventually went around to arrest him, he'd started to break it up. I got all the bits apart from the frame, dropper post and saddle.

To date, there has not been a conviction. He claimed that he bought it at a car boot sale.It comes down to his word against mine!

If your bike is stolen and you find it, get as much information as you can. If you can keep calm, ring the number and arrange to view. Get the address, you shouldn't try to recover it yourself. The guy who had mine had previous for assault.

Good luck!

The post seems to have been removed.

He upped the price to £250 then marked it as sold and now he's removed the post.

Oh well, I just hope that one day he gets what's coming to him. I'm a big believer in karma and I'm sure a day will come when it catches up with him.

I loved that bike. Built it up myself from scratch and it was the first bike I felt truly at one with. I have since got me a Cotic Rocket which I also love so it's not all bad.

I looked at the FB post earlier 🙁
It's awful that someone's beautiful and well loved bike gets stolen and trashed like that and then sold by a little shit.

Thing is with all this macho vigilante stuff is they might not be the person who stole it, it's clear there is a market for stolen goods so you may be going bat shit crazy on the wrong person

He might not have stolen it, but it's clearly a dodgy advert. It's obvious that it has been stolen.

A little update for you all on this.

Yesterday morning I called North Wales police to report the fact that a bike stolen from me had appeared for sale on facebook.

After an initial wrangle with the operator who questioned how I could be sure it was my bike (only doing his job and understandable questions given it was only one picture and it was a completely different colour!) I was transferred through to Barmouth Police Station.

PC X (shan't name him in case he doesn't want to be named) asked plenty of questions about the bike, about the original theft and about where and how I'd seen it for sale. He said he'd get back in touch once they'd looked into it a wee bit more.

Sure enough - another call. A few more questions, emails exchanged with pictures of the bike being built etc.

A wee bit later, Sergeant X from Dolgellau Police Station called to advise that PC X was en route to Wrexham to arrest the guy selling the bike.

Last night I got a call to say that they'd arrested him, taken him into custody and questioned him. They'd also searched his house. Sadly the bike had sold two hours previous and he'd managed to delete all the messages exchanged between him and the buyer.

He also claimed to have bought the bike on bookface the previous summer. Completely believable and impossible to prove otherwise. The fact remains though, he will have known it was stolen at the time he allegedly purchased it so he is still in the wrong.

So, the bike is unrecovered. I hadn't expected it to be recovered so I'm not too fussed by that anyway - it wasn't the reason I'd called the police. If it had been recovered I would have sold it and donated the proceeds to Barmouth Lifeboats. I will still be making a donation - unconnected to the police in many respects but they work closely together.

What I am over the moon about is the way in which North Wales Police handled it. I cannot believe how seriously they took the matter and how swiftly they responded. Sure, they didn't get there in time to catch the scumbag in possession but that's life. Even if they had got there in time I'd imagine a conviction would have been difficult for them to achieve anyway.

The bottom line is though, Mr Dylan Bagnall - if you weren't already, you're now known to the police. I actually suspect you're known to them anyway so this incident is one extra mark on your cards. You got away with it this time but your Sunday was ruined by a knock on the door from the boys in blue. I hope your cold roast dinner was nice when you got home. I'm sure you'll be bragging about it to your mates but in truth, I bet a little bit of poo came out while you were being arrested, held in custody and questioned.

His facebook page is gone. He's presumably stupid enough to think that deleting a facebook account removes all evidence of stuff you've posted previously. He set up another one with a single picture - a picture of one of his dangerous looking dogs but it disappeared soon after. Were you trying to convey a message Dylan? You sad sad man.

There's another page with the same name but they have a middle name - I suspect he's his son. I hope he turns out to be a better person than his father.

Anyway, that's it. I can only say that North Wales Police were absolutely amazing. I thought, like many have said on here, that they wouldn't really care but they did. It seems their mentality is that if they investigate the "grass roots" of crime so to speak, it leads to bigger things.

PC X from Barmouth, thank you - I've no idea if you're allowed to accept gifts but there's a bottle of whiskey or a bottle of fine wine with your name on it when I pass through in March.

Thank you also to the OP, peanutcracknell. Without your vigilance this never would have got to where it did.

That's heartening. Well done North Wales Police.

Big thumbs up.

Bang on they know it's robbed ...wait for the rat and knock f##k out of him and his mates !

Can police contact facebook to track down the old messages between buyer and seller?

Shame not to get it back, but hey, at least they had a fair crack at retrieving it.

yorkshire89 - I'm sure they probably could but in all honesty I very much doubt it would be worth their while.

Sure, it may help recover the bike but I doubt it would get a conviction. No way would I expect or even want North Wales Police to use valuable resource to achieve something which is of no benefit to them. I'd only want them to spend time and money if they're likely to achieve something.

I was actually quite embarrassed that PC X took so much time out of his day to travel from Barmouth to Wrexham. And then back again!

Did anyone happen to save an image of the Bfe in blue as it was advertised?

Yes, me. No idea how to post it here but I can email it to you.

The "I just sold it" excuse seems to be a common one. I suspect it should be "I knew it was dodgy so keep it at my mate's in case the fuzz come round".

No, he really did sell it. He marked it up as SOLD on his facebook page yesterday afternoon and then he deleted the ad. Or someone did. Presumably when PC X knocked on his door.

I also know it was sold because I've just had an email from the buyer!

I also know it was sold because I've just had an email from the buyer!

Plot thickens. 🙂

Indeed it does. I'm contemplating posting his email up here (minus the name - that wouldn't be fair) but he seems like a genuine chap.

I also know it was sold because I've just had an email from the buyer!

I'd be suggesting to him to return the bike to you or face being passed to the police himself. Suggest to him that he should go and see the little rat he bought it off to arrange a cash refund there & then.

Regardless whether that Dylan kid nicked or just fenced it, he's clearly a wrongun and deserves anything that happens to him as a result. Sadly, the system doesn't punish hard enough for what some perceive as low level crime.

I'm not gonna be doing that andyrm. I'm not sure the seller is the sort of person that the buyer would be comfortable approaching.

If you and the buyer go back to the police with the bike, surely they have the ability to extract the cash from Dylan Bagnall*? They've been helpful enough so far, so perhaps having the bike as evidence may help get a conviction?

* let's keep his name up the search engine listings

but he seems like a [b]genuine [/b]chap

Interesting end to the story. Some sort of closure OP.

orangespyderman - He genuinely thought he was just getting a great deal by buying a bike from a facebook page that the seller appeared to know nothing about? Or did he genuinely believe that the deal was worth turning a blind eye to the fact that it was clearly stolen? If it's the latter, he's exactly the reason people steal bikes...

Or did he [b]genuinely[/b] buy it so the evidence didnt go missing and now they have the seller and the goods and is willing to work with the original owner and the police in getting someone punished for it?

You wanna buy a bridge?

Or did he genuinely buy it so the evidence didnt go missing and now they have the seller and the goods and is willing to work with the original owner and the police in getting someone punished for it?

I think you may be being a wee bit unfair on the buyer. It must have taken some balls to email me admitting that he's bought my bike. He didn't have to. He bought it for parts so actually, once stripped off the frame, they pretty much become anonymous bar the forks which are serialised but lets face it - you're never gonna look at a set of forks and go "hey, they're mine!"

The whole bike on the other hand was quite distinctive.

hope you get it back! looks possible?

Email from the guy below. To be fair, he took a couple of steps to check if it was stolen. He also included his mobile number in the email so I have no reason to think that he's anything other than genuine. Also, what would he have to gain by emailing me?

Hi there

I sent this to you yesterday but I got your email wrong. Trying again now! Do let me know that you have received this.

Hi mate (Al?)

I saw your thread on Singletrack, and think I have your bike.

I bought it from the chap advertising it, and before I bought it searched online for 'stolen blue Cotic' in-case it was nicked, along with checking stolen-bikes.co.uk, but couldn't find anything that correlates. I assumed it was cheap as the frame was going to be cracked or damaged somehow under the paint... Really only wanted it for some of the parts.

I paid £220 for it tonight, and after a good checkover it's probably not worth a lot more - the rear wheel now has snapped spokes, the respray has gone onto some parts, the bars, grips & seatpost have been changed, forks have had a poor respray on the crown and lowers. Sorry to say it's in a fairly poor state.

Only when I've been stripping it down for parts that I've seen the pink paint job underneath the blue and searched again for 'stolen pink Cotic', and found your thread.

Obviously, I really don't want to be out of pocket by £220 as a bit of an innocent party in all of this and it isn't a loss I can really afford - (plus my partner will be unhappy with me!), but I can't live with knowing I could have your stolen property either! It has been stripped down completely now in parts, but they're all here.

What's the best way to move forwards with all of this? I'm sorry that you and I are both wrapped up in this.

Let me know what is best to do - hope to speak soon, my number is xxxxxxxxxxx

I'd read that email and think the buyer is genuine.

Hopefully the rozzers can get the seller a conviction for handling stolen goods, at the least. Which in turn may lead to the court requesting the current owner has his costs recovered and the bike returned to you.

And my reply. I wasn't sure if I should reply and then when I decided to I wasn't sure how to approach it.

I feel sorry for him and didn't want to be too harsh but at the same time I wanted him to know how I'm feeling about the situation.

Good Morning xxxxxxxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your email. I was initially speechless when I read it and wasn't sure whether it not to respond. However, I read it a few more times and wondered why anyone would bother to send an email to the original owner of a bike that had been stolen from them and can't believe you're anything other than genuine.

Naive but genuine.

Generally, if something seems too good to be true then it usually is. In the case of bikes, they're usually stolen. By buying stolen bikes you're supporting bike thieves and making the theft of bikes worthwhile for them. The more worthwhile it is for them, the more they will steal. Ironically, that makes you more likely to become a victim of bike theft yourself. I hope you don't become a victim though - it's a really shit feeling. It's even worse when your 7 year old sons bike is also stolen and you have to tell a 7 year old that someone else is enjoying the bike that they so loved. Any idea how that feels? I do.

I don't know why I'm telling you that - if you've bought a bike for parts then you're clearly a keen rider and therefore know it already.

It seems that it's also been abused but it's a bike. That's what they're designed to do and with a bit of TLC most parts can be brought back to life.

However, the forks will clean up. A strip down, respray and full service will have them back as good as new. They're Rockshox Reba BTW. Dual air if I remember correctly. Nice lighting forks and a straight 1/8 steerer so quite sought after really given they're not available any more.

The wheels - the spokes can be replaced and the wheels trued. The hubs can be serviced. They're a a decent set of wheels and hubs - again, quite nice and light. Probably best suited to XC but will handle a bit of abuse.

If I recall correctly, the brakes are XT. Finned pads. Nice brakes. I was made up when I put them on. Couldn't really afford them at the time but stretched myself to buy them. I guess it's what we as mountain bikers do.

Cane Creek 40 headset. Not the most prestigious of headsets but I couldn't afford Chris King when I was building the bike up.

Cranks are worn in the arms but actually pretty decent. SLX I think.

Bottom bracket - I put a XT one on there I recall. It'll probably need replacing if the bike hasn't been looked after.

Has it still got a charge spoon saddle? They're pretty cheap but the most comfortable saddle I've ever come across. All my bikes have them.

Oh, the discs. 203mm up front and 180 rear. Proper stopping power. Only A2Z branded I think but a steel disc is a steel disc.

If it's still got the DMR V12 pedals then with a service these will last you a lifetime.

Hope bash ring. Probably sell that for £20 on its own.

Is it a 10 speed XT rear mech? Hopefully with a new set of jockey wheels it'll carry on running. The rear cassette will probably need replacing I guess along with the chain.

You've got a pretty bloody decent set of parts there for your £220 with or without overspray. A bit of paint thinners should see the overspray off.

As much as I'd like the bike back, what I won't do is pay for it. If I was going to do that then I would have gone straight to the seller myself.

But please also don't look to me for permission to keep the parts. That's your decision. Only you can decide that.

The frame - can I advise against ever trying to sell it? That makes you a seller of stolen property then which I'm sure is frowned upon more than buying stolen property. You wouldn't even be able to claim that you didn't know it was stolen.

If you're not going to sell the frame and are unsure of what to do with it then I'll happily collect it.

Of course, you could always contact North Wales Police and tell them you believe you may have bought a stolen bike. I can understand your reluctance in this though because it means you risk losing the money you paid to the thief. I'm sure the police could try and recover it but the lad has probably snorted it up his useless nose by now so the chances would be slim.

Would it help the police get a conviction? Probably not. I could always call them and ask if that would help you decide what to do?

My apologies for the cynicism. Despite how it looks, I actually really appreciate you making contact. It must have taken a fair bit of courage to email someone admitting you ****ed up and not knowing how they'd react.

I also hope you've learned a lesson from this whole episode.

Anyway xxxxxxxxxx, the ball is in your court. I'm going to post your email (minus any identifying features - I think you're genuine so it really wouldn't be fair) and my reply in STW and see what the guys say. Only really because there's a few guys who've been following the story so I guess they'd like to know how it finishes.

Once again, thank you for getting in touch. I really do appreciate it and know that it must have taken some balls to do it.

Regards

xxxxxxxxxx