My mate in Inners had logs delivered onto his drive, his father in law* was there when the guys arrived, popped the garage roller door up to load bags in out the rain, both SC Hightowers stolen a few nights later. They jacked the roller garage door with a bottle jack.
*Said father in law had ELEVEN bikes stolen from his own garage last month.
Couple of locals are spotting for a thieving scrote from Dalkieth apparently.
^ wonder if it's the same gentleman that tried to nick a dirt bike off me in Dalkeith years ago.
That was a fun day out.
OP would you have said the same if you were visited by someone from another set profession?
Yes, 100%.
At the risk of sounding a bit UKIPPER - some of my best friends are tradesmen - that bit wasn't remotely the issue, amusing as it is that it's what's been latched onto 😉
It was I agree - most likely - totally innocent; but I'd wager none of the handwringers have ever actually had anything of value stolen before. It's a deeply unpleasant experience.
My, sadly accurate, answer (for my fleet) would probably be: “not any more – unfortunately 26 inch wheels aren’t cool any more, you’d probably struggle to sell them at all”.
Yeah, no. They would sell, easily.
"amusing as it is that it’s what’s been latched onto" because that's what you wrote.
Yep had houses broken into and stuff stolen. Very unpleasant. Especially when they get in whilst you are still asleep and you dont hear them.
Couple of locals are spotting for a thieving scrote from Dalkieth apparently.
Aye, that's where the suspicion seems to fall. The 11 bike's nicked were in whitburn mind, that's bandit country.
Why would anyone eat a tasty burger
Ask Brad.
You're going to get no response from Flock of Seagulls.
Ah the classic middle class STW disdain for the working classes.....and people wondered why I said that I was feeling a bit embarrassed about becoming a supermarket van driver when my career went down the pan due to Covid....
If you trust them to do work well. Surely you trust them to not to rob you blind.
Or am I missing something
Ah the classic middle class STW disdain for the working classes…..and people wondered why I said that I was feeling a bit embarrassed about becoming a supermarket van driver when my career went down the pan due to Covid…
Mate, we're all working class on here, as soon as you consider yourself middle class, you've acheived walloper status. 🙂
I think OP should sleep in the garage for the next year just to be safe. Surely he has bike packing equipment that can be used for this task?
Personally I’d not even think about it and just get on with my life. Had two bikes nicked in the past. One of them was recovers and I was livid because it was shit.
Just find out where he lives and rob all his tools from the back of his van as a pre-emptive strike. The locks on those doors are notoriously weak. While I also have had my heart sink at the “Are they dear bikes theym” I suppose the correct reply is "Are,errr, dem tools dear???"
I also ride with a lot of tradesmen and yes they do have a fair few S-Works Tarmac and Pinarello's. All bought and paid for though.
Paid for with stolen tools!
Time to invest in beefed up garage door security, CCTV and a Doberman?
Dobermans can be easily bribed with biscuits or ham in my experience of several of them.
My mate had a similarish problem
The plumber told his wife how much his bikes really cost!
Dobermans can be easily bribed with biscuits or ham in my experience of several of them.
I’ve often wondered if it would work as a distraction for guard dogs to properly start fussing over them, ‘who’s a good boy?’ ‘Wanna play fetch?’ ‘Go for a ride in the car?’ Etc.
I’ve yet to find a willing participant for my study. Or a person to play the burglar role.
My mate had a similarish problem
The plumber told his wife how much his bikes really cost!
Like!
Hmm i know of tea leaf tradies , one came across an X- rated room and proceeded to take home some of the footage recorded in camera still set up , another i know of worked for a temoval company and would acquire aftershave and jewellery before the goods got to europe ... yes there is thieving scrotes and desireables out there You just never quite sure where ...
slowoldman
Ask Brad.
I believe he was actually called Brett </pedant>
As others have said, most likely he’s trying to work out how much flex there is in his quote.
Chances are he’ll make more money quicker through an honest days work. I really wouldn’t worry about it in the context of this encounter, but if you feel your bikes are easy to pinch generally, maybe think of this as a timely reminder to install that hard point.
I believe he was actually called Brett
I wondered what the hell it had to do with me ??
My builder turned up in a bright orange maclaren 720s - after he had won the job, before he won the job , he arrived in a battered transit.
And his quote was the cheapest by a long way of all the quotes we had!
He got the job done, on time and on original budget
Walked into a flat last month and commented on the guys nice collection of carbon road bikes hanging on the wall. He got quite wary till I listed my collection of bikes and then I gave him a quote totally irrespective of his bike collection and did the job. Shock horror I didn't go back to steal them or bump the price up. He was a white collar worker from a bank so I made sure he didn't pinch my tools as we all know how much they cost us a few years ago.
Walked into a flat last month and commented on the guys nice collection of carbon road bikes hanging on the wall. He got quite wary till I listed my collection of bikes and then I gave him a quote totally irrespective of his bike collection and did the job.
Sounds like you found you had a common interest and struck up a conversation based on that interest, ie, you had a normal and non-suspicious human interaction.
You didn't spot something that was valuable, relatively easy to steal, and easy to sell on and then say, 'How much are they worth?' with no other context.
Someone once knocked on my door asking if I wanted the driveway re done. I said no thank you and we got chatting about cars. Then he asked what the I put on the tow bar on my car as it was a small car at the time. I very promptly said a small trailer for garden waste. He didn't want to chat much after that. So suspicious!
No Bruce I pointed out to him people in dirty clothes also have hobbies and his casual racism against people who don't wear clean clothes for a living was unfounded.
No Bruce I pointed out to him people in dirty clothes also have hobbies and his casual racism against people who don’t wear clean clothes for a living was unfounded.
I'm quite open in my interpretation of racism but even I don't extend the definition to include what kind of clothes people wear. You can always change your clothes, after all. For instance, I used finish work absolutely filthy but now I work in a nice clean office. POC will never be able to change what makes them a target for racism so I would maybe tone down the victimhood.
Many of us who have had bikes stolen get nervous about anyone knowing about our collection, especially if that person is asking how much they are worth. I don't care if the person is wearing a three piece suit or oil stained covies, I'm going to be suspicious.
Try not to take it personally.
Works the other way round. I had a tradesman object to me taking his favourite parking space on the street outside his house with the excuse of "there's thirty grand of tools in this van, I want it where I can see it".
He was an absolute knob and I'm pretty sure he'd have keyed my car if I hadn't moved it, so I waited until he went to bed and wrote "£30,000 of tools inside" in the dirt on the back.
Not including the one that usually drives it.
Local bike shop country cycles just had 5 serious e bikes stolen (santa cruz bullit reserve level) 44k for 5. The reactions to the police page explaining the price tells you everything you need to know!
Knob@Flaperon. Gets his tools stolen he can’t work, pay bills and feed his kids.
Local bike shop country cycles just had 5 serious e bikes stolen (santa cruz bullit reserve level) 44k for 5. The reactions to the police page explaining the price tells you everything you need to know!
Related to that, a mate had his £8000 road bike written off when someone pulled out of a side road straight into him. She was very keen to avoid any insurance and offered to pay for a new bike.
Asked if £200 would cover it...
Knob@Flaperon. Gets his tools stolen he can’t work, pay bills and feed his kids.
I'd say the way acted he was less about his kids dying of starvation and more about him feeling entitled to throw his weight about. What does he do, spend all night every night sitting at the window staring at his van?
If you don't want people to be a dick to you then don't be a dick to them.
Gets his tools stolen
If parking "where he can see it" is the or a crucial preventative to not having his stuff nicked, I'd venture he's not really bothered about having his stuff nicked. The theatre might put his mind at ease tho, which is fairy nuff.
Maybe the tradesman are acting like that 'cos you guys use that word as a pejorative term.
Sky bus drivers.... They're all the same, blah, blah, blah.
What does he do, spend all night every night sitting at the window staring at his van?
I'm going to guess probably not, but not impossible he has a CCTV camera aimed at a specific spot outside his house. Though that's a guess at best, and absolutely no justification for him acting like a dick.
Knob@Flaperon. Gets his tools stolen he can’t work, pay bills and feed his kids.
Honestly, I don't give a shit.
If I'd left 30 grand's worth of tools in the van, I wouldn't leave them in the van.
No Bruce I pointed out to him people in dirty clothes also have hobbies and his casual racism against people who don’t wear clean clothes for a living was unfounded.
Well done, we need people calling out Anti-cementism.
B'dum tish
Well done, we need people calling out Anti-cementism.
"Doffs cap" 🙂
