I've come across a guy selling bike parts on Facebook which look to be from stripped down stolen bikes.
7 modern nearly new shocks, 5 rear mechs, cranks, axels, shifters etc. All part of a "Garage clearout" following "upgrades". Who has 7 shocks just laying around in their garage? 99% sure it's stolen property.
Profile looks to be fake, but says he's in Dorset.
What would STW do? I don't want to get involved by contacting him. I suspect if the Police are informed they wont do much - it'd need them to do a sting-job to locate him. Boils by p**s that thieves can get away with it so blatantly.
So you have no idea whatsoever if these parts are stolen or not but you want to call the cops "just in case"
I'd suggest a cycle outdoors would be in order to combat your obvious stir craziness.
correct, it's just a suspicion but it seems reasonably grounded given the number of shocks. Does anyone on here have that many good spec, fully functioning shocks in their garage?
Take away the online element and if someone was selling parts like that at a car boot sale it would ring alarm bells.
To be fair to the OP I've seen that post earlier and the amount of the same kit plus very anonymous profile is very suspicious.
Plus the seller must absolutely detest RS rear shocks, and immediately swap out his bolt through axles with each new bike (which must arrive on a regular basis)
Without any evidence our over worked and under funded police will do absolutely nothing, which is exactly what they should do...
These are more likely off the back of a lorry or stolen from a business rather than stolen from bikes and stripped, just based off of how brand new those jockey wheels (well, all of it really) are looking. Theres not a spec of crud or single scratch on any of it.
Doesn't make it right if it is stolen mind, just pointing it out.
EDIT: On further inspection maybe I'm wrong. There is some wear and tear on some of the items. The guy really has cleaned em up!
Ummmm....
Dose look suspicious but equally might be a pro who just changed sponsors.
I'm not defending the seller, it is an unusual one, but don't underestimate how much expensive bike stuff some people can hoard. Or how often some people swap bikes.
Also, if you were smart enough to strip the bikes before fencing parts, wouldn't you be smart enough not to advertise like that?
Seems to be a fair business nowadays buying SH bikes and stripping/selling them for far more than they cost the seller. I’m always a bit wary of them. Shocks might not sell as well hence why he has a few of them?
Also, if you were smart enough to strip the bikes before fencing parts, wouldn’t you be smart enough not to advertise like that?
Could be the Facebook Marketplace equivalent of wearing a Hi-Viz jacket! Be so blatant that few, if anyone, questions you.
How many small-time scrotes would wait until they have a nice collection of bits to sell on? Surely they would just strip and sell as they get stuff in order to fund whatever habit it is they are feeding.
Report it. If it gets to local cop and they have time then they might pop round. Or seller might be known locally as perp/keen cyclist and appropriate action taken.
Are you aware you can report the post and FB will review? I wouldnt bother the police.
Equally, could be a shop selling stuff on the side for cash.
Just down the road from me....🤔
There are bikes getting nicked all over the place. Scumbags know that it's 'safer' to sell parts and there's a strong market for them. So where is this stuff all being sold - certainly not on the underground but presumably on FB, Gumtree, ebay and Pinkbike etc. Challenge is differentiating between 'shops' (relatively easy - tends to be mostly or only new stuff, an audit trail to physical premises or a company number, some evidence of a trading history), serial part swappers / builders and scumbags and all we have is our own investigative capability, intuition and ethics.
seems its gone.
did his profile have any obvious to indicate he might be a bike rider?
had similar the other week, guy selling several bit of bikes sans frame (very little open info on his profile, no cycling stuff), with descriptions like "fork" for what was obvious a modern rockshox fork with a single rubbish picture, says it to me all really. No idea what you supposed to do about it though, as though I found it obviously suspicious, why would a non mtb-er even give it a 2nd thought.
Does anyone on here have that many good spec, fully functioning shocks in their garage?
Umm, yeah... Most are on bikes but if I couldn’t ride any more, that’s how I’d sell em.
Absolutely not vouching for the guy, but plenty of people with industry connections/pros/influencers. (Gee Milner, Ben Deakin off the top of my head) do use FB to advertise stuff. Not all at once, mind.
Right to be suspicious, but maybe not ‘obviously stolen’
I think some people just do this kind of thing for a living, buying full bikes and parting them out. That's not to say there are also people who are doing the same without actually buying the bikes. This guy on ebay for example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/granniegear/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
Who's to know where his stock comes from?
That's odd - I found GrannieGear this morning. I reckon he's buying old complete bikes - which just don't fetch what the parts are worth - then selling all the parts cleaned up. But his prices are....well...hopeful. Asking what would have been full retail for a lot of this stuff in battered used condition is pushing it. There were some completely unremarkable Ritchey grips he's asking £20 for
£50! for a crud catcher. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crud-Catcher-Guard-Choice-Front-Rear-Mountain-Bike-Mudguards-MTB-Raceguard-Race/323571317252?hash=item4b565a7a04:g:ppoAAOSwAx9b~Eia
Looks a bit like the assorted bundle of bits that CRC are selling on their eBay site
Facebook marketplace is something else. A £20 'sexy Girl Scout' haloween Costume. A £20k
speedboat
And this doesn't look dodgy at all -
Wow, steal to order (or let us know what sort you have so we can steal yours).
He seems to know exactly what each part is, which is unlike any dodgy sale I’ve seen
How about this guy? Selling stolen bikes? Poor quality descriptions and photos with lots of disassembled bikes in the background.
A quick reality check - Why report it to the pilice? What do you expect?
I reported my garage had been broken into and £5,000 of bikes had been stolen
I reported that I could see their fingerprints and face prints where they looked through the window first.
I reported three eye witnesses watching them ride the stolen bikes down the main street in Shirley, Southampton, where there are 6 CCTV cameras that would have captured the images.
I reported the time all of this happened.
I got given a crime number and asked to stop wasting their time when I phoned in about finger prints and CCTV as they had already closed the case.