Today on a local ride, 4 of us stopped at a regular cafe for a bite to eat.

The bike were in view through the window and the area is a quiet little cafe at a local art centre, sat there eating we saw a wheel move and as you can imagine jumped up, throwing chairs back and out of the door.

Me and another lad laid chase to the 3 nerdowells – one of them promptly rode my bike into a post and fell off (no damage) as the other two legged it with the other bike, running in cleated shoes with studs is not easy on pavement!!

We didn’t catch the bike but got the two junior pikeys and phoned the police, who turned up very quickly, detained the two pikeys and set about recovering the bike – which they duly found dumped on the main street by the supermarket.

We went to the cop shop, the two lads admitted it and we got the bike back undamaged 🙂

Turns out they were 11 & 12 from a local pikey camp, the cops said its not worth pressing charges as they were too young and would end up with a caution anyway.

As their father came out if the cop shop, he said to me did they nick your bike, I said there were 3 of them and two bikes went. He was livid and promised them a beating on their return to the camp 🙂

So ultimately all went well after a hectic 30minutes.

Lesson learnt – even if you can see your bike lock it.

How a 5ft nothing Pikey ever thought he’d be able to ride off on a medium 29’er is beyond me, thankfully the Newley fitted 736mm wide bars caused him to hit the gate post and fall off 🙂

Turns out they were 11 & 12 from a local pikey camp, the cops said its not worth pressing charges as they were too young and would end up with a caution anyway.

id have still knocked **** out of em !

The beating won’t be for thieving, it’ll be for getting caught 😉

No chance I’m getting locked up for beating a minor!!

That makes it all the sweeter, the apology and bringing shame on them by getting caught 🙂

You mean they where adolescent members of the itinerant traveling comunity.

and im sure you miss heard the father , saying they would be grounded for a few days and made to sit on the naughty step.As adnminstering a beating to a child is morally wrong and illegal, and you wouldnt want him to go to prison for child abuse..
(PC Liberal hat on)

I didn’t and nor did the police

If youd have been riding your Nicolai, you’d have never seen it again. I bet there’s a grand in scrap Ally in one of those.

The bars are even wider on that do it’d never get through the gate 😉

We got pikeys on land opposite were I work every thing is nailed down , plod are down every day it’s a mare indeed my bike now comes into the workshop were I can see it.

If you hit two 2 x 12 year olds its the same as hitting 1 x 24 year old isnt it? ,……. Officer! ,lol

They’ll be on that Gypsy wedding program next week, the cheeky scoundrels.

…hence why carrying a lightweight cafe lock is a great idea whenever you’re out. Nothing overly strong, but enough to stop someone pushing your bike away.

who will be first lefty to come up with a pro pikey righs rant tonight then…?

…hence why carrying a lightweight cafe lock is a great idea whenever you’re out. Nothing overly strong, but enough to stop someone pushing your bike away.

I have a 12′ cable and wee padlock – enough for bikes or canoes left out of sight on riverbanks on such stops.

what a joke. Parents of minors should be fined for this sort of thing.

letting them off is as good as a green light.

who will be first lefty to come up with a pro pikey righs rant tonight then…?

Taps fingers…

Not sure you will find any pikey lovers on here.

If i do the same i usually knock the chain off the chainrings at least means the bike is not easily ridden, also if leaving them with other bikes will try anf lock the bars and pedals together again to make them slow to move.

think its a bit of mickey take the fact the police said only a caution if they had robbed a shop/bank off a few thousand £ would it be a caution just cause ‘its a bike’ it gets forgot about not the fact some people save for ages to pay for their machines not knowing the value

Not sure you will find any pikey lovers on here.

There’s one less since “he” got banned however there is at least one other who will be along to point out why you are wrong in your views… 8)

The local ‘pikeys’ send their kids out to do the thieving here as they get away with it if they do get caught. Nice way around the rules..

I’ve lived and worked amongst pikeys.. I went to school with many and have a few on my facebook friends list.. I’ve got a few friends in the other travelling communities too..

and I have nothing to add to this thread.. you get thieves in all walks of life..

I’m happy for you that you caught the little scrotes.. you don’t hear too many stories of folk on here being stupid enough to leave their bikes unlocked though.. 😉

Nice way around the rules..

I knew that trick before I was ten and I’m from a very strictly law abiding community.. 😕

Funny when i was 10 i was out play football and building dens, not thinking of ways to get round the law and thieving.

glad you got your bikes back and bad play from the police for not at least dishing out a caution but just to let you know for further reference the word “pikey” is a gypsy word for a child abuser so not a good idea to refer to gypsys as pikeys to there faces.

Funny when i was 10 i was out play football and building dens

how quaint.. well… that just goes to show that we all have different life experiences then I guess..

“Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recognize them” Edward R. Murrow

funny old world and all that..

Honestly, those cheeky tinkers!

Under different circumstances, we pressed charges and a 16yo is now a convicted bike thief. Never saw the BMX and didn’t get any compensation.

The sentence was 18 hours community service. That works out at me paying £23 per hour 😡

They did get cautioned as far as I know as they admitted it straight to the cops.

No charges were pressed on the advice of the police as they said it’d never get anywhere.

Wouldn’t call them that directly.

Yeah it was daft leaving them unlocked, but it’s a very low crime area and you just don’t expect it, we’ve sorted a light but strong lock that’ll lock 4 bikes together for the future 🙂