Leigh Woods night riding paranoia…?

Just read the report about that robbery in Downend, poor b*stard

if I could keep up with you, I’d offer to ride with you as some sort of deterrent.

It’s if they catch me at the end of laying down a bitching Strava segment that worries me</tongue-in-cheek>

Not really sure what else you can do? I don’t expect forming a big lynch mob and tackling every group of people you find in LW that don’t look like cyclists is going to help… 😐

I’d love to pwn some bike thieves with some Bombers, but unfortunately they got nicked last Friday 😉

We’ve got to ask ourselves how we came to be in a situation where thieves are going out of their way to specifically steal push-bikes.

Perhaps it’s something to do with their high resale value, their relative anonymity, the infinitely renewing supply created by insurance claims, and the no-questions-asked second hand market? 😕

Perhaps it’s something to do with their high resale value, their relative anonymity, the infinitely renewing supply created by insurance claims, and the no-questions-asked second hand market?

+1

Perhaps it’s also the criminal justice system not taking it seriously,

1) coppers who can’t be bothered to do even the minimum to investigate / follow up other people’s invetigations (yes, I know they’re not all bad, but I’re read more reports of CBA coppering than diligent ones)

2) Lack of any significant punishment when they do get caught – tbh I can understand why the average flatfoot doesn’t want the hassle and paperwork of nicking a bike thief when the local beak treats it as “just a nicked bike” and hands down derisory non-punishments in so many cases.

What other form of easily transported, small, easily sold on commodity with a retail value of several thousand pounds could the average scrote easily nick in the knowledge that there’s hardly any chance they’ll be caught and, if they do get caught, there’s virtually no risk of any meaningful punishment anyway?

i find listening to my i-pod when on solo night rides helps with the paranoia

Talking to the coppers in Bristol who deal with bike crime, it seems there are a few issues. The system that police use to record crimes is antiquated and the idea that a bike can cost more than £100 is quite alien to some. Of course you’re not necessarily going to know how much a bike is worth just by looking at it unless you have some background knowledge, it’s like any other specialist hobby. However they are starting to treat it as a serious issue.

If you feel the local police are neglecting bike theft then you can go along to your area’s PACT meeting and get it added to their priorities.

The sentencing thing is a bit more vexed. Part of me thinks it would be great to get all the thieves off the streets and locked up in a big box, but when even the justice secretary is arguing against harsher custodial sentences (and he might well have a point) then it’s not that straightforward.

Like everything, it’s more complicated than it looks. But I’d certainly point to a ready buyer’s market and the easy anonymous fencing possibilities of the internet as one of the reasons that bike theft isn’t going away.

I say cut off their hands, they wouldn’t even be able to mug you and ride off that way…

Was i the only person who thought this thread was going to be about the giant vampire spider werewolves that only come out into the woods on night rides?

Weredeer are the real nasty beasties. Whoever heard of vampire spider werewolves?

get all the thieves off the streets and locked up in a big box

…….which is then slowly filled with water.

Seriously though – some very good points re: the “blind eye” sometimes turned by people when they see ridiculously low second hand prices.

Shame there’s not a local copper like that one on the South coast (was it MBR that ran the feature?) who took in on himself to really go in and investigate, and smashed that massive theft ring.

Just to add, no one in the woods at all tonight, except for loads of riders! I still hit 120mph on the way home just to be sure I wasn’t being tailed…

It was wasn’t half warm out tonight! Didn’t go into LW but to the road bike out and was sweating my tits of in a autumn LS jersey.
It was a brother of my wife’s friend that was ram raided in Staple Hill for his bikes on Monday night. Apparently he was followed home from LW at the weekend. Not good.

Bloody cold up there today!

Bloody cold up there today!

Looks nice though.

I’m on nights this weekend, so no biking for me. 🙁

Fifty Acre was very pretty.

The system that police use to record crimes is antiquated and the idea that a bike can cost more than £100 is quite alien to some. Of course you’re not necessarily going to know how much a bike is worth just by looking at it unless you have some background knowledge, it’s like any other specialist hobby. However they are starting to treat it as a serious issue.

good to know that the wealthier the victim, the more serious the issue.. 😆

I had my door smashed in lastnight about a week after they had a go at my Asgard. I did wake up and they knew I was in the hallway but despite this – they carried on smashing! Luckily for me the house alarm was on which alerts the police so they scarpered. I’m not even sure what they are after since my bike is not really worth much being quite a few years old.
I got a look at them through my smashed door, there were 3 males – one of them wearing a light coloured hoodie. These people are prepared to take more risk given the aggregated nature of my incident and others.

hope they catch the f*ckers goyawave 🙁

Mine was an Asgard that got broken into last week – my pet theory is that they target Asgard sheds as they must reckon something valuable’s inside.

They definitely went at my Asgard with a plan and some proper tools – there have been 3 done over in Bristol in the last week to my knowledge.

Sorry to read about your ride fuzzhead.

I’d be interested to know which part of your shed failed first? However, I’d rather not discuss it openly because we shouldn’t create the idiots guide to breaking into sheds. Ultimately they timed out on mine thanks to my neighbours.,

The tinnier bike sheds around my area appear to have not been targeted.

By the way, Asgard have been great with providing space parts.

Does anybody know if there is an open group type thing for riders to turn up and ride at AC/LW at night?
I wouldn’t mind giving a night ride a go but have nobody to ride with and reading this post is putting me off. If there was an organised meet time / place for people to turn up then I would give it a go.

Wave jumper, if you live near portishead / Nailsea a group of us often do AC/LW and finish off with a pint in the lack horse Clevedon. Look up gordano bike on Facebook.

theres also bristol mountain bike club (tues/thurs) and cheesy riders (mon/wed iirc)

OK thanks. Unfortunately I don’t like near portishead / Nailsea but more north of the city centre.
I might look up the MBC or cheesy riders. Are they open (and friendly) to new members and how much does it cost to join?
Might have to give that a go as I don’t fancy it on my own for my 1st attempt at night riding.

Wavejumper – I live about 15 mins ride from LW/AC and try to get up there a couple of evenings a week for a spin. My email is in my profile, drop me a line if you’d like to arrange something.

Generally can’t get out for the BMBC/CR ones as they start about 6:30 which is a bit too early for me to get home from work and then back out – 7:30 onwards is a bit more realistic.

🙂

They broke into his garage and then, realising the bikes weren’t there, the thieves kicked his front door in (possibly the “ram raiding” referred to above – I’m not aware of anyone actually driving a car into someone’s house to gain entry)

My brother in law lived in Ham Green in a house with an integral garage. Thieves ram-raided the garage door to get at his bike…which was a cheap commuter. They dumped it in a hedge.

Cheesy Rides tend to be Mondays 7pm and Saturdays 11am lately. Drop me a note if you fancy a ride, I’ll let you know what’s on and let them know to expect you.

Ransos, sounds like a nasty business. And more proof if it were needed that you can never underestimate the stupidity of bike thieves.

Trust you instincts +1

Or

Be the one thats scary