I’ve just had both of my bikes stolen from a locked garage in Bristol, UK – side-door crow-barred open. Black Orange P7 with 29-er forks and front and rear rack plus a nearly new Trek Fuel EX9.9. Aggggghhhh! The Orange was my pride and joy, having ridden it for 6 months through North America a few years back. Utterly gutted.

I’m all over eBay, TradeIt, Preloved and GumTree plus Google Alerts and plan to visit pawn and second-hand shops tomorrow with a photo. Have also registered with stolenbikesbristol.com.

If anyone hears of the sale of similar bikes I would so appreciate your help – please message me. Also if you have any tips for other ways I might try to get them back that would also be appreciated.

Detail of bikes below:

Frame: Orange P7 2009 Matt Black 21″ Reynolds 631 Double-butted CroMo Steel
Forks: Surly Karate Monkey 2009 29″ 1 1/8″ Steerer, Surly 4130 CroMo Steel with Disc, Cantilever Mounts and Eyelets
Rims: Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite 26″ Welded, Black 36 Spoke Canti-ready (DT Swiss Competition DB Silver Spokes)
Hubs: Shimano XT Disc Front and Rear M785 36 hole with Shimano XT Quick Release
Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26″ x 1.75″ Wired, Black, Reflective
Tubes: Slime Smart Tube Schrader Valve Bicycle Tube (26″ x 1.75″ – 2.125″)
Shifters: Shimano XT M770 Rapid Fire+ 9 Speed and 3 Speed
Chainset: Shimano XT M770 175mm 22 / 32 / 44 (Hollow Tech II) 9 Speed
Front Mech: Shimano XT M770 Top Swing 9 Speed
Pedals: Time Atac Alium
Rear Cassette: Shimano XT M770 11-34 9 Speed
Rear Mech: Shimano XT M771 9 Speed SGS Long Cage
Chain: Shimano HG93 9 Speed
Brakes: Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc with Avid FR-5 Levers, 185 mm (Front) and 160 mm (Rear) Rotors and Mount Adaptor
Handlebars: Orange Supercross+ Black, BBB Classic Bar Ends BBE07, Ortlieb Ultimate 2-5 Mounting Set, YWS 636 Bell and Mirror
Headset: FSA TH 857 1″ 1/8 Black
Grips: Specialized BG Contour Locking (Black / Grey) and Kraton Gel Handgrips ‘Spiderman’ Design (Black / Red) Close End
Stem: Orange Stalk Stem 1 1/8″ Steerer Black 4-bolt, 31.8 mm Bar Clamp, 7° Rise, TBC mm Reach, with 60 mm Spacer(s)
Seat: SDG Bel Air RL Cro-Mo (Rails) Black
Seat Post: Thomson Elite In-line Black, 410 mm Length, 27.2 mm Diameter with Black Quick Release
Front Rack: Tubus Ergo Black in 25CrM4 Steel
Rear Rack: Tubus Cargo 26″ Black in 25CrM4 Steel
Rack Fittings: Tubus Rear Rack Extension x2, Tubus LM-1 Mounting Set For Forks W/O Eyelets x2
Bottle Cages: 2 x Topeak Modula XL Adjustable and 4 x AL Aluminium
Distinguishing features: x4 bottle cages, x1 of which is attached to the frame with green-wire, x2 of which are oversize capable of holding bottles of 2 litre size; black duct tape wrapped around Orange logo and on abrasion points on frame; rear-view mirror on end of handlebars; bar-ends have Spiderman grips; forks are 29ers to ensure axle-to-crown is same as factory-fit sus forks so looks a bit unusual on 26″ wheels; front and rear pannier racks; this is the one that I rode through North America for 6 months so am most gutted about this one 🙁

(racks not in picture)

Frame: Trek Fuel EX9.9 21.5″ 2012 OCLV Carbon / OCLV Carbon Stays
Forks: Fox Float RLC FIT 32 120mm 2012 tapered
Rims: Mavic XM719 26″ Black 32 Spoke (DT Swiss Competition DB Black Spokes) at front, Mavic XM819 26″ Black 32 Spoke (DT Swiss Competition DB Black Spokes) at rear
Hubs: Hope Ti Glide at rear(titanium-alloy axle) with QR, Hope Pro2 at front with QR15
Tyres: Maxxi High Roller DH Single Ply: 26″ x 2.35″ Super Tacky 42a (front) and 26″ x 2.35″ MaxxPro 60a Folding (rear)
Tubes: Continental MTB 26″ x 1.75″-2.5″ Presta 42 mm
Shifters: Shimano Deore M530 Rapid Rise 9 Speed
Chainset: Shimano XTR M970 175mm 22 / 32 / 44 (Hollow Tech II) 9 Speed with Titanium / Carbon Fibre Middle Chainring and Spire Big Ring protector (clear)
Front Mech: Shimano Deore M591 Conventional 9 Speed
Pedals: Time Roc Atac
Rear Cassette: Shimano XTR M970 11-34 9 Speed with Top 4 Cogs in Titanium Alloy
Rear Mech: Shimano XTR M970 Rapid Rise 9 Speed SGS Long Cage
Chain: Shimano HG93 9 Speed
Brakes: Hope C2 Hydraulic Disc with Hope C2 levers, 205 mm (front) and 165 mm (rear) rotors
Handlebars: Easton EA50 Monkey Bars Black
Headset: Cane Creek IS-3 E2 (top) Hope 1.5″ integral 55.9mm (bottom)
Grips: Race Face Black
Stem: Truvativ Wavo 1 1/8″ Steerer Black 4-bolt, 25.4 mm Bar Clamp, 5° Rise, 90 mm Reach, with 10 mm Spacer
Seat: SDG Bel Air RL Titanium (Rails) Black
Seat Post: Thomson Elite In-line Black, 410 mm Length, 31.6 mm Diameter with Bontrager Carbon-friendly 39.85mm QR
Distinguishing features: clear helicopter tape stuck to abrasion points on frame where cables touch frame and cables wrapped in tape and foam at same points; Evans cycles sticker on seat tube; factory-fit front-mech cable-routing is not used (cable runs under top tube instead) so there is a hole at stem and saddle ends of the top-tube as a result

(previous forks in picture)

I’m also running a Salsa 29er fork on my P7 but it doesn’t look half as odd as yours. Maybe it’s the big stack and huge seat post. 😕

Anyway sorry for your loss. 🙁

Insured?

Argh. Sorry to hear this. Where in Bristol?

@composite and @wallop, thanks for the sympathy

@composite, yes it is a bit of strange set-up at the front, longest fork I could find (Surly Karate Monkey)

@wallop, Pill area of Bristol

@hora, yup, but would really rather get them back 🙁

i hope you get them back again (and the culprit meets with the long arm of the law).

@racefaceec90, thanks mate

Orange P7 Frame / Serial Number: M8064705
Trek Fuel EX9.9 Frame / Serial Number: WTU 096 CT5185 G

Sorry to hear that. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. It may be worth a little drive around Southmead and check the notice boards in the supermarkets. That’s where mine ended up being sold on… before being recovered.

That Salsa fork is a great idea though… wanders off to browse the net…

@2orangey4crows thanks for the tips & sympathy, glad you got yours back in the end

It was about 6 months later too, so don’t give up hope!

@2orangey4crows thanks again mate

Bad luck. I’ll keep my eyes peeled too, that fork makes the orange pretty distinctive. Check round all the cashconverter type places regularly too. I take it they’re on http://www.immobilise.com/ ?
There’s been a spate round here recently. Any chance you were followed home from a local ride or tracked on strava etc?

thanks @supersaiyan, good suggestion about cash converters. i try to be conscious about being followed but you never know. don’t log routes online either. posted on stolenbristolbikes.com and got a tip about this site too https://www.facebook.com/groups/287573814634797/

Bloody Hell! That FB page is like a den of thieves! Trying hard not to be judgmental, but it’s blatantly an online fencing ring.

Just a quick note to say that miraculously, both bikes were found … still D-locked together, through the frames, D-lock replete with hacksaw marks … rather chuffed to have them back to say the least … thanks to everyone here for your support

That’s excellent news – v happy for you.

Bet you’re pretty relieved!

Cheers

Danny B

fantastic news 😀

That facebook page needs some looking into. Kona stinky full bike £350! loads of parts on there. Some maybe genuine? BUT……. Seriously. There is loads stuff on there, cheap

Excellent news, I guess theres hope for others too then. How did you get them back? Police or the vigilante self recovery method?

excellent news, bikes are just bikes, but when you loose one with memories attached it’s a very different thing!

Glad you got them back! They probably didn’t know what to do with the plastic bike..

That facebook page is sketchy. Complete charge cooker for £150- with rock shox, discs and sram x7..

Sorry to hear mate hope you get them back

Surely the Bristol Police need to be aware of that FB page (assuming they’re not already).

Good result for the OP though. Pleased for you.
(Although that P7 looks wrong, sorry!)

@dannybgoode, @racefaceec90, @dibboid, @rockhopperbike, @ska-49 and @bigyinn, thanks guys.

I’ve forwarded the police the link to the Facebook page in question, highlighted that at least some of the items on there are for sale significantly below market price which in itself could be seen as suspicious. I’ll let you know if I get any feedback from them.

As for my situation, the bikes were found dumped by someone, who (luckily) rides themselves and thought it was a bit weird so rang the police …

(as for the forks on the P7, yup, granted looks a bit odd, but anything shorter shunts the geometry out since the frame was designed for a 140mm sus fork … but, each to their own 🙂 http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/archive/2009/p7_pro/)