Meant to say, a scally is a scally whatever the colour of their skin so the only relevance of pointing that out is that’s who I saw last night looking dodgy.

Mate was followed on his bike btw, as we all cycled home.

having to check that no-one is following you home? Bloody hell.

shaped charges in the garage FTW.

dly, you can’t trust kids either.

We were followed by three boys on bikes, around 12 years old, through Southmead hospital. We waited, they did, we went in circles, they followed. Proper stalking us. Eventually challenged them and pointed out the cctv cameras we were all standing under, they scooted.

Apparently the kids get money for telling the big boys where the nice bikes are.

I wonder how much of the stuff on the STW classifieds is nicked…. there have been a few dodgy adverts on there recently that have made me wonder.

I looked at somebody’s selling history, and it looks like they had split 4 or 5 bikes in the last month – of course it could be perfectly genuine, but it made me wonder.

The point being – are we part of the problem?

Obviously stay on your guard, but try to remember there’s an element of this too..

I must admit I have seen a few people recently that don’t look like regular bikers…. But then I tried to remember when I was a teenager and didnt have 2k to spend on a bike

I know it’s not easy, and sometimes may not be practical, but maybe try engaging these kids a bit if you feel able..

yes, it’s possible that they may be part of a gang of thieves, but it’s also the school holidays and some may just be up there inspired by the olympics, admiring cool bikes and hero worshipping a bit..

batfink – Member

The point being – are we part of the problem?

Undoubtedly – people need to be wary of who they’re potentially buying from and not let a ‘bargain’ cloud their judgement. It’s all about supply and demand.

@ yunki

There will be some of that yunki – good point well made.

Yunki – a fair point and as I said I tried to be objective as to their presence up there. The more people getting out on the trails the better. But only if they’re up there for the right reasons!

Been riding in Ashton Court for 20 years (blimey that makes me feel old) and have never seen such a suspicious group. My suspicions were confirmed when my mate was followed. I may not be right but seems too much of a coincidence to me I’m afraid.

Would be happy to be proved wrong!

Also at the camp site at Betws-y-coed used to get people driving in, doing a lap and then leaving. woke up next morning and someone’s bike gone from the roof.

I’d have to be on the moon to leave my bike on the roof rack whilst I slept.

Not saying they deserved it but FFS… 🙄

massive problem in southwales. have had two bikes stolen myself. both times expensive full sus stolen and £500 hardtail left behind. police are taking it seriously and believe a gang is targeting cwmcarn and afan. valuable parts are sold and the frames (as they are traceable)being ditched.

Just to balance things out I did a few laps at AC/LW last night and my bike wasn’t stolen! In fact there was very few people about and definatly no gangs of crooks lurking in the woods.

this is very depressing.

Keep meaning to head into Bristol to try out the new trails and will have to have our bikes on the roof of the car but worried they will take down the reg or something. We live way out of Bristol but still worried.

Andy – please dont get too Daily Mail about this, as pointed out above, the trails have 10,000s of users and still relatively few thefts. Mountain biking itself is risky, so dont be put off.

It’s a sad state of affairs though when you have to ride home via back lanes and cul de sacs to avoid being tailed, but I’m sort of glad to hear the police have confirmed this and are taking action.

Someone must have these kids on GoPro already, I’ve got the impression that most bikes now come pre-built with cameras on them?!

And what about the risks of using Strava? It’s not my thing at all, but I’ve read articles about suspected links between house burglaries and those publishing routes near their addresses.

(final point – I know I’m a very long way from being the quickest rider on here, but I’m sure I’d out run most groups of 12 year olds that tried to follow me…?)

I think the smart trick is to have 4 or 5 different ride routes home. I have several, all of which include technical and twisty bits so I could shake anyone off who is following me on a bike.

And if you live a little bit further from AC, it makes sense to drive and park somewhere away from AC, then vary your route back to the car each time………

don’t worry, I’m not going to be put off. I’ll just head back a different way which will put em off the scent 8)

One thing I would suggest to anyone being followed is if you have someone in the car with you get them to call the police. If not then make a detour past your local police station or make a note of where the police normally park up – eg the triangle or down by college green.

I used to live right by the Uni and had a bike stolen several years ago. I now live somewhere much safer but I am just doing up my flat to rent out and my flat is perfect for a cycling enthusiast so I am hoping to find a nice cyclist or cycling couple to rent it and will be happy to spend a few £100 beefing up the physical security for them as I would do it for myself if moving back in and I believe in treating others as i would want to be. Security is already better than most places but it won’t take much to make it a lot better with some heavy ironwork and a bit of time with a welder and concrete.

And what about the risks of using Strava?

Very wise to remove your last name from public view IMO.

Also you can set it to mask your exact address on your routes.

I’d have to be on the moon to leave my bike on the roof rack whilst I slept.

Yeah they were new enthusiasts, wide eye’d and innocent. Bless… foruntatley one of our group had a spare bike to lend them, they came on a ride with us round machno so still enjoyed it, and were insured…

But mine go in the car locked together, and often with cans on string in and amongst…

Was in Cwmcarn car park about a month ago loading my bike into my car when a couple of guys in a Fiesta drove past. It looked like the guy in the passenger seat was holding a camcorder pointed out the window. I wondered what it was for and when I stood up to have a better look they sped off. Should have taken a note of their reg and reported it.

Will try to be more observant in future….

his is very depressing.

Keep meaning to head into Bristol to try out the new trails and will have to have our bikes on the roof of the car but worried they will take down the reg or something. We live way out of Bristol but still worried.

I don’t think this is peculiar only to Bristol for a Minute. I know that the Cheltenham Cycling club were warning of stuff like this happening over the last couple of years. If you are advertising £££ worth of kit riding it or sticking it on top of your car you may get followed where ever you are. My mate has had a few bikes nicked from Chelt and they were definitely not random events.

I met 2 guys at CwmCarn who had lost bikes like this, I think it happens everywhere

@andyl – Don’t worry about it, crime in Bristol is no worse (or better) than any other popular trail centre. We have a massive MTB community here so gossip like this spreads like wild fire.

It’s not a new phenomenon either although I guess it’s just got easier to publicise online and on social media.

Years ago, there used to be a round of the Welsh National MTB Series held at Kilvey Hill in Swansea. They stopped using the venue after a gang of kids diverted the race route down a steep hill to a clearing, the first few riders down there were promptly relieved of their bikes mid-race by the gang just jumping out when the riders came to a dead end.

I’ll be heading up there on Saturday morning, might take the GoPro with me…

batfink – Member

The point being – are we part of the problem?

Undoubtedly – people need to be wary of who they’re potentially buying from and not let a ‘bargain’ cloud their judgement. It’s all about supply and demand.

This, this and this.

I’m getting so bored of people fantasising about beating bike thieves to a pulp, when the other side of the problem – people buying the stolen stuff – seems to go completely unaddressed.

eBay have successfully resisted attempts to introduce anti-fencing measures, such as a requirement to submit the details of items sold by users with a turnover beyond a certain threshold so they can be checked against theft reports.

If people were serious about stopping bike theft they would stop buying untraceable second-hand kit.

Dont forget, if you buy bike parts form someone who turns out to be dealing stolen goods, then you have almost certainly given them your address and let them know you own an expensive bike all in one go. No need to be followed home by a Ford Puma for them to know where you live and what you ride…

I’ve heard stories of people buying expensive kit, at bargain price, off eBay and then being “relieved” of their new parts plus other household items shortly after.

Fortunately you can do a bit of “due dilligence” on people’s selling history on here before you buy from them…. not perfect I know, but enough to make you think twice.

eBay have successfully resisted attempts to introduce anti-fencing measures, such as a requirement to submit the details of items sold by users with a turnover beyond a certain threshold so they can be checked against theft reports.

Always believed that ebay is the world’s biggest fence, I never buy second hand bike bits from there, because I just don’t trust them.

batfink – Member
I wonder how much of the stuff on the STW classifieds is nicked…. there have been a few dodgy adverts on there recently that have made me wonder.

I looked at somebody’s selling history, and it looks like they had split 4 or 5 bikes in the last month – of course it could be perfectly genuine, but it made me wonder.

The point being – are we part of the problem?

my brother experienced something similar with 3 bikes he had stolen, one ended up being resold on e-bay and was successfully recovered despite the local police being useless

but he was more hacked off when he noted a STW forum member showing off anearly new 29er complete build on STW that had been bought from an e-bayer which was basically an exact combination of frame and parts from his two 29er bikes that were stolen down to ths same qr’s/grips and chainstay protector

my point being – yes i do believe a good 10-20% of kit on the classifieds is actually stolen – but we look the other way because its a good deal and we kid ourselves to believe that sellers here are all good guys with the same values – when they clearly are not

traders should be banned and a minimum post count of 100 posts before you can use the For Sale section imo

he was more hacked off when he noted a STW forum member showing off anearly new 29er complete build on STW that had been bought from an e-bayer which was basically an exact combination of frame and parts from his two 29er bikes that were stolen down to ths same qr’s/grips and chainstay protector

Orange, got a link to that?

Think I may have passed some spotters up on the Ridgeway as well. You get a lot of bike traffic along there on a nice day. As I approached a car park I saw a car with a couple of youths watching me approach. As igot closer they got out and definitely checked my bike out. I checked over my shoulder after I’d gone by and he was straight on the phone. Now there’s another car park you pass through in half a mile, and maybe I was reading too much into it, but I decided to turn off before I got there.

Orange, got a link to that?

just done a search but can’t find it – may have been the old forum, it was a while back

Don’t worry, I’ve just remembered this classic:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/not-another-nicked-ibis-mojo

anyone know how afan is regarding thefts at the moment going on my own tomorrow and sleeping in car with bike. cheers

Sounds like you’ve got nothing to worry about then…

Went up AC last night, never known it so busy! 😯

Was photographed by a ruffian at the end of the M32 with the bikes on the roof rack… Wasn’t followed tho. 😉