Really… why.

Parked up in Tintagel carpark a couple of weeks back and someone seems to have taken a dislike to my Whyte. Whether it was because I had been rude enough to lock it onto the bike rack so they couldn’t just “take” it I have no idea.

Absolutely gutted – I only noticed a while later and this was the only time it has been left unattended, but I can not be sure so can’t report it and can’t get a crime number and can’t claim on insurance.

My forks have ball hammer type dents in the lower castings, the chain was twisted through 45 degrees longitudinally and the X9 rear mech is slightly bent. I have managed to get it kind of working, but it is looking somewhat sorry for itself, and I have no idea how long the forks are going to last with the pain knocked off them and massive dents.

Alas I am pretty much living at the point where I just about break even each month so can’t just go and repair and replace things.

Absolutely gutted. Almost to the point of stripping the bike down and selling parts and simply giving up. Almost. Instead I will just have to try and slowly save to replace the bits that are wrecked rather than slowly saving towards buying a hardtail as I had planned. Hopefully the forks will see me through the winter and next summer before being sent to the scrap heap.

I have a old 9 speed rear Mec you can have mate. XT one.chin up

smile and move on, let karma sort it out.

can you or someone you know strip the forks and see if any real damage is done, could just be cosmetic

I’ll happily send you a chain over free of charge mate.

Scumbags.

Let me know your address via email and I’ll send it out.

Sorry to hear that. If you report the facts as you believe them to the police, they should give you a crime number even if they decide it’s not worth investigating. Just give the reason why you didn’t report it at the time; it’s all true so even though you can’t prove it you’re not being dishonest. It may be useful intelligence for them if other bikes have been attacked. Good luck.

Get the CCTV for it,Most car parks have it.

Cheers, will give them a call later on. I got a new chain the other day and have adjusted the mech so it kinda works (damn close to the spokes on the big cog at the back, but it is clearing it… just). I will pick up a new mech as and when I see a discounted one I think, unless it proves unusable once I get out for a proper ride that is! If all else fails I could go to a clutchless model further down the range next month perhaps.

Only had the bike for a few months which makes it even worse – it is usually in the truck cab/bed under a hard top but there wasn’t the space with all the camping gear for a fortnight with the toddlers and since that was the only time it was out of my sight, but open to attack, it is the only place I can think it happened.

Gutted for you, how does someone smack ten bells out of your forks in a car park and not get noticed?

I have no idea – it wasn’t exactly quiet.

it is the only place I can think it happened.

Didn’t you notice as soon as you returned to the bike ?

As for “why?”, do you thing the damage could have been caused by someone trying to nick the bike and using it for leverage to try and break the lock ? That’s what happened to my commuting hack bike at a local railway station, twisted bike rack and rear wheel 🙁

If you can pay postage I’ve got some forks you can borrow til you can sort out some new ones. Magura Ronin 110 if they’re any good to you?

29er so probably not. I can’t find Reba RLTs with 120mm travel easily so it is going to be a fork upgrade too I suspect.

Cheers for the offer though. The bike shop thought it should be okay for a bit, possibly quite a while, but I am just a touch nervous. The Lakes are wet in the winter… actually… pretty much all year around, and I am not a light and delicate rider! Hence I had been hoping to get a hardtail/fatbike for the winter and keep the bouncy bike for the better weather.

Hard to know what to say about that. Even harder to understand the reasoning behind it – you might well be right about a frustrated thief as I know that does happen where they trash things if the theft doesn’t work out how they planned. They did a fair bit of damage to things around the garden at a friend’s house when they couldn’t get into the shed where his motorbike and mountain bike were. Still don’t understand the logic of it as they’re taking a risk by spending more time there for no actual benefit other than spite, but I guess that’s just how some people are. There are also some people who would do it simply because you have something nice that they don’t. Just as well not everyone’s like that.

Hope you get it all sorted out in the end, and don’t give up on it as that would no doubt make them very pleased with themselves if they knew – your one way to spite them is to make the best of a bad job and enjoy your bike as much as possible. Especially since it’s a Whyte and you therefore clearly have impeccable good taste. 😀

Bloody hell! There are some very nice people on this forum! The offers of parts to help out are outstanding 😀

Yeah, I agree billytinkle – I was only coming on to have a bit of a vent!

That sucks about your bike, there are some real cretins around.

I’ve just stripped down my 9 speed hardtail, so my bits box is fairly full right now. Just post on here if you desperately need anything. I’d rather the spares keep you cycling than just gather dust in my garage.

I would certainly report it.

Do you have accidental damage cover with your insurance?

Have a set of 29er Reba lowers from team riders forks, need new bushings but can sort them for you

was your mech 9 speed? I’ve got a very used x9 one with seized jockey wheels that you are welcome to, swap your jockey wheels onto it and you are away. let me know, I’m happy to pop it in the post for you. its literally of no use to me as Ive moved to shimano, and it would be better than you stuffing a mech into the spokes and adding to your woes

That’s just plain rubbish behaviour (by the vandal).
Hope you get it sorted, some great offers of help above, very commendable all round

And that’s why I love STW – can’t see the offers flooding in on pinkbike or Bikeradar! I do hope you get it sorted and get riding again without fear soon 🙂

That’s awful. I’ve had drunks kick in the wheels of a bike I left locked up * but it sounds like whoever did this to your Whyte soberly and deliberately caused damage. Is there a possibility that somebody doesn’t like you and targeted the bike having recognised it as yours? I don’t buy the idea that someone trying to steal the bike would damage it, one less valuable thing to steal then. Hope you manage to get the CCTV footage, sometimes places will charge for doing this but there’s a limit, don’t think they can ask for more than a tenner. As others have said, it’s still worth reporting to the police – they may have had other reports of similar damage from other people.

* In full view of a police car #happyending.

You need a rough old hack of a bike for leaving parked up. I have a 17.5inch Planet X Armadillo frame going spare if it fits and we can figure how to get it from Huddersfield to wherever you are.

i had v brakes that didn’t work on my pub bike. Tried everything as they were seized up. Then tried some boiling water..hey presto – started working again. The reason…Someone had poured superglue into them. Boiling water kills superglue. The reason, a fustrated thief no doubt in town.People do not generally walk around with superglue in their pockets. Pretty minor I know but shows you what can happen.

I’d take up the offer of one of those rear mechs if it was me mate, Don’t want to ruin your rear wheel if it goes into the spokes. Hope everything gets sorted.

Hey Rob, you’re based near Ulverston aren’t you ? I’ve got a sram 9 speed cassette and chain you can have if you like. Send me your address and I’ll drop them off next time I’m up. Probably be in the next couple of weeks . Cheers

Just been having a wee look, I think I can stretch to an X7 rear mech to keep me going over winter! Cheers for the offers though, but switching to 9 speed would need a new cassette and shifters too so would probably cost me a bit more.

The forks *should* hold up for a bit, and having realised that I should have just finished paying off my other half’s Cube which we got on 0% there may be some possibility of getting a hardtail/fatbike via the same method for the winter. Maybe.

Just extra frustrating that these things happen when I have so little cash available – but that is what happens when the economy turns south. Hopefully better times will come along eventually!

Before you buy, make sure it’s not just the gear hangar that’s bent. Hangars are very easy to bend, and they don’t have to look bent to the naked eye. Mechs on the other hand never seen a bent rear one.

Hangars can be bent back generally at a cost of £0

Also note that mechs are not 8 or 9 speed specific. Shifters are but not mechs.

I have a x9 10 speed ( short I think) that randomly came apart in 2 at the arm. It looks like it just pushes in and is secured by the clip if you want it for spares or repair. Free of course. Pm me if interested as going out now. Loving everyone’s offers!! Well done chaps

Edit. and ladies

STW really is a beautiful place, lovin’ the community spirit. 😀

Get the CCTV for it,Most car parks have it.

Not visited cornwall much then?

Nicolaisam is Cornish and the go to guide for local trails 😀