Bike stolen while rider unconscious

tjwood
tjwood Posts: 328
edited September 2009 in MTB general
This was mentioned on Radio 1's lunchtime news but this is the only place I can find it on the internet:

http://www.berrowsjournal.co.uk/news/lo ... _fell_off/

So much for good samaritans.
«13

Comments

  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    oh no....:shock:

    and the bike is worth >2500 quid
    and the bike was a loaner .... meaning almost certainly not insured (unless the bike shop has a good policy....)
    and the dude is only in his 20s

    that's pretty horrible.

    really shakes your faith in human nature.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • M6TTF
    M6TTF Posts: 602
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    M6TTF wrote:
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....
    I was thinking the exact same thing..
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    M6TTF wrote:
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....

    so either way shakes your faith in human nature

    that scenario had crossed my mind in fact, but I don't see it honestly.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • BorisSpencer
    BorisSpencer Posts: 786
    Something doesn't sit quite right with that tale.
    Northwind wrote: It's like I covered it in superglue and rode it through ebay.
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    well if someone nicked it its going to be either a walker or another biker (I take it that the malvern hills is relitevly remote after looking at a quick pic).

    Not going to be another biker, because you can't ride 2 bikes and I wouldn't really expect a walker to steal a bike....
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    you are all terrible cynics :-P

    if in doubt; blame passing chavs
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • tjwood
    tjwood Posts: 328
    M6TTF wrote:
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....

    Except that aren't the chances that the guy is liable for the bike when it is in his posession? The scam would only work if there was insurance of some kind involved.

    I'd like to think that the guy is telling the truth. Though unless he was out for a long time the chances of an opportunist theif passing at the right moment seems fairly slim it's not impossible.
  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    or worse, someone knocked him off, now we're into conspiracy theories....

    I'm not familiar with the area. I had guessed from the article that "the clock tower" would not be somewhere isolated (who would need a clocktower in the middle of nowhere?)
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • papasmurf.
    papasmurf. Posts: 2,382
    lets open another debate...was he wearing a helmet?

    its probably lying in a brush further up or down the trail from where he fell..so theres a free bike to track down :twisted:
    Meta5.5
    Duster
  • Dee Jay
    Dee Jay Posts: 4
    bomberesque wrote:
    or worse, someone knocked him off, now we're into conspiracy theories....

    I'm not familiar with the area. I had guessed from the article that "the clock tower" would not be somewhere isolated (who would need a clocktower in the middle of nowhere?)

    The Clock Tower is on North Hill adjacent to the road leading to West Malvern which is mainly residential, however if it's the cycle path that I think it is, it starts from an off road car park and heads parallel to the hills and leads to the Worcestershire Beacon, there is a couple of houses near the the car park but not much else. I would imagine at that time of the evening it's fairly deserted.
  • jayson
    jayson Posts: 4,606
    I cant see this being a scam cause he reported it to the old bill so he cant ride it incase he's seen riding a reported stolen bike. The only thing that could be done would be to strip the frame but that still leaves the problem of having a stolen frame in ur possesion that u cant do anything with.
    Remedy

    Merida

    Austria 2012
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    of course, the obvious thing would be a slow acting skin based knockout agent, gps tracker and the bike shop being evil...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • nik young
    nik young Posts: 257
    if it was a scam it could be at his friends house strip it down sell every thing on ebay but bin the frame, you would get a nice pick up on forks, shock, brakes etc :evil:
  • RealMan
    RealMan Posts: 2,166
    bigbenj_08 wrote:
    M6TTF wrote:
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....
    I was thinking the exact same thing..

    +1
  • cgarossi
    cgarossi Posts: 729
    Thats my local ride!!!

    This is completely unheard of. Theres loads of walkers on the hills. Although that said, I have noticed the odd small group of kids hanging around.

    Next time i'm up there I'll keep an eye out.
    Trek Fuel EX8 2009
    Cube LTD Race 2010
    Hereford and Worcester rider? Ledbury Mountain Bikers
  • cgarossi
    cgarossi Posts: 729
    Saying that, it is a tad suspicious. Malvern is low crime. Also riding at near 9pm in the evening is bound it be almost dark!
    Trek Fuel EX8 2009
    Cube LTD Race 2010
    Hereford and Worcester rider? Ledbury Mountain Bikers
  • Penylope
    Penylope Posts: 320
    It must have been getting dark/dusk around that time, especialy towards the later end of the timescale given. There is a chance that the bike was thrown well clear of the area where he fell and he missed it on the first look when he came round. The next day (before he went back to look again) someone may have found the bike with no owner/rider to be seen and could quite easily have walked off with it.

    Or there could be a bike hiding in the bushes somewhere! :shock:
    MTB's, SC Blur LTc & Cotic Soul (26" definitely aint dead!).
    Other, Genesis Croix De Fer
  • cgarossi
    cgarossi Posts: 729
    Im going to go out tonight see if I can spot anything.
    Trek Fuel EX8 2009
    Cube LTD Race 2010
    Hereford and Worcester rider? Ledbury Mountain Bikers
  • rich_e
    rich_e Posts: 389
    I'd personally like to think it's a scam (especially drawn to that by the fact it's not his bike) because I think it's pretty horrible to think that somebody could come across a person unconscious, who could possibly be seriously injured or dying on a trail and rather than get help, steal their bike and leave them for dead.

    The thief didn't even call the emergency services after taking it... which again makes me really want to think that its a scam.
  • gk141054
    gk141054 Posts: 175
    Heard this story on Radio 1 earlier and was shocked and felt sorry for the bloke... then I read the story that it wasn't his bike and things just didn't sound plausible any more and a few things stuck out....

    The man, who does not want to be identified, - why would he not want to be identified? Surely this might help to find the culprits, or does he have something to hide?

    "The bike was on loan from a company in Bristol." - does this mean he had hired it, or did they lend him the bike for an hour for a test and he never came back? If its a hire bike surely its insured....

    “I was riding the bike and must have fallen" - what does "must have fallen" surely he knows if he fell or not....

    “I searched for it and returned the next day and looked again." - If I was riding a bike over £2000 then I wouldn't be returning the next day, i'd be home to get a torch and then searching all night until I found it.
    My GT Avalanche 2.0 - Just starting out....
  • rhann
    rhann Posts: 383
    may have been in A+E.
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    im looking out on ebay for a cheap Whyte bike :D
  • nerak
    nerak Posts: 87
    Maybe the bike is now in some far flung place like russia and he simply walked up there and threw himself down? But I'm always a cynic!

    Seriously though it is a bit cr@p if there is no con and I do feel for him if so.
    Mine's a pint...

    ... oh this bits for the bike. Mine's a Giant Talon W3 (and a GT Avalanche for sale)
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    That story was written by a local journo who have a habit of writting some pretty pointless tosh BUT the whole story does sound fisher than a sushi restaurants bins.

    "I must have fallen" I have never fallen off a bike and not known that I had

    "when I woke up bike was gone" so came to on trail and bike is missing

    "came back next day to search again" I agree with whoever above - torch!

    Now 9 at night it'd be dark - I have been riding from gym recently before 9 and cant see jack without streetlights so he maybe fell off because he couldnt see but you have to go down pretty hard to be knocked out for any length of time and woudl be pretty groggy. If he was jumped they'd be evidence - head wound, dented helmet whatever.

    Very odd.
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    Scam, I'd put a months wages on it!

    Shame it doesn't say the extent of his injuries because from my experience if he was wearing a helmet he must have come off pretty hard and fast to get knocked out for long enough for someone to find his bike and do one with it. Surely the rest of his body would be a bit worse for wear too, possibly a broken bone.

    Bike shop insurance scam?????
    Niner Air 9 Rigid
    Whyte 129S 29er.
  • john74
    john74 Posts: 254
    i reckon a scam. ive knocked myself out before on the trail it was only for about a minute but the force of the impact smashed my helmet to pieces so surely he would have wounds and a broken helmet. also what bike shop rents out £2000+ bikes all the loaners ive seen have been right dogs.
    also agree with everyone else if my bike was missing i would be searching all night until i found it.
    i also dont think that people in this world are as bad as to leave an unconcious person lying in the middle of a trail and nick their possessions. i would like to think that these people dont exist.
    if it is a scam and your reading this, why not spend your hard earned money like everyone else. you will apreciate the bike alot more.
    2010 Forme Reve
    2010 Giant Talon 1
  • tlw1
    tlw1 Posts: 22,157
    Scam

    Fell off my bike just down the road on Saturday. I actually email the local paper to praise the people who helped me, 2 people stayed with me until the ambulance came & nearly every car stopped to see if I needed help.

    Not one person tried to steal my road bike (does have broken forks though)!
  • captainfly
    captainfly Posts: 1,001
    Rich_E wrote:
    I'd personally like to think it's a scam (especially drawn to that by the fact it's not his bike) because I think it's pretty horrible to think that somebody could come across a person unconscious, who could possibly be seriously injured or dying on a trail and rather than get help, steal their bike and leave them for dead.

    The thief didn't even call the emergency services after taking it... which again makes me really want to think that its a scam.

    The rider and bike could have landed pretty far apart and someone passing could have just seen an unattended bike on the trail and not noticed the rider in the undergrowth. Unlikely but not impossible.
    -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
    Mongoose Teocali
    Giant STP0

    Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
  • Raymondavalon
    Raymondavalon Posts: 5,346
    M6TTF wrote:
    or an elaborate scam to get a nice bike.....

    I read the on line article before reading this Thread and my mind was ticking over about just how full of holes this entire episode is..
    I am confident that this is a scam!
    The Bouncer
    The Shaker

Categories