Surefire way to spot a nicked bike....
Craggers
Posts: 185
...provided it gets ridden past you:
On the way home today a spent a few seconds behind a guy on a stolen bike before passing him. How do I know it was stolen?
The drivetrain was rusty as hell, squeeking and rattling like a mouse in a biscuit tin.
Also, not to make any sort of judgement on the rider but the guy could barely ride...foot arch on the pedals, knees splayed out all over the place, weaving with each pedal stroke.
And the kicker......it was an wilier triestina. Now you're not gonna tell me that anyone who has spent over £1000 on a piece of Italian craftmanship would ever, EVER let the drivetrain get into that state...got '50 quid from a pub car park' written all over it. Some poor soul is missing his pride and joy and this tool is running it into the ground. Would it be wrong to steal a bike back and hand it in?! Would my hypothesis stand up in court?! Anyone any counter argument as to why it might not be stolen??? :? :?
On the way home today a spent a few seconds behind a guy on a stolen bike before passing him. How do I know it was stolen?
The drivetrain was rusty as hell, squeeking and rattling like a mouse in a biscuit tin.
Also, not to make any sort of judgement on the rider but the guy could barely ride...foot arch on the pedals, knees splayed out all over the place, weaving with each pedal stroke.
And the kicker......it was an wilier triestina. Now you're not gonna tell me that anyone who has spent over £1000 on a piece of Italian craftmanship would ever, EVER let the drivetrain get into that state...got '50 quid from a pub car park' written all over it. Some poor soul is missing his pride and joy and this tool is running it into the ground. Would it be wrong to steal a bike back and hand it in?! Would my hypothesis stand up in court?! Anyone any counter argument as to why it might not be stolen??? :? :?
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That's a bizarre judgement to make. The owner may have lost his job and have massive debts, or any other valid reason. One of my bikes needs a new rear rim and a new front brake, i've been riding it like that for four weeks because I can't afford to fix it yet.Bikes, saddles and stuff
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21720915@N03/
More stuff:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65587945@N00/
Gears - Obscuring the goodness of singlespeed0 -
If you'd lost your job - surely you'd have sold your bike before you let it go to seed? And even an unemployed person could afford some oil (or old engine oil) to lubricate the chain? It's a bit of a leap to say it's nicked but it does seem odd.
There was a guy who used to race at the same place as me. He had a supercar which he crashed at such regularity that we decided that the money paying for it cannot have been hard-earned. Anyhow, Googling his name, he had been in court charged with kidnap at gunpoint (for which his co-accused was convicted). I haven't seen him recently and I told he, too, is at HM's pleasure...ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
So does that also render you incapable of riding a bike properly aswell?0
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I had a similar experience - saw a pimply youth attempting to pull wheelies on a Cervelo - don't know what model - rode alongside him and pointed out that he'd wreck the wheels attempting to do that - he dropped the bike and ran - police came and picked it up - hope it was reunited with its owner0
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Craggers wrote:...provided it gets ridden past you:
On the way home today a spent a few seconds behind a guy on a stolen bike before passing him. How do I know it was stolen?
The drivetrain was rusty as hell, squeeking and rattling like a mouse in a biscuit tin.
Also, not to make any sort of judgement on the rider but the guy could barely ride...foot arch on the pedals, knees splayed out all over the place, weaving with each pedal stroke.
And the kicker......it was an wilier triestina. Now you're not gonna tell me that anyone who has spent over £1000 on a piece of Italian craftmanship would ever, EVER let the drivetrain get into that state...got '50 quid from a pub car park' written all over it. Some poor soul is missing his pride and joy and this tool is running it into the ground. Would it be wrong to steal a bike back and hand it in?! Would my hypothesis stand up in court?! Anyone any counter argument as to why it might not be stolen??? :? :?
Plenty of stolen bikes in Cambridge get resold on.
I heard a story from an old collegue who said he had his rubbish bike nicked, so he went to the market to buy another cheap one only to find the very same bike there....0 -
90% chance you're right that it's stolen but if you're wrong and you take the bike, then that makes you the thief. Best to say something when passing such as "my friend had a bike just like that but some slimy thief nicked it". Or some such comment like that and then see how they react, possibly the same as the kid mentioned above who dropped the bike and ran.0
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crankycrank wrote:90% chance you're right that it's stolen but if you're wrong and you take the bike, then that makes you the thief. Best to say something when passing such as "my friend had a bike just like that but some slimy thief nicked it". Or some such comment like that and then see how they react, possibly the same as the kid mentioned above who dropped the bike and ran.
From the sounds of the guy on the Willer, he'd probably have gone faster by foot.
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From the sounds of the guy on the Willer, he'd probably have gone faster by foot
I think he might have been wearing reebok classics as well
Seriously though I've been trying to think of a scenario which would explain the situation (ie. he won it in a competition, borrowed it long term off a mate etc...) but none seem as likely as the simple fact that it was nicked, maybe not by him but by someone.
I really wish I just followed him to where he was going then rang the police to see if any black la triestinas have been reported stolen.0
