being followed home from trail centres

welshkev

CitizenLee wrote:

Qui3tman wrote:

Tad worrying that, going to 'degla next week with the new bike!

Just take a trip home via the nearest cop shop

It could happen anywhere, I don't think people should stress too much about it, just be vigilant.

And if in doubt call Angus

Angus Young

cooldad wrote:

Or take Angus with you

I charge handsomely for babysitting.

Stevo_666

ta for the tip off Kev. I've heard of bikes being nicked from vans parked up in BPW but the following you home business is a bit more worrying. That said they'd have to be really persistent to follow us back to Kent...

UH DH

I went to Llandegla last year, and I have to say if anyone had tried to follow me home, they'd probably have given up long before Carlisle.

YIMan

Tangled Metal wrote:

I got told a few years ago a popular thing for toe-rags to carry was a stanley knife with two blades in it. If they use it the blades separate and low and behold you are cutting a strip of skin and flesh out instead of just slashing the person. this means there is likely to be a really big scar they can't really do owt about. It happened to a lass I knew in passing, she had a nasty scar on the upper chin which she tried to cover with hair.

She grew a beard!?

apple eater

Might be an idea to take the car make / model and reg and not only report it to the police but also make local trail centre's aware so as they can be vigilant and put up warnings for other rider's.

welshkev

apple eater wrote:

Might be an idea to take the car make / model and reg and not only report it to the police but also make local trail centre's aware so as they can be vigilant and put up warnings for other rider's.

Contacted bpw. They didn't want to put it on their Facebook page as they didn't want any negative press. So I doubt they'd put warning signs up to be honest

apple eater

welshkev wrote:

apple eater wrote:

Might be an idea to take the car make / model and reg and not only report it to the police but also make local trail centre's aware so as they can be vigilant and put up warnings for other rider's.

Contacted bpw. They didn't want to put it on their Facebook page as they didn't want any negative press. So I doubt they'd put warning signs up to be honest

Negative press about suspicious persons?

Surely the negative press is about them not acting on such feedback from centre user's. Or when someone realises they were followed and bikes have then been taken!

apreading

They will want to keep it on the QT, just like centreparcs dont want people to know about the bike thefts as it will put customers off or force them to spend alot of money trying to stop it, with probably little success.

Angus Young

apple eater wrote:

Surely the negative press is about them not acting on such feedback from centre user's.

^This.

Because this...

apreading wrote:

They will want to keep it on the QT, just like centreparcs dont want people to know about the bike thefts as it will put customers off or force them to spend alot of money trying to stop it, with probably little success.

... is a PR disaster in the making.

They can't keep this off the radar and if they want us to keep coming back we need to know they're doing everything reasonable to ensure a safe environment. They profit from us turning up on our expensive bikes so they can't wash their hands of it.

Briggo

Perhaps the people tailing you kev just wanted to be friends?

apreading

Angus Young wrote:

apple eater wrote:

Surely the negative press is about them not acting on such feedback from centre user's.

^This.

Because this...

apreading wrote:

They will want to keep it on the QT, just like centreparcs dont want people to know about the bike thefts as it will put customers off or force them to spend alot of money trying to stop it, with probably little success.

... is a PR disaster in the making.

They can't keep this off the radar and if they want us to keep coming back we need to know they're doing everything reasonable to ensure a safe environment. They profit from us turning up on our expensive bikes so they can't wash their hands of it.

I dont disagree with the sentiment, but unfortunately the popular media dont pick up on these things and make sure joe public hears about them, so many are oblivious to the fact that it goes on. Even amongst the well informed people on forums like this didnt all know it happened, if you read the people on this post who are surprised and shocked. So those that dont take part on the internet forums wont know if the centres keep quiet about it because nobody else is broadcasting it loud enough.

When centreparcs did briefly hit the mainstream media over thefts, they hired an ex-cop so as to be seen to be clamping down and many then assume the problem is sorted, the papers stop looking but actually if makes little impact on the problem.

They all pay lip service to it and just pray the PR disaster doesnt happen...

Angus Young

apreading wrote:

Even amongst the well informed people on forums like this didnt all know it happened, if you read the people on this post who are surprised and shocked.

It's been talked about a number of times on this forum so there's no excuse for ignorance here.

apreading

Angus Young wrote:

apreading wrote:

Even amongst the well informed people on forums like this didnt all know it happened, if you read the people on this post who are surprised and shocked.

It's been talked about a number of times on this forum so there's no excuse for ignorance here.

Exactly, so if even people who take an active interest in things on here dont all pick up on it, what is the likelihood that the great many who dont come on forums know about such things? Thats why (unfortunately) they dont want to go about publicising the issue.

paul.skibum

I live in Whistler - you don't have to follow anyone home to know that every other house has a 10k bike in it. Early season while, I guess, the village was still quiet there were a lot of break ins and bike thefts - seems to have dropped off now.

Does everyone use the Strava feature to hide your start and finish point of your rides if you leave from your house? Apparently that is a thing too.

mike hunts alpine

Bluff them by pointing and pretending to be on the phone. They will soon be off. But obviously don't stop if there are a few they will just restrain you while you watch them take your bike.
Like above it doesn't usually come to violence its usually a bluff on there side with the threat of it. Not many people will chance the extra risk of being caught if it does turn nasty. Especially as the sentence will be a lot longer. When the value of a hot bike of £1500-3000 average value being £200-£750 depending on who you know, and if you can get it to neighbouring towns/places. It really comes down to being not worth it if you start pulling knives etc.

mike hunts alpine

One of the oldest and successful tricks being hanging by the entrance of posh estates and usually you will have two or three possible opportunities to follow people. If you see people hanging around do a slow lap of the block till there gone but really try and avoid leading people to your doorstep. Being paranoid and not naive about it is the best advise. It pays to be suspicious when its your pride and joy on the line.

Angus Young

You could just buy an Ebike and then it would be too heavy for them to lift.

peat

'Drive to your nearest Police Station' - Don't get me started.... My nearest is a half an hour drive away and I live in a reasonably large conurbation. Thames Valley Police's strategy is to centralise it's force 'for a more efficient and effective service'. Naff all help when you call them and tell them you've apprehended a thief and have to try and sit on them for half an hour....

If you notice someone following you, one tactic would be to pull over and let them get ahead of you. THEN FOLLOW THEM!

mike hunts alpine

Peat wrote:

'Drive to your nearest Police Station' - Don't get me started.... My nearest is a half an hour drive away and I live in a reasonably large conurbation. Thames Valley Police's strategy is to centralise it's force 'for a more efficient and effective service'. Naff all help when you call them and tell them you've apprehended a thief and have to try and sit on them for half an hour....

If you notice someone following you, one tactic would be to pull over and let them get ahead of you. THEN FOLLOW THEM!

A lot of the time police will take your up to a few hours to arrive if there's no threat of violence. They don't really see it as priority only if there are some close by with feck all to do will they arrive all guns blazing. Most theaves will try there hardest to avoid police involvance and prefer you not even knowing yourself your bike has gone until when you went to get it for your weekend ride its missing. Also people they know are going away and working days are more likely to be targeted. Reason for that being you will be knackered from work and will be up early so out for the count.

welshkev

Briggo wrote:

Perhaps the people tailing you kev just wanted to be friends?

Well, I am awesome!

welshkev

paul.skibum wrote:

Does everyone use the Strava feature to hide your start and finish point of your rides if you leave from your house? Apparently that is a thing too.

I think that's what happened to my brother in law. The first time he ever used strava, the next day his bike was nicked, may be coincidence, may be not.

Ferrals

Yes, you type in our post code and strava blanks off a certain radius.

personally i wouldn't accost people in cars, knives are the least of your worries when they are sat behind the controls of a battering ram!

ilovedirt

paul.skibum wrote:

Does everyone use the Strava feature to hide your start and finish point of your rides if you leave from your house? Apparently that is a thing too.

Aye, I've hidden my house, you're just asking to have your bikes nicked otherwise!

pesky_jones

Whatever happened to good old fashioned thievery

swod1

Its not only at trail centres a lad in leeds was knocked off his bike down by the canal and actually in to the canal and the thieves made off with the bike, it made the local paper.

Anus Young, you must look like a real badass to confront 4 people in a car or was tooled up with a shotgun or something to give them the frighteners.

Everyone just be careful when out and about with bikes.

pesky_jones

I think we should employ some Wacky-Races-Esque defence systems, that would solve it.

pesky_jones

swod1 wrote:

Anus Bung, you must look like a real badass to confront 4 people in a car or was tooled up with a shotgun or something to give them the frighteners.

ftfy

Angus Young

swod1 wrote:

Anus Young, you must look like a real badass...

Well, I always thought it would be cool to look like Jason Statham but, alas...

rockmonkeysc

Some people really don't help themselves. At races you often see dozens of bikes worth thousands of pounds just left outside the cafe or unattended in the car park. It's not surprising thieves turn up at races.
I just use a really cheap, light lock. It's not much but it's a deterrent.
At FoD they even offer free loan of a lock at the cafe but no one ever seems to use them.