Interview with a bike thief
Discussion
http://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2016/05/18/forme...
The simple answer is not to buy obviously stolen bikes but people like a "bargain" and are happy to turn a blind eye.
The simple answer is not to buy obviously stolen bikes but people like a "bargain" and are happy to turn a blind eye.
Zigster said:
I was sceptical about the amounts he quoted. High end bikes like "Carrera" aren't high end - it read like a random list of bike brands rather than someone who knew what he was talking about. Could you spend anywhere near £1,000 on a Carrera? Would they really sell for £500 second hand?
A Carrera is a high end bike to 99% of the public, if it's newish and shiny then it must be high end to the uninitiated bloke down the pub looking to buy a bike without a receipt.A bike thief would rarely come across a proper high end bike, nobody would be silly enough to leave a nice Cervelo, Bianchi etc locked up in public.
One of my lads at work cycled in on a decent looking Merida hardtail, I Googled it and it was in the region of £800, he paid £250 for it off a bloke he vaguely knows.
He's a decent kid, I b
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It's a bit like stolen radio's in the 80/90's, everybody was after them, I knew a scouser who would go out and rob them to order, he couldn't nick them quick enough to satisfy demand.
Now I'm older I wouldn't dream of buying a stolen bike, power tool, in fact anything like that at all, I suppose the difference is now I have a conscience and I can afford to buy most things I desire anyway?
Zigster said:
Even if the bike thief and his buyers think it's high-end, it's still not £500 (as a stolen second-hand bike) high-end.
I can't see someone down the pub handing over £500 without first getting out their phone, googling Carrera bikes and realising it wouldn't be £500 new so certainly wouldn't be £500 with all the potential hassles of stolen second-hand bike.
I'm not saying the article is 100% BS, but I think some of it is exaggerated to make a better story.
Oh I agree, the thief would know the difference between real high end and a Boardman (I'm not dissing Boardman), I just don't think the thieves came across that many high end bikes at all which makes me think the article has a whiff of exaggeration about it.I can't see someone down the pub handing over £500 without first getting out their phone, googling Carrera bikes and realising it wouldn't be £500 new so certainly wouldn't be £500 with all the potential hassles of stolen second-hand bike.
I'm not saying the article is 100% BS, but I think some of it is exaggerated to make a better story.
I don't honestly think I've ever seen a bike locked up in public that retails for more than £250, I suppose these guys could well have been breaking into office bike stores etc and hitting the jackpot occasionally?
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