December 30, 20223 yr I saw this in today's Torygraph online. Countryside riders targeted by bike thieves amid record lows in police detection rates Cycling UK said increasing evidence of criminals targeting cyclists travelling out of London to Kent and the Surrey Hills. Cyclists taking rides into the countryside are being mugged for their high-end bikes by crime gangs exploiting historic lows in police detection rates, cycling chiefs have warned. Cycling UK, one of the biggest charities, said there was increasing evidence of criminals targeting cyclists travelling out of London to Kent and the Surrey Hills and who may have unwittingly given away their plans on Strava, the app used by riders to map routes and times. Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at Cycling UK, said the phenomenon was “on the radar” of the three police forces - the Met, Kent and Surrey - after a series of incidents where cyclists have been attacked for their bikes. Alex Richardson, a 32 year old professional cyclist, was robbed of his bike at knifepoint by four masked attackers in London’s Richmond Park. He called it a “shocking experience” and urged other cyclists to be careful. In June, Jennifer George, a two-time Scottish road race champion, revealed how she had been attacked twice by men on motorbikes while riding alone near Oxted in Surrey. It followed multiple reports of a moped gang seemingly targeting lone female cyclists after a rider was held down and had their bike stolen during an attack near Warlingham in Surrey in April. “It is possibly perceived as a low risk crime if the numbers of people being caught are so low. It may be seen as a high reward, low risk crime,” said Mr Dollimore. Home Office figures show the proportion of bike thefts being solved by police has fallen to a historic low of 1.4 per cent in the year to June, down from 3.3 per cent in 2016. Nine in 10 offences were closed with no suspect identified. The data, analysed by the Telegraph, shows that cyclists face a lottery with the chances of a theft being solved ranging from just 0.3 per cent in Lancashire - a one in 300 chance - to 5.4 per cent - more than one in 20 - in Gwent. Cycling UK believes many of the bikes stolen have been targeted by gangs because of the profits to be made by selling them on second-hand sites such as Gumtree and eBay. It is alarmed, however, by the latest trend to mount bike muggings on cyclists. Mr Dollimore said: “There have been increasing concerns about people cycling out of London to the Kent and Surrey hills who have been victims of muggings or robbery. There are a limited number of routes where people would cycle out of London. “Somebody has posted on Strava what they are doing on their ride. The criminals will know it is someone on a £3,000 to £4,000 carbon fibre bike who has unwittingly signposted the fact that they are likely to be heading out to Kent or the Surrey Hills. It is on the police’s radar.” Mr Dollimore said the charity recognised that bike theft would be a lower priority for police given competing demands on limited resources but he warned that much of it was organised crime where gangs targeted locations like train stations where they could steal as many as 30 bikes in 30 minutes. “They end up mostly on second-hand sites within 24 hours. It’s a public misconception that it’s some lad looking for a bike to steal.” Cycling UK believes police should target their resources at the point of sale with officers focused on suspicious bulk reduced-price sales on second-hand online auction sites. “Targeted action at the point of sale would be a more efficient use of resources,” said Mr Dollimore. I also noticed this sign cable tied to a lamp post in the Town Centre which brings the issue quite literally close to home, though they might not be as interested in my 11 year old Oxygen Emate in the background. .
December 30, 20223 yr My plan if ever accosted, is to use my long quick release seat tube with heavy saddle to...
December 30, 20223 yr I wouldn't think that type of person would read the "Torygraph" but as usual all the relevant information is given on how to take up the enterprise. Plus it also tells you the likelihood of success! Sad to say when it comes to bicycles "when its gone its gone" police not interested. Edited December 30, 20223 yr by esuark
December 30, 20223 yr Given it’s the Kent area , would be British subjects escaping border patrols - a bike is a quick getaway … now don’t say they all are honest
December 31, 20223 yr Author I wouldn't think that type of person would read the "Torygraph" but as usual all the relevant information is given on how to take up the enterprise. Plus it also tells you the likelihood of success! Sad to say when it comes to bicycles "when its gone its gone" police not interested. It sounds a targeted theft to me. Someone has noticed the bikes and their location.
January 2, 20233 yr I had a look at my local ebikes on facebook marketplace. Most are hub motor based and many are new from shops etc. There were 2 entry level Trek mid-drive ebikes and one Lapierre model. One had no selling text. This is the other two adverts (personal details removed). What is most curious is the very low mileage claimed for what are serious investments when new plus the Trek model states its the wrong size but these are normally sold by dealers where a basic bike fit would be performed. I don't like proprietary ebikes or mid-drive that much so there is little chance I would ever buy such a ebike but certainly the chance of some life threatening crime taking place to get my ebike off me is another reason not to purchase such a ebike.
January 7, 20233 yr "when its gone its gone" police not interested. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/07/britain-cycling-bikes-stolen-police-cycle-theft-crime
January 7, 20233 yr Cycling will increase as petrol/diesel etc. engines are outlawed, and electric cars remain too expensive for most? Is Britain's appetite for electric cars waning? After Tesla owners' Christmas charging woes and cost-of-living squeeze, EV order waiting times are shrinking fast https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11594545/Is-Britains-appetite-electric-cars-waning-Order-waiting-times-fall-13-3-months.html Not what you call affordable motoring! There are just THREE new electric cars on sale today for less than £30,000 as Britons are priced out of EV ownership https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11558127/Cheapest-electric-cars-three-models-available-new-30-000.html
January 7, 20233 yr Is Britain's appetite for electric cars waning? After Tesla owners' Christmas charging woes and cost-of-living squeeze, EV order waiting times are shrinking fast Quite the opposite. The waiting times are shrinking as the makers up production to match the greatly increased sales. This will continue to happen as the deadline for ic sales gets closer, until the supply of those with enough money runs out. That won't be for at least ten years yet though. Not what you call affordable motoring! There are just THREE new electric cars on sale today for less than £30,000 as Britons are priced out of EV ownership As I've posted and explained previously, this is deliberate policy by both governments and the industry. Governments regret universal car ownership which has been a source of never ending problems for them, so they are aiming for a great reduction in numbers. The industry has long been fed up with making huge numbers of small cheaper cars, often at a loss and relying on their upmmarket models for profits. So both see eye to eye and the makers are only making the less affordable high end for unchanged shareholder dividends. .
January 7, 20233 yr You take your life in your hands going out for a ride on your e-bike in Swindon. Early mornings are your best bet, the chavs rarely arise before mid-day. https://www.wiltshire999s.co.uk/man-stabbed-electric-bike-robbery/ https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/e-bike-theft-leads-to-armed-police-response-in-swindon
January 7, 20233 yr Broad daylight in residential areas. Same lot by the sound of it. Sensible?? enough not to to use a weapon second time, police will lose interest.
March 1, 20233 yr I saw this in today's Torygraph online. Countryside riders targeted by bike thieves amid record lows in police detection rates Cycling UK said increasing evidence of criminals targeting cyclists travelling out of London to Kent and the Surrey Hills. Cyclists taking rides into the countryside are being mugged for their high-end bikes by crime gangs exploiting historic lows in police detection rates, cycling chiefs have warned. Cycling UK, one of the biggest charities, said there was increasing evidence of criminals targeting cyclists travelling out of London to Kent and the Surrey Hills and who may have unwittingly given away their plans on Strava, the app used by riders to map routes and times. Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at Cycling UK, said the phenomenon was “on the radar” of the three police forces - the Met, Kent and Surrey - after a series of incidents where cyclists have been attacked for their bikes. Alex Richardson, a 32 year old professional cyclist, was robbed of his bike at knifepoint by four masked attackers in London’s Richmond Park. He called it a “shocking experience” and urged other cyclists to be careful. In June, Jennifer George, a two-time Scottish road race champion, revealed how she had been attacked twice by men on motorbikes while riding alone near Oxted in Surrey. It followed multiple reports of a moped gang seemingly targeting lone female cyclists after a rider was held down and had their bike stolen during an attack near Warlingham in Surrey in April. “It is possibly perceived as a low risk crime if the numbers of people being caught are so low. It may be seen as a high reward, low risk crime,” said Mr Dollimore. Home Office figures show the proportion of bike thefts being solved by police has fallen to a historic low of 1.4 per cent in the year to June, down from 3.3 per cent in 2016. Nine in 10 offences were closed with no suspect identified. The data, analysed by the Telegraph, shows that cyclists face a lottery with the chances of a theft being solved ranging from just 0.3 per cent in Lancashire - a one in 300 chance - to 5.4 per cent - more than one in 20 - in Gwent. Cycling UK believes many of the bikes stolen have been targeted by gangs because of the profits to be made by selling them on second-hand sites such as Gumtree and eBay. It is alarmed, however, by the latest trend to mount bike muggings on cyclists. Mr Dollimore said: “There have been increasing concerns about people cycling out of London to the Kent and Surrey hills who have been victims of muggings or robbery. There are a limited number of routes where people would cycle out of London. “Somebody has posted on Strava what they are doing on their ride. The criminals will know it is someone on a £3,000 to £4,000 carbon fibre bike who has unwittingly signposted the fact that they are likely to be heading out to Kent or the Surrey Hills. It is on the police’s radar.” Mr Dollimore said the charity recognised that bike theft would be a lower priority for police given competing demands on limited resources but he warned that much of it was organised crime where gangs targeted locations like train stations where they could steal as many as 30 bikes in 30 minutes. “They end up mostly on second-hand sites within 24 hours. It’s a public misconception that it’s some lad looking for a bike to steal.” Cycling UK believes police should target their resources at the point of sale with officers focused on suspicious bulk reduced-price sales on second-hand online auction sites. At the same time, I hope that the police will be as correct as possible in their actions. For my college project, I researched the topic of aggression, and while exploring the big database of college police brutality essays, I came across dozens of avoidable offenses. This vast problem tarnishes respectable police officers forced to get a bad reputation because of aggressive colleagues. I hope the police will work better in this direction.. I also noticed this sign cable tied to a lamp post in the Town Centre which brings the issue quite literally close to home, though they might not be as interested in my 11 year old Oxygen Emate in the background. . [ATTACH type=full" alt="Sub Zero Ride 15 12 22 001.JPG]49906[/ATTACH] The logic of the police is as usual. Instead of identifying the source of the problem and working to stop such crimes, they will look for already stolen bikes at auctions. However, nothing new.
March 10, 20233 yr It really is getting dangerous to ride an e-bike in the metropolis of art and culture that is Swindon. https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23375412.four-men-balaclavas-chase-cyclist-swindon-park/
March 10, 20233 yr It really is getting dangerous to ride an e-bike in the metropolis of art and culture that is Swindon. https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23375412.four-men-balaclavas-chase-cyclist-swindon-park/ The article doesn't say what type of electric bike it was. Any mugger who knows ebikes, wouldn't be interested in a bbs01b conversion with a DPC-18 display, because if the display is locked with a passcode, it'd need to be replaced with a new one.
March 10, 20233 yr A friend was pushed off his (non-e) bike into a London canal some time ago. The bike was stolen; and the canal didn't help the laptop in his backpack. Partly his own fault, he was on the phone to our son at the time so maybe not concentrating and as in control as he should have been. Our son got a very curious impression of the incident. I suspect most muggers don't know that much about the target bikes.
March 10, 20233 yr Perhaps we could deploy countermeasures: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Triangle-Puncture-Anti-Theft-Emergency/dp/B092J3XQZV
March 10, 20233 yr I suspect most muggers don't know that much about the target bikes. They might not target battered unassuming looking bikes with hidden motors and batteries https://road.cc/content/feature/brief-history-motor-doping-cycling-295849
March 10, 20233 yr A small aerosol of WD 40 and a lighter would be a useful defence . Not as big as a Military Flame thrower , just a junior version .
March 10, 20233 yr A small aerosol of WD 40 and a lighter would be a useful defence . Not as big as a Military Flame thrower , just a junior version . Or brake cleaner stings if spray gets in their eyes
March 10, 20233 yr Or brake cleaner stings if spray gets in their eyes Pressurised lighter refill containers work well. Just fit a generic spray can head (WD40 etc) to it. A bit like having your own Napalm dispenser. TTFN John.
March 11, 20233 yr Pressurised lighter refill containers work well. Just fit a generic spray can head (WD40 etc) to it. A bit like having your own Napalm dispenser. TTFN John.
March 11, 20233 yr A small aerosol of WD 40 and a lighter would be a useful defence . Not as big as a Military Flame thrower , just a junior version . If their balaclavas are made of flammable material, they'd ignite and stick to their faces while burning, similar to how flaming tent material would stick to skin and continue burning (body fat can be a good fuel), before they were made flame-retardant. It really is getting dangerous to ride an e-bike in the metropolis of art and culture that is Swindon. Balaclavas seem all the rage in Swindon - he could switch to using covid masks. https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/20238973.homeless-man-charged-stealing-two-bikes-two-days/ This balaclaved thief in Swindon, appears to instantly defeat the bike lock: https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-03-02/cctv-released-after-swindon-town-player-has-bike-stolen Before The Swindon Balaclava Shop opened: https://www.wiltshirelive.co.uk/news/wiltshire-news/swindon-robbers-threaten-stab-woman-7552389 Edited March 11, 20233 yr by guerney
November 26, 20232 yr And yet another stabbing and e-bike robbery in Swindon. This was early evening (i.e. it was dark) in one of the less salubrious areas of town. Luckily the victim was discharged from hospital fairly quickly. God knows what these ratboys do with these e-bikes with no chargers. I like to think that none of this really effects me, I am a recreational cyclist who only goes out to nice places on nice days, although I now leave my wallet at home and just carry a little cash in case I want to stop for a pint/coffee/ice cream. Link: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23946514.swindon-stabbing-neighbours-react-man-stabbed-arm-back/
November 26, 20232 yr Just hand over the bike and say have fun finding the 10 trackers, otherwise i will see you in an few hours with plod en-tow. No Really just hand over the bike, its a bike your a person and your well being and life are worth a lot more than a bike.. Anyone daft enough to mug you for a bike may well be stoopid enough to stab you too.. DONT RISK IT..
November 26, 20232 yr A small squishy bottle containing chilli sauce. You'll get into a lot of bother if you had or bought a pepper spray, but you can buy small squeezy bottles of chilli sauce from the supermarket, and the effect will be exactly the same
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