Bike piranhas

I noticed this bike a couple of days ago.  Almost new, it had been securely locked up outside the A4E offices on the corner of Greenwich High Road and Norman Road.  You occasionally see a missing front wheel on a locked-up bike, especially when it's got a quick-release front wheel.  But this is an entirely different kettle of fish - they didn't come tooled up to break the lock and steal the bike, instead they must have come tooled up for bicycle dismantling.


Front wheel, check.  Forks, check.  Handlebars, check....crank, pedals, saddle and stem, entire brake system (bar the disk on the remaining rear wheel) , entire chainset (bar the remaining cassette)

There are a few scratches on the frame but I suspect the bike was virtually new - it's still got a 54cm frame-size sticker on it - and the thieves damaged it while they were speed-stripping it.  They didn't touch the lock though - it must be indigestible to bike piranhas. 

The saddest part of this - well, apart from how the owner must have felt when he first saw what they'd done to it  - is that the thief, once upon a time, must have been a cyclist to be carrying and using the necessary tools.  So it's treason.  A hybrid and a low-bred.

Anyhow, even if you have a decent lock, be very careful about leaving your bike overnight in Greenwich.