Two men convicted of stealing bikes in Bristol – including a £17,000 theft from a shop in the city – have been jailed.
Michael Whatley and Steven Fry were convicted on charges including the theft of several high-value bikes from Friction Cycles in Bedminster, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Whatley, aged 30 and of no fixed address, and Fry, 31 and from Henbury, were convicted of two counts of burglary, reports the Bristol Post.
Both also admitted a separate charge of handling stolen goods.
In mitigation, Matthew Comer, defending Whatley, said: “All the offences took place in mid to late March 2021.
“Mr Whatley’s role was to carry out the footwork in respect of the burglaries.
“His role was to store the bikes.”
And Christopher Smyth, in defence of Fry, said: “He pleaded guilty at an early stage.
“He’s keen to clear the decks.”
Fry was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment and Whatley to 66 months, which will give them ample time to reflect.
Judge William Hart told Whatley and Fry: “These offences have all the hallmarks of targeted, professional, dwelling and commercial burglaries.
“Bicycles are extremely valuable pieces of equipment.
“Quite often they are more valuable than the motor cars the owners possess,” the judge added.
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19 thoughts on “Bikes are often more valuable than cars, says judge as he jails thieves”
My two bikes were bought for
My two bikes were bought for a combined cost of £2300 or so. My wifes e-bike is considerably more. My car was free (inherited from my dad) but resale is probably less of the £500 my cheapest bike was.
So the judge is right in my case.
Sounds like the Judge knows
Sounds like the Judge knows something of cycling.
I”m pretty sure that my two bikes are worth more than my car. And they’re certainly more valued by me.
Actually my take is that the
Actually my take is that the judge knows only the stereotype of expensive bikes being a hobby for the “wealthy elites”. Unfortunately I don’t think there is anything positive from this characterisation.
More valuable and better for
More valuable and better for you. Also more fun.
An E assist cargo bike can
An E assist cargo bike can cost 4-5k+ new. A new car can cost as little as 15k
The question would be why. In terms of materials, transport costs and labour, not to mention environmental cost, WTF are cars subsidised so heavily?
Captain Badger wrote:
Economies of scale.
srchar wrote:
Not only that, but there is (or was) intense competition in selling cars and there was oversupply in the market. Buyers are also price sensative. BUT a customer who has one of your cars is a captive market for maintenance and spares.
So cars were often sold at very small profit margins, that would nto be sustainable seeling anything that didn’t come with a 10 year maintenance burden.
srchar wrote:
I won’t argue with you, but I’d love to see the breakdown.
30kg(?) against 1500kg of steel and plastic
Typical car has 20 man hrs work. Maybe similar for a cargo bike?
Regulatory costs?
Transport costs see above mass ratio?
Economy of scale certainly plays a part. Don’t believe it’s the whole story
My bike tools are worth more
My bike tools are worth more than my car.
My Rapha jacket is worth more
My Rapha jacket is worth more than my 20 year old car 🙂
Hang on, 44 and 60 months
Hang on, 44 and 60 months prison time? Great that they were caught and punished, but they should have been out driving and killing pedestrians or cyclists, then they’d have done less time behind bars.
but everyone knows that
but everyone knows that property is valued more than life…the old adage that you should not shout for help, but call out that there’s a fire to get more attention
Cars are also sold with the
Cars are also sold with the expectation of making money for several years from servicing. Dealers of the volume brands will often happily sell a new car at break-even or even at a small loss. It is distorted further because whilst a dealer makes no profit a sale will count towards meeting targets and getting bonuses. They also get to make commissions on the finance deals.
Manufacturers also have huge stocks from time to time. have you seen the photos of new cars rusting in fields.
If you look at the cost of ownership then cars cost far more than bikes.
That may have been true once
That may have been true once – not convinced servicing is a big revenue stream now. Service intervals have been rising for years and less and less parts are serviceable.
tell that to my local dealer
tell that to my local dealer garage,they charge about 100quid an hour, so even minor servicing like an oil change or something trivial like that, can quickly become very expensive.
You would be 100% wrong on
You would be 100% wrong on that. The margin on sale of a new car is minute. It’s unique in that, whilst not being a particularly high volume industry, the margin is comapratively tiny. Almost all of the value in a car sale is the ‘extras’, including the servicing over its lifetime.
I work in the motor industry, for reference
Zebulebu wrote:
I presume finance is a big part of it too
“In mitigation, Matthew Comer
“In mitigation, Matthew Comer, defending Whatley, said: “All the offences took place in mid to late March 2021………”
So, it’s OK to steal bikes provided you do it at the end of the financial year.
For years I had bikes that were worth more than my cars however, a recent acquistion means I’m now looking for N+1 in excess of £19,000 to redress the balance 🙂
jova54 wrote:
purge week