My Bike Was Stolen

My bike was stolen. I was on a big bikepacking trip from Sydney to Melbourne via an inland route, in summer when it was stolen from outside a cafe in a country town.
The police caught the thief and have returned my bike. I am very grateful that I have my bike back, but its panniers, equipment, cameras and eight days of video are missing. It's annoying to loose my equipment and immensely frustrating to loose my video content.
I was naive leaving my bicycle unlocked, but as I was in a country town, it didn’t cross my mind that petty theft was an issue.
I now have to replace my bags, cameras, cooking stuff, water filters, bottles, clothes and cycling shoes.

[@trevortilley5028]

So sorry about your experience. I had my bike stolen while riding around Tasmania. I was in IN Glenorchy. I had all my gear in my tent, and I got my bike back a few hours later. It's an awful feeling. Please keep up the good work Mike.

[@peterlindsay8235]

Mike, monitor market place, your gear will appear before too long. When it does do not involve the Police as they are too under resourced to deal with low level crime. Rather call for volunteers to help you recover your gear and obtain compensation. If I was in your state I would certainly help

[@kathleenhart707]

Saw your post a few weeks back on the Bikepacking Facebook page, and realised that it was you. Agree about the frustration of having to recollect "the gear"again. Bike is only part of the whole package. Must be happy you got bike back though. I ride mostly solo, and those moments when I need to leave bike unattended are the most stressful. I call it my power shopping session!😂

[@mike-coles]

Oh yes, I’m very happy to have my bike back; I was out on it today. And I’ve learned a lot. Most people are wonderful. I had loads of people offer me water, want to chat and generally be good people. But I will be wary of the few low life ones and I won’t again give them the opportunity with my bike.

[@Ddaverr1]

Such a shame, sorry to hear about your bike. This happens too often and has always been a problem with bicycles. Replacing the gear will take time and money. The whole system will have to be replaced. Gone is the gear and the memory of the gear. Stay positive!

[@DominicAPrís]

Glad you got the bike back but the gear costs a lot and means a lot when you have a story behind it. Let it go though cause you can’t go back. Cycled a long trip on the WfW in France and carried a lock all the way - even though it was heavy. Had a bike stolen many years ago - it still is hard as I really liked that bike. But anticipating and making it difficult for the gurriers who nick stuff is the only way. Hope you get to do the cycle again and all works out okay - safe cycling.

[@Naufrago_Noroeste]

Sad to hear but I hope you'll be back on trail soon.

[@custodialmark]

i have given away a dozen bikes this decade in Marfa. texas. 4 left to loan. three are behind our radio station downtown . only 2 bikes gone without notice. only one resold for profit as vintage. my niece rode down under after graduation .before a dozen bikes stolen in mesa az. gave few but lost many good ones

[@justacouch]

Sorry this happened to you, and sorry it happened in my hometown. I've left my backpacking bike outside too, I also want to live in a community where that can happen. I guess most places are that or I've just been lucky or the thieves were put off by how much human dribble and sweat there was all over my bike. I hope you can build your kit back up and get back out there.

[@helicopter2630]

I am preparing for a big ride too. I will be solo like you. You have experienced my biggest fear. 😰

[@mike-coles]

My suggestions are; carry a lock. Don’t let the bike out of your site. If you do go into a shop, make it a small shop with the bike right outside or bring the bike into supermarkets, etc. At night, bring the bike into your room if you’re in accommodation or bring all your valuables into your tent if camping. And lock the bike to something (tree, fence, etc). Just remember, more than 99.9% of people are good. And don’t give the remainder an opportunity with your stuff.

[@kevinvogelsang5612]

I have brought a bike and all the gear to do one trip and what happened to you was my biggest concern 🙁. Although my equipment is on the cheaper end I still can’t afford to replace it.

[@mike-coles]

No one can afford to have their gear stolen, including me; it’s quite confronting to realise all you have left is the clothes on your back and your phone. My advice (after this painful experience) is to exercise caution when you stop. Secure your bike. Keep your valuables with you. And keep your bike in view if possible.

[@bruce.KAY-bike-drifter]

I am so sorry for your loss. As someone who has been following your bike touring adventures for a considerable time and is very familiar with your rig, I can really empathize with your frustration and distress. I too have a similar setup of my bike, plus bags, camping equipment, electronics and tools. I'm guessing, but your setup probably cost you $AUD15,000 to $AUD20,00+. Maybe more? So this was not petty theft. The feeling of being violated must weigh upon you. I truly hope you can get a new set of equipment together and get out happily bike touring again soon. Cheers.

[@mike-coles]

Thanks. At the end of the day it’s the violation that hurts most. Stuff can be replaced. Trust is a lot harder. I will get out again and I am currently cycling nearly every day to keep my fitness up.

[@bruce.KAY-bike-drifter]

@@mike-coles Yeah, I feel for you, Mike. I built my bikepacking bike during Covid-19 and remember back to those first few trips away when I felt some trepidation to get out the door. Bikepacking is so good for my mental health. However, anxiety and depression would quickly overtake me if somebody stole my bike.

[@Vince1648]

I've never had a bike stolen on me but I've had stuff stolen out of my panniers (raingear) and from a framebag (multitool & repairkit) on different occasions. Also, a few years ago I had visited an outdoor event on sunday to find out that someone had removed the valves from both tires when i got back to my bike. So i started to walk home (7 KM) when I passed a bikeshop (ofcourse closed on sunday) But the owner happened to be outside and saw me walking, saw what the problem was, didn't hesitate to gave me two valves and pumped my tires. For free! 👍

[@mike-coles]

The big take out, is that there are many more good people in the world than bad ones. We’ve just got to remove the temptation from the bad guys.

[@philipbyrne3037]

So sad to hear. From my experience the people who perpetuate this type of behaviour are so deeply in denial about the situation their life is in that they won’t take responsibility for their behaviour. I certainly hope the perpetrator apologises and explains the situation with all your other gear but it is unlikely. I’ve had numerous bikes stolen because I don’t have a car and use trains frequently. From my experience, if I use a nice bike around a public transport hub at night it will be noticed and on one occasion a thief followed me home and stole my bike from my shed after midnight. Never saw a trace of the bike again.

[@dpierre]

Hello and thank you for sharing this effective method. Clearly, the most difficult thing is the memories or even precious accessories that we cannot replace. On my travel bike, it's molded wooden handles (unobtainable), a sailboat compass, special bags with lots of attachments whose replacement would probably be impossible. Personally, I always ask to park my bike inside, if they refuse, I give up on any purchase and go elsewhere. Even inside (store/restaurant) I remain extremely careful and go back and forth to check that no one is interested in my bike. Finally, I have a camouflage tarpaulin that covers the entire top of my bike, that is to say the equipment, the originality of the bike with its special double handlebars (also an antique that cannot be found). Last point, I film on small memory cards that I change every day and save the others (a different colored dot on each, this also makes it easier to find an important sequence). I hope you manage to re-equip yourself and I wish you good luck for the future. PS for a padlock, I just have a thin chain (impossible to break by hand) and a small padlock and it’s light because in any case, thieves have grindstones and everything they need to break n any lock. It always makes me laugh to see a cyclist with an ultra light bike, worth an arm and a leg, attached with one of those big padlocks made of heavy steel bars that hold with little aluminum rivets, sometimes, I have want to tell them: 45 seconds! Is the time needed to break it!

[@randelscyclevlogperthwa7342]

Jeez, that sucks. I've ridden from Melbourne to Sydney. Whilst in a town called Beveridge checking out the Kelly house I came back to my bike with some very suspicious folks parked in a ute next too it, I think I dodged a bullet there. I only left it for a couple of minutes. The lost footage is the worst loss, can't replace that. All the best.

[@billhemingway5558]

You're very fortunate to get your bike back. There would be little chance of that in the USA. Police here don't do much about bikes.

[@tinaanson8487]

Sad news Mike, it's not just the dollar cost, it's the ffeeling of violation. Trust is more flimsy than a cheap lock and a $30 alarm. Be nice to live in Shangri-la but unfortunately it's more like the Serengeti and the jackals and hyenas are ever present.

[@donparsons1237]

I hear yaa, We can't leave anything out side these days with-out it going missing. A few decades ago you could leave the keys in your car,,, house unlocked and what ever left out side and it would be there the next day, week, month, or year. No one touched nothing back then if it didn't belong to them. Those days are gone. Sad but true. At least you get to start over with a set back... The majority of humans are good pepole, there are those with ill intentions that don't seem too care. Sad but true. Pick up and carry forth. Its a life style you like and no one can take that away from you. Western Canada Don

[@mikehzz9848]

I come from Wagga, don't live there anymore, but I reckon I know what section of town to patrol and find your stuff. That's probably why the police recovered it. The law doesn't apply to the same extent in that section. Sounds like it would have been an amazing trip, sorry to hear it was spoiled. I drove from Sydney down to Victoria last weekend and did the High Country Rail Trail. The rail trails in Victoria are fantastic, highly recommended.

[@mike-coles]

It was a great trip and this setback will not break me spirit for adventure. I was thinking about heading back to Wagga to face my demons, then track across to Albury then Beachworth and follow the same trails towards Melbourne.

[@davidjohnston1374]

Mike, sorry for you losing your travel kit mate, it costs a lot to get all that gear replaced. You said the Police apprehended the culprit who nicked your bike, but was he let go, was he charged, will that bloke face court? There just doesn't seem to be much consequence these days.....let them back out to do the same thing the very next day. "Bring back the lash" I say!!

[@mike-coles]

As far as I know, the culprit was charged and will face court, but I have not been asked to give a statement yet.

[@RedLevine498]

@@mike-coles Did the police interrogate the culprit about what happened to the bags and cameras?

[@williamshafer3199]

3 bikes stolen from my parking block next to our home in Broken Hill last August, battery was not on the electric NCM Moscow Plus, the customised racks etc as bigba loss as the b8k3s :(

[@generalruler]

This sucks, the footage especially, but man when I have that much gear on my bike I don't let it out of my sight even when it's locked with 2 hiplock D-locks and I have my phone, keys and wallet with me. Worst case I'll lock it and ask a shopkeeper or security person to watch it if I need to go deep into a shop, no matter what area/town it's in. *edit* I Don't see bike lock on your comprehensive list :-/

[@paulninnis14]

Agree, it would be nice to think that 'others' will respect your possessions. Unfortunately there is a minority that has no qualms stealing😢

[@martinshelton9533]

I live in Leeton which is a fair bit smaller and not far from Wagga, when I ride my eBike into town I lock it EVER time, I have a cafe lock for quick in and out and a chain lock that goes on if I'm leaving it a bit longer. Normal pushy's are regularly nicked so don't assume the country areas are safe! Also register your bike (and other stuff) at bikeVAULT!

[@mike-coles]

I will ride with a lock, from now on. But I am genuinely surprised how it’s just accepted that people will try to steal your bike, if you travel through Wagga.

[@martinshelton9533]

@mike-coles I agree, it would be nice not worrying about the possibility of your bike getting nicked! 😕

[@peterlindsay8235]

On the up side I’m sure those responsible will get a stern telling off my the police and probably a $100 good behaviour bond if it goes to court! Not so many years ago the Police would have got the information required to recover your gear. Name and shame and sue for personal loss

[@rodneynewest905]

I work in retail … repeat shoplifters just walk up , fill their bag , smile and walk out. Its accepted. Workers can be fired if they intervene. They steal in 5 minutes what it takes workers 8 hrs to make. They are playing the game and winning.

[@mike-coles]

I do wonder if more foot patrols from police would slow this?

[@mangaichiban2957]

Oh man, what a disappointment. Hope it doesn't discourage you from making future trips.

[@johnschmit6815]

Sorry my good man but you must take responsibility for not securing your bike. 😎🐸

[@topcat8804]

Commiserations. Personally I always D-lock and my handlebar bag with my valuables ALWAYS stays with me. It could have been a lot worse since you got the bike back and a few hundred $$ could replace the essentials to continue your trip.