Mountain bikes worth more than £20,000 stolen from Cheltenham family
THIEVES grabbed a treasured engagement present as they made off with £20,000 worth of possessions from a Cheltenham couple's home.
Isabel Booth had saved for months to buy parts to build a mountain bike for her cycling-mad fiancé Rod.
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Gift gone: Rod and Isabel Booth had a number of their bikes stolen by thieves. Inset, the yellow Intense Tracer worth £6,000
It was one of six bicycles that the family kept locked up in their garage in Galileo Gardens, Hester's Way.
But the items were snatched during a break-in on Saturday night.
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Police have now warned a gang could be operating in the area.
The one-of-a-kind £6,000 bike was built by Isabel in the workshop of Leisure Lakes Bikes to celebrate the landmark in the couple's relationship.
"I spent months and months putting money aside to buy all the parts one bit at a time and then I went into the shop to make it myself," said mother-of- three Mrs Booth, 32.
"I learned how to do it all in the workshop and they helped me to build it, so it was completely unique and can't be replaced."
Mr Booth had not ridden the yellow Intense Tracer since it was given to him in October due to injury.
Three of his other bikes were also taken – a black Yeti SB-66 worth £5,500, a carbon Lapierre Zesty 914 worth £5,250, and a red and black On-one 456 worth £2,250.
Mrs Booth's red, white and black Specialised SSR Myka worth £1,500 was also taken, along with her 12-year-old son Davey's red Santa Cruz, worth £2,500.
The bikes were too expensive to be included on the couple's contents insurance and they had not taken out a separate policy.
It is thought burglars used a crowbar to pull open the garage door, which joins the house, while Mr Booth was watching the Champions League final and his wife was in bed.
"I heard a bang at about 10.30pm, but it sounded like it was coming from the garden and I thought it was the dog running around," said Mr Booth, who rides in the Forest of Dean and in Wales.
The couple, who run the Clarity Insight counselling business in Lansdown, discovered the thefts on Sunday morning. It is the third time Mr Booth has fallen victim to a bike theft.
"Back in 2009 I had bikes locked to a vehicle and went inside for a matter of minutes and when I came back they were gone," he said.
"Then last Christmas Eve, a bike we bought Davey for his present was stolen, so we had to rush out to get another to replace it."
Leisure Lakes Bikes Scott Jones, workshop manager, said: "For Isabel to build the bike was a really nice gesture. It was a pretty rare frame and nobody else would have had a bike like that.
"It's horrible to hear about this sort of thing."
Police said there could be a gang of bike thieves patrolling the area.
Sergeant Tony Wallace added: "The officers in Hester's Way have reported an increase in high-value bike thefts."
Witnesses should call Gloucestershire Police on 101 and quote 114 of May 20.
Comments
by BigGeordie1
Monday, May 21 2012, 10:04PM
“Im hearing comments about they should have insured the bikes,it most likly would cost an arm and leg then the insurers would find a loophole not to pay out.”
by HomeComposter
Monday, May 21 2012, 9:14PM
“Get one of these and add to your bike locks:
http://tinyurl.com/d3yja7y”
by Desenchanter
Monday, May 21 2012, 9:02PM
“Minnie7 The moderation team here have a funny view of the world. Then again, so does the Reporters from my dealings with them. They really miss the mark so many times it is quite alarming.”
by pcoolone
Monday, May 21 2012, 8:58PM
“who gives a 12 yr old a 2000 pound bicycle ?”
by nikonman2010
Monday, May 21 2012, 7:12PM
“If the bikes are worth that sort of money and i know some can be i cant believe how stupid they were not to insure them on a seperate policy, yes you should be able to lock them in your garage and not worry but house breaking and entering isnt exactly unheard of. I know someone who was burgled had about £15k worth nicked the plod reckon they know who done it yet cant do nothing due to lack of evidence plus their insurance has now gone up and they have to have a alarm linked straight to the plod yard”
by Stuntgirl1
Monday, May 21 2012, 6:30PM
“In theory people should be able to own whatever they want to and keep it on their property without having to worry about people coming and taking it. Unfortunately we live in a world full of selfish people and people who think the world owes them a living and we must take out insurance for this.”
by pcoolone
Monday, May 21 2012, 4:42PM
“and also to add if i had anything worth 20,000 id have it insured even if it meant selling some of the others , and its hard to believe they crow barred the garage door that close to the house , loaded up a vehical to carry them and didnt make more noise than a "bang" , and he never thought to check ??”
by pcoolone
Monday, May 21 2012, 4:36PM
“its nothing to do with jelousy its to do with the fact that theres a type of person who goes running to the papers to tell their stories ,then theres the type of person who repsonds to the articles put before them , personally i wouldnt risk anything over a tenner in value at hesters way and theyl have to be careful if the torch goes anywhere near there”
by BigGeordie1
Monday, May 21 2012, 4:32PM
“Typical nasty comments from people of this town,if they worked for it then they should spend it as they wish.Perhaps the comment should be aimed at the scum bags who did it IE chop their bloody hands off.”
by supernova1
Monday, May 21 2012, 3:20PM
“The green-eyed monsters often found in TiG-land are well and truly out and about today, eh?
And while I subscribe to the view that it's not their fault, unfortunately, we no longer live in an age when when can leave our front doors open at night, as we used to....apparently, according to all our grand parents!
But they've been done over before, so if nothing else, the $cr0t£$ know that they are in to bikes.
So if you had £20k of bikes, you would build some sort of 'cage' inside your garage. Easy enough with a few bits of palisade steel fencing, state of the art locks, alarms, smartwater etc. I reckon £5-600max to do the job. Then I would definitely insure them, 'cos at that price, it's a no-brainer.
And can I suggest they don't just go out and replace them without beefing up the security, 'cos the $cr0t£$ will be watching.”