News / cycling
Stolen bike tracked down by online sleuthing and quick-thinking
Didun Obilanade had only been back in Bristol for less than a week when his bicycle was stolen while he was at an early morning gym session.
But unlike so many other similar stories, this one has a happy ending.
Didun, who lives in Totterdown, and is studying for a PhD in spacecraft rocket design, left his bike outside Spicer & Cole on Friday morning while he went to Workout gym on Welsh Back.
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“I have been cycling all over Bristol since I moved here in 2016 so I had become a bit complacent as nothing had ever really gone wrong,” 30-year-old Didun told Bristol24/7.
“I had been very fortunate.”
His luck ran out when the bike was taken. Didun said that he was “absolutely devastated”.
He got CCTV footage from surrounding businesses but police were not able to look through it due to the time frame for the theft being longer than 20 minutes, so he started doing some research online, “pretty much every avenue I could do I sent it out”.
But having heard nothing over the weekend, by Monday Didun had resigned himself to never seeing his red Wilier road bike again.
“I realised that the statistical probability of me getting my bike back was very low. I just accepted it.”
But then he got an email from Cash Converters on East Street in Bedminster saying they thought they had his bike so he immediately called the shop, who told him to come over.
“I was over the moon! I hopped in my car and went straight over to Bedminster. While I was there I spoke to the staff, who brought it out from the back and I just couldn’t believe it!”
Cash Converters staff had realised that something was a bit fishy when somebody brought the bike in hoping to sell it, so went to findthatbike.com and the first bike they found was Didun’s.
They told the would-be seller that they would be keeping hold of the bike and he did a runner
“I couldn’t be more happy and grateful and I bought them a massive crate of Heineken to say thank you very much. I took my bike home very happy!”
Didun said that despite the theft and a few people trying to scam him online, he was still overwhelmed by “the greatness of people”.
He also recommends that everyone who cycles around Bristol should purchase a gold-standard lock, ensure their bike is insured record the frame number and “lock it as securely away from the public as possible!”
Main photo: Didun Obilanade
Read more: Dom Whiting to return to Bristol for second annual Drum & Bass on the Bike
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