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news
Attempted Boris Bike bike-jacking, June 2015 (YouTube still, user Dark Shadow)Video: Fight breaks out as alleged muggers try to steal Boris Bike from cyclist
A cyclist with a helmet camera captured the moment a man riding one of London’s Santander Cycles hire bikes was apparently targeted in an attempted bike-jacking – with fellow riders helping fend off his attackers as a fight developed.
The footage of the incident, which happened on Cycle Superhighway 3 on Cable Street, east London at around 4.30pm on the afternoon of 1 June, was posted to YouTube by user Dark Shadow.
With several cyclists stopped at a red traffic light, a man who had been standing nearby seems to try and grab the hire bicycle, saying, “This is my bike,” with the rider pushed to the ground.
Other riders then intervened, causing the apparent mugger and his companion to leave the scene.
<iframe width="500" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R-E4--xGV7M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Asked in the comments to his post whether they had been trying to steal the bike, Dark Shadow, who has passed the video to the police, said: "That's what I understood! The guy in black kept saying that was his bike."
According to some others commenting on the video, such incidents aren’t uncommon.
One said: “I know here South of the river they get stolen quite a bit from people, the kids then just ride around pulling wheelies and getting up to mischief with them.”
Another added: “I was speaking to a Serco employee on Sunday (they maintain the bikes) and he said that gangs hang about and watch for someone who doesn't lock the bike back in properly and the steal it and hire them out to unsuspecting tourists.”
The Metropolitan Police said last month that bike-jackings in London are now running at around 10 a week – although typically the targets are people riding expensive bikes, which the muggers presumably seek to sell on.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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19 comments
Is it just the lens or is that bike path pretty narrow for two-way traffic? Seeing as how erratic some cyclists can be I wouldn't fancy cycling towards one at 15+mph in case they strayed to my side and knocked me over into the main road...
Doesn't look wide enough to me. Not sure what the minimum specs are for those 2-way lanes. Credit to those that intervened, I wish karma upon the muggers.
Lets hope nothing bad ever happens to you 'Mashedmallow'. You must be very lucky.
I ride on this cycle path every day, and its useful to know what is going on in that area, to have a sense of awareness
It's also very encouraging to see other cyclists stepping in to help a fellow cyclist in trouble
I would certainly be the first to go to someone's assistance if that happened in front of me, but I'd highly recommend holding your bike by seat tube and fork blade so you can put it between yourself and the assailants as some muggers carry knifes
I've used a BMX in this way before and found it very effective to keep someone at distance when they were attacking a female cyclist on Regent's canal, nothing like a bike being thrust in your face to make you back off, the guy went for me and got a pedal to the face
Well done to all who intervened. Everyone is apprehensive of acting alone, but working as a pair or in a group makes it easier to act.
Not related to this specific incident but the operators of the Boris Bike Scheme seem pretty relaxed about damage to the bikes.
One of my friends had the misfortune to have a black cab reverse into him on the Strand in the first week in June. Cue one very buckled front wheel and scrapes to wrist, elbow and ankle.
When informed, the operators were very cool about it, left with the distinct impression that they were not even going to contact the cabbies insurers.
Hello Bikebikebike
You really think that a load of idiots arguing the toss and having a fight is interesting? Great, but this is nothing to do with cycling is it? It's a few morons all being as bad as each other.
Hello Felixcat
Yeah, I would rather read about the latest fancy kit actually, because it makes me happy. Just fed-up of reading about stupid petty nah nah nah altercations between cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, cats, dogs, turtles yadda yadda.
Hello Barbarus
How is this relevant to anyone? Come on, be sensible.
Oh, and shit, it is on the Daily fucking Mail -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3121361/Moment-Boris-Bike-rider-...
Errr …….. it's an attempted street robbery of the guy's bike and violent assault.
@Mashedmallow you are a jerk. Go and troll somewhere else and take your abuse with you.
You should just stick to your beloved Daily Mail mate. Your 9 posts (including 2 on this topic) in over 4 years suggests that you don't have much to contribute to the discussion of cycling issues. Why on earth you think that *you* should be calling the tune on the editorial agenda for this website is beyond me.
...Hi MashedMallow, I have read all this and had a really good think about it. Interesting points made by everyone, but one thing has now become clear to me. You are wrong.
Have a good day.
I'm not sure whether I'd call this click bait. It's relevant to people who cycle in that area of London. It's heartening to see people sticking up for each other and it adds to the debate on helmet footage.
Frightening. They are probably illegals, no jobs, dealing drugs and nicking stuff now graduating to aggravated street robbery. Luckily that the following cyclist had a camera which is becoming an essential piece of kit. Bike jacking - it's becoming as bad as South Africa.
Kudos to the guy in the black and orange, first one to help out!
Hope the guy who got assaulted is OK!
Hello Simon, how about we have some positive stories on road.cc instead of this clickbait bullshit I could just as easily read in the Daily fucking Mail.
I cycled along there today, and I find this pretty fucking interesting.
Would you prefer the site to stick to nice consumer reviews of fancy kit?
Many of us prefer not to buy the Daily fucking Mail or visit its fucking website...
To me this story highlights what people need to be mindfull of when hiring a Boris bike and their personal security as I would never have though people would want to steal them.
i remember getting the train from Barcelona to Sitges and counted about five 'Bicing' bikes along the tracks...