Just days after the police have issued a statement warning of increased theft, Owen Bellwood, second year journalism student, finds himself without the bike that he cycled on from John O’Groats to Land’s End this summer.
On Thursday, October 10th, Owen tied up his bike on the University of Lincoln’s campus at 11am. It was missing four hours later at his return.
When heading to class, however, Owen believed his bike to be secure.
He said: “The lock was a new one I had just gotten from Halfords. Because I had a cheap one that someone had previously tried to cut off and failed, I went and replaced it with a more expensive one, and now I don’t have a bike.”
The thief may have identified the Saracen Vortex Mountain Bike, which had been adapted and modified for Owen’s road use, as valuable: “It wasn’t massively expensive…but it had disk brakes and suspension and road tires.”
For other students who commonly ride their bikes to class, Owen makes a few suggestions: “I would probably say use a few locks and maybe use the rails in front of the shed where it is more visible. The back of MHT is a bit hidden away.”
He also recommends to purchase bike insurance and take it to the police to place a serial number on it.