Cervelo Road Bike Stolen near Crewe

[SellaTheChemist]

A bike was stolen from the guards van on an Avanti West Coast train from Liverpool to Crewe on Sunday. The thief swapped our road bike for a cheap mountain bike and disembarked at Crewe.
The bike stolen was a Cervelo R5 2020 in Red in Sunweb Livery (red/pink, cream and black) Frame Number: SNR5F18G00125 Rider sticker on the top tube with the name Chad Haga. The bike had an Ultegra groupset, Prologo saddle and Chris King wheels.


The wheels are not the same in this image.
It's quite distinctive and i'm hoping that someone will spot it when the thief tries to sell it on. We'd be grateful for any forwarding or posting of this message on other forums/social media.

We're pretty gutted.

Thanks,
Andrea Sella

[toontra]

Sympathies. A great bike which will be sorely missed.

I get the train a lot with my bike and I've always had a fear of this happening. You're not allowed to lock your bike to the train in any way and you're often sitting several carriages away, so there's absolutely nothing stopping someone getting on after you and, if they get off before you, thinking - hey, that looks like a better bike than mine and just grabbing it.

Have you tried the Transport Police? There must be video of the person disembarking with your bike which the police should follow up on. There will also be DNA on the bike left behind. This is a high-value bike and should be treated seriously.

[SellaTheChemist]

Thank you. We have indeed reported to BTP (they had no one in the station when we disembarked) but we know that there is good video at both stations and on the carriages so it should be visible. And yes, both fingerprints and DNA may be on the other bike though it was pulled off the train by a train guard who was unaware of what had happened.
Thanks,
AS

[SellaTheChemist]

An update.

Photographs of the thief taken with CCTV were circulated by the police to other forces across the UK. Unfortunately no one recognized the man and the case has been archived. So once again, a null result.
Meanwhile Avanti West Coast, through their insurers disclaim any responsibility because "the bike was unlocked". I find this really galling. Train staff routinely ask cyclists NOT to lock bikes on safety grounds or to be sure that other bikes can be got out at intermediate stations. In this case the bike was in the bike compartment at the end of the train that only Avanti staff can access. And there was a reservation that the staff member did not check/match when the thief got off the train with the bike. So it seems to me that they share in the responsibility for this mess.

They also say that we are "entitled at all times to seek independent legal advice in relation to this incident." Indeed!

Andrea

[Bonefishblues]

I think I would be doing exactly that. You complied, they failed to follow their own laid down procedures - i.e. They accepted the carriage of your cycle which they had a duty to keep safe, they were negligent, and you suffered loss as a result.

[toontra]

Did they not bother with DNA on the discarded bike? As a high-value crime I would have thought that would be warranted. My bet would be this person wasn't a first-time offender.

I can't believe they infer that the crime happened because the bike was unlocked. I've been castigated by guards for trying to lock my bike, the first time on my way from London to Penzance to start a LEJoG. I told the guard my bike was worth several thousand pounds, I was sitting several coaches away and there were 16 stops on route. He told me to remove the lock otherwise he'd kick me off the train!

As you say, if they won't let you lock it then they surely must assume some responsibility.

Maybe a sore subject but - did you have insurance (household with bike coverage or bike-specific)?

[L+1]

You’ve probably been through all the possibilities ….. but if the guards van/cycle store area was being operated as ‘staff access only’, did a guard load the thief’s bike somewhere and did it have a reservation ticket to enable it to be accepted onto the train? If you’re in possession/can get a view of it, would it contain any information which might link to the ticket purchaser - location of purchase or even an account?

I too would strongly consider getting legal advice. The suggestion from Avanti West Coast might seem flippant - but they might be trying to tell you something…?There definitely has been a failing somewhere along the line.

Cycling UK might be interested in starting a dialogue with the train companies if you were to suggest it to them. A bit of extra influence behind your discussions with Avanti…?