We all know that bike parts have become terribly hard to come by due to the CoVid pandemic that’s gripped the planet these past two years, but knocking off components destined for 10,000 bikes seems to be taking things a tad too far.
The next time someone says their bike ‘fell off the back of a lorry’, they may be speaking very literally indeed.
News is just in the a very highly organized gang of criminals tracked a truck with Shimano parts valued at over 10 million euro. Czech bike producer Bike Fun International reported that the heist took part 2 weeks ago, with the gang swopping on the unsuspecting driver at a pit stop on a German motorway. They gassed him, rendering him unconscious, and took off with the booty after wiping down the truck of potential evidence.
“The situation for bicycle producers worldwide is really difficult. On the one side, we are dealing with huge demand, but on the other side, there is an even bigger shortage of components, caused by many factors. We really haven’t seen this situation before,” said BFI Supply Chain Driector, Petr Krkoska.
“Even Shimano has not faced with a targeted robbery of a shipment on a similar scale. We hope that due to the shortage of parts, these cases will not be repeated, because despite all the measures we have set up, no insurance cover can compensate us for the loss and especially the reputation for late delivery. We decided to communicate this matter to warn other producers, because it could happen to them also.”
The lack of parts caused by the pandemic have held up (excuse the pun) new bike deliveries in some cases by up to two years, leaving the industry scrambling for components. It seems that the criminals have now caught on to this fact and who knows, maybe we should be waiting for a ransom letter soon?
“If you want your parts back send us $5 million, otherwise, you’ll be receiving a broken crank arm in the post.”
(It’ll likely be an Ultegra Hollowtech *cough*).
I’ve often mused as yo why thieves don’t just wait for a large group ride to summit at the top of a climb out in the sticks and take the bikes from the exhausted riders. It’d be way too easy to pull off and potentially a huge haul…
Now I’m wondering where these parts are going to wash up? Will your LBS be turning a blind eye? Would you?
