Stolen: Bianchi Cameleonte 2 - Perth

[BandedRail]

Posting on behalf of a friend. Stolen from Northbridge on Thursday the 3rd of April:
2012 Bianchi Cameleonte 2 with Shimano Alivio running gear, size 51 cm, silver in colour. Pretty much as shown in picture (including the Tioga rack). Has a distinct scratch on the LHS of the top-tube.



This bike was a birthday present so has sentimental value and the lady who owns it is a helluva nice person so I'll offer a reward of one of my copper bicycle sculptures for any info leading to it's return.

Cheers

[Stuey]

Hi; I work in Northbridge so will keep an eye out around there. Unlikely they'll return, but you never know. Some thieves are bold.

You haven't supplied a bike sculpture to QBE insurance have you? They have one in their main office reception that could be copper; not sure.

[BandedRail]

Good news - the bike has been found!

Handed in to the police by someone who saw it being dumped at a retirement village in Kwinana. The owner is, needless to say, totally stoked.

On a not-so-good note though - the same person had their other bike (an old red Trek MTB) stolen a few days after the Bianchi. There had to be at least two theives involved as they scaled a 4 m wall into the back yard and passed the MTB over the same wall. A lot of effort for little gain (you'd be lucky to get $50 from a pawn shop for it). I'm guessing a high IQ isn't a prerequisite for bike theft

[BandedRail]

UPDATE: Alas, my friend found out the hard way that some people don't know how to treat a nice bike with respect. Heading home not long after having the bike returned she changed down into the lowest gear and the dérailleur inserted itself into the spokes causing over $250 worth of damage. Looks like the cause was a bent dérailleur hanger (this is supported by the new scratches on the drive side of the frame that appeared after the theft). Moral - if you get your bike back after it has been stolen give it a darn thorough once over before riding it.