Bicycle Riders Beware

[Lost in LOS]

Maybe this will be a more common sight what with the way the world is heading.

can I borrow that when my leg gets better?

[Lost in LOS]

some new info for you bicycle riders. there is a gang there for sure. I just found out that many people had the same thing happen and the police arent doing anything.

Someone I know went riding on my same route about the same time I got attacked, he and a friend got attacked, the "friend" rode off. These same guys as got me attacked him, he didn't have my skills, unfortunately, and they almost killed him with the metal bars, took all he had and he is in the hospital for 3 weeks now in very bad shape.

be careful boys

[Phil Conners]

News on Sophon Cable yesterday showed the mayor and maybe 100 bicyclists doing something at city hall. Wasn't following closely so I'm not sure what it was about but there certainly seem to be some growing interest for cycling in Pattaya.

Not much, but it's a start.

[Lost in LOS]

my Thai friend just called me and said that on a Thai news website the police just caught the gang.

It is my understanding that a group of guys that got hurt took a collection and offered the police a reward. maybe that's what happened. I am trying to find the pics so I can point out my friend

[tropo]

my Thai friend just called me and said that on a Thai news website the police just caught the gang.

It is my understanding that a group of guys that got hurt took a collection and offered the police a reward. maybe that's what happened. I am trying to find the pics so I can point out my friend

Offer the police a reward to do their job???

Edited September 19, 2012 by tropo

[Lost in LOS]

my Thai friend just called me and said that on a Thai news website the police just caught the gang.

It is my understanding that a group of guys that got hurt took a collection and offered the police a reward. maybe that's what happened. I am trying to find the pics so I can point out my friend

Offer the police a reward to do their job???

I dont want to say too much but apparently that was the only way they were going to take care of it. TIT

just this second I got the pic. Same guys.

Edited September 19, 2012 by Lost in LOS

[tropo]

just this second I got the pic. Same guys.

These are the guy who attacked you?

[Lost in LOS]

just this second I got the pic. Same guys.

These are the guy who attacked you?

90%, need full frontal to tell for sure. They sure look familiar, especially the one on the left. Remember, I was fighting for my life and always look at the chest, it telegraphs what they are gonna do

got the website, page 13 is the pic but I can read teh thai

Edited September 19, 2012 by Rimmer
Forum link removed as per forum rules

[Lost in LOS]

this is the one with the pipes. Lets see what happens to him, there were a lot of rich thais attacked so hopefully that helps

[tropo]

this is the one with the pipes. Lets see what happens to him, there were a lot of rich thais attacked so hopefully that helps

Maybe you can pay the cops a "reward" to touch him up a bit.

[Lost in LOS]

this is the one with the pipes. Lets see what happens to him, there were a lot of rich thais attacked so hopefully that helps

Maybe you can pay the cops a "reward" to touch him up a bit.

:-)

Edited September 19, 2012 by Lost in LOS

[tropo]

this is the one with the pipes. Lets see what happens to him, there were a lot of rich thais attacked so hopefully that helps

Maybe you can pay the cops a "reward" to touch him up a bit.

:-)

Now that they've caught the scum you can get back on your bike again (once you've healed) - and better prepared for a future encounter. A gun would be the best protection... perhaps a replica?

[Lost in LOS]

this is the one with the pipes. Lets see what happens to him, there were a lot of rich thais attacked so hopefully that helps

Maybe you can pay the cops a "reward" to touch him up a bit.

:-)

Now that they've caught the scum you can get back on your bike again (once you've healed) - and better prepared for a future encounter. A gun would be the best protection... perhaps a replica?

fake guns are one of the most dangerous things you can carry. an expandable baton and a water bottle filled with nasty shit [hot pepper water] that can be squeezed out is the better option.

not sure I will be making that run anytime soon, leg still bad adn I will be looking over my shoulder too often.

[tropo]

fake guns are one of the most dangerous things you can carry.

I don't think so. Would you attack someone pointing a gun at you?

If the attackers have a gun spray won't do you any good anyway... nothing will except another real gun which you fire first. There's no way to make yourself 100% safe in every situation.

Let me remind you of the incident with a gym buddy a couple of years ago on the dark side. They knocked him down from his motorcycle and still pulled a gun on him when he was down and injured. There are some extremely desperate thugs around here who also have guns. All the martial arts and spray won't help you if you come across these people.

You'll need a real gun you're prepared to use.

Edited September 19, 2012 by tropo

[Rimmer]

Bicycle theft gang caught by Huay Yai Police

Story HERE

[tropo]

Bicycle theft gang caught by Huay Yai Police

Story HERE

That may not be the same people responsible for attacking LOS. The guys in the report are stealing bikes and attacking their victims from the bushes with planks of wood. LOS's assailants were on a motorbike and used steel pipes.

[Lost in LOS]

Bicycle theft gang caught by Huay Yai Police

Story HERE

That may not be the same people responsible for attacking LOS. The guys in the report are stealing bikes and attacking their victims from the bushes with planks of wood. LOS's assailants were on a motorbike and used steel pipes.

dam_n that what it looks like. they used pipes on me.

[LeCharivari]

From the more detailed information in the cycling forum ( http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/581858-cyclist-attacked-while-riding-in-jomtien/ ) this sounds like a very different gang who were stealing bikes to order, with a very different modus operandii.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

my Thai friend just called me and said that on a Thai news website the police just caught the gang.

It is my understanding that a group of guys that got hurt took a collection and offered the police a reward. maybe that's what happened. I am trying to find the pics so I can point out my friend

The way to catch a monkey....or monkeys.

Edited September 19, 2012 by Jiu-Jitsu

[Lost in LOS]

I did a lot of checking. The thai news channel had a whole story on them, said wood or metal pipes. it was pipes. It was these guys. the pics show many bicycles they stole. Also I thought Huay Yai was far away, its not, its near jomtien where this happened. this is the guy that had the pipes. Pattaya one needs to correct their reporting

the summoned my neighbor to the police station that got beaten with pipes to identify them also.

It appears they got these a**holes, but there might be more of them

Edited September 20, 2012 by Lost in LOS

[Lost in LOS]

I did a lot of checking. The thai news channel had a whole story on them, said wood or metal pipes. it was pipes. It was these guys. the pics show many bicycles they stole. Also I thought Hay Yat was far away, its not, its near jomtien where this happened. this is the guy that had the pipes

the summoned my neighbor to the police station that got beaten with pipes to identify them also.

It appears they got these a**holes, but there might be more of them

[Rimmer]

It looks like they were in the business of stripping down the bikes and selling the parts as well as snatching any gold or I Pads..

frames are cheap at dealer level but high end Shimano parts, Mavic wheels, Look Pedals Suspension forks and all the other good stuff hanging on them can far exceed the value of the frame.

Somebody must have been buying all that stuff.

[tinfoilhat]

It looks like they were in the business of stripping down the bikes and selling the parts as well as snatching any gold or I Pads..

frames are cheap at dealer level but high end Shimano parts, Mavic wheels, Look Pedals Suspension forks and all the other good stuff hanging on them can far exceed the value of the frame.

Somebody must have been buying all that stuff.

as i said here before in another thread (i think there are at least 3) before these guys were caught,

This is of course pure speculation, but bear with me.

The whole thing seems to be far too enterprising for the three neanderthals in the picture, and i find it highly unlikely that without some guidance from someone in the know, they would hardly have been aware of the actual value of these bikes let alone where to sell them.

They are probably not the only crew, and i suspect the bikes are being stolen to order for a particular ring or individual.

Seeing the market for high end cycles is fairly limited, if the police were interested it probably would not be difficult to find someone doing trade in high end bikes or quality second hand gruppos and running gear.

the fact that the bianchi has been stripped indicates the frame may well be a throw away, components are not as easily identifiable.

Its good to see that most of the bianchi is still there. The wheels and most of the components are in the pics.

It must be very satisfying to be one of the people pointing, i reckon i would have trouble holding back a contented snigger

Edited September 20, 2012 by tinfoilhat

[tropo]

It must be very satisfying to be one of the people pointing, i reckon i would have trouble holding back a contented snigger

I reckon it would take more than a "contented snigger" to satisfy some of the victims, especially LOS who's laid up with a seriously injured leg. A decent smack to the head with a pipe would do a lot better.

Edited September 20, 2012 by tropo

[Briggsy]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

[Iusedtocycle]

If you've got the cash why not invest in a top quality stationary bike... an imported LifeCycle perhaps? There's just too much to worry about out there. More of a concern than getting robbed/beaten up is having an accident...all just to try and get fit. You can get fitter on a high tech stationary bike than riding around polluted, dangerous streets. You came out the hero this time, but don't push your luck. Next time they may have a gun or be more skilled with their weapons.

A fellow gym member got robbed at gunpoint coming to the gym one morning from the dark side - heading to Tony's. A car side swiped his motorbike to knock him down and when he was down (with a broken back) pointed a gun to his head. He ended up spending 6 weeks at the hospital. This was pretty sad because the victim was an extremely dedicated gym goer and at his age he'll never recover from his injury.

I can't speak for Lost in LOS, but people who love to cycle like my dad usually hate indoor cycling as it is much more boring and there is nothing to see. For them it usually isn't just exercise its relaxation too.

You are correct. People don't cycle just for exercise. Its more about being outside in nature and a feeling of freedom. I have bought several indoor cycling units that you can attach your normal bike too but most of them have disappeared into storage fairly quickly.

[Iusedtocycle]

If I dont get on my bike first thing in the morning and start riding, it will never happen. If I dont pass the gym on the way back, I wont be working out.

Hard to stay motivated when your 65 so i need a kickstart.

From the comments it sounds like there might be one or two other people close by you that ride. Why not try and get some riding buddies? I think they would have thought much hard even if there was just one more person with you.

I rode from Bangkok (outskirts) to Phuket last year over 16 days. Nearly every Thai person I met alone the way told me I was crazy cause it was very dangerous with a high risk of robbery etc... I didn't have any trouble except for one guy who followed me for about 2kms on a scooter. When I got to the next town I stopped at a market and he pulled up next to me. Not sure what he said but I just tried to be polite and turn back to the stalls. Didn't see him again.

I had a laptop, iPhone, iPad, wallet...etc... all in my bags but I got the impression that Thai people probably think you are poor if you have to ride a bicycle.

[Iusedtocycle]

Lost in LOS; I think the outcome is the best you could have hoped for and thanks very much for sharing your story. As I was reading it though, I was fearing the worst for you to get pummeled, stabbed or shot. Even if you might have been able to snag the rebar from the guy and crank him one, some other Thai guys might had taken you out not knowing you were actually the victim. Pack mentality against farang the lot of them and enhanced by ya ba (I don't do Songkran anymore because of this)

Anyhow, I've been in Thailand for 5 years and diligently did 100-150Km of weekly maintenance rides in BKK for when I would do my long distance provincial rides during my vacations. I too dislike stationary cycles, prefer to ride solo and was very satisfied that cycling kept me great shape as I age. Recently, I was one of those who got nailed over the head with a wood plank by a couple of punks. Thankfully I didn't wreck and a couple of trucks showed up then, so they took off. My cycling helmet took most of the blow, but it was <deleted> loud and gave me a splitting headache for a couple of days. Motorbike taxis are always a PITA too, but the final straw straw was when a car taxi ran a red light and hit me from behind. I was only bruised/scraped and the taxi did a runner of course.

So like you, I have an intrinsic biking anxiety now and haven't ridden for over a year. I'm quite depressed about it as cycling is the only exercise I can do without dying of heatstroke. I worry that IMHO Thailand is getting worse in regards to drugs and violence so I'm going to give Oz a try for biking. I hope it is not as bad as the guy from Sidney says it is!

At any rate, I wish you all the best for a complete recovery from your injuries. Cheers!

sorry to burst your bubble before you even get to australia but it is, in my experience, the worst place to ride a bike. The drivers there are very aggressive and at times will aim their car at you before swerving away. There is some real public aggression towards cyclists. The only time I have been hit by a car was in Melbourne and I've been cycling for 30 years and ridden in ireland, Jersey, france, spain, italy, singapore, malaysia, Thailand, USA and australia. And Australia is by far my least favourite for drivers.

You could always try mountain biking. There are plenty of great trails in australia for that and the cycle path network was getting better.

[tropo]

I rode from Bangkok (outskirts) to Phuket last year over 16 days.

I didn't have any trouble except for one guy who followed me for about 2kms on a scooter.

So better to say you were lucky than to suggest your trouble-free experience means that it is safe.

One bad incident and it could be all over. I'm sure LOS would have agreed with you before he wrote this post.

[koto]

Aloha Bro

I'm happy you stayed posting, like you said, in the beginning, they were not being to nice, kinda like me and my adventures, you kept the wind in your sails, rode it to the dirt and now you have become an in-lighting message to many, plus some of the danger, has been removed, see Bro you not only talked the talk, you walked the walk.

Now heal up! Get off the porch,start walkin it off or ridin it off, I'm sure your gaining weight, I'm here to pump you up, cha,cha,cha...