Thieves take £150K worth of bikes from shop in Exeter

An example of a stolen bike Devon and Cornwall Police
A Santa Cruz Heckler - an example of one of the bikes stolen Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police

Around £150,000 worth of bicycles were stolen in a burglary in Exeter.

They were taken from The Bike Shed Outta-Town on Honiton Road, near Sowton Industrial Estate overnight from Sunday (September 4) into the early hours of Monday (September 5).

Detective Constable Abi Campbell said: “We are investigating a substantial commercial burglary in which many high-quality and high-value bikes were stolen. We believe that the combined value is in the region of £150,000.

“This appears to be a planned and targeted burglary. The initial break-in took place around 10.15pm on Sunday 4 September and those involved left the area at around 3am on Monday 5 September.”

42 bikes have been confirmed as missing, including a number of rare and valuable bikes.

They include:

  • Santa Cruz Heckler Carbon S Spec in maritime grey

  • Cube Stereo 140 Team, grey and olive, size X-small

  • Cube Reaction EXC 750, grey and red, size XX-large

  • Bianchi E-Omnia FXXT, blue, size medium

  • Forme Lathkill, green, size small

  • Liv Embolden E+1, metal, size medium

  • Trek Allant+ 5 Lowstep, grey, size small

DC Campbell added: “We believe that those involved used a large white VW Crafter (Pictured), which had a black trim, to transport the bikes away from the area.

"This would have taken numerous trips possibly to another area where the bikes were initially stored; this could have been to a location that is relatively local.

“We are appealing to the public and to businesses in and around the area to review CCTV..."

The type of van the police believe the burglars used Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police

"We would also like to hear from any road users who may have dashcam or helmet cam that may be of interest.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who has been offered a high-value bike for sale. We have the serial numbers of all the stolen items and we are determined to locate these bikes and arrest those responsible for this crime.”

Police say anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information should contact them by calling 101, quoting crime reference CR/081847/22.