An Edinburgh man has spoken out after he spotted his stolen bike on Facebook marketplace.
Dad-of-two Robert Brooks, 41, had his beloved mountain bike stolen in January 2023. After having two bikes nicked in the past, Robert took extra safety measures to keep it locked up in his building's close.
Using a lock and chain normally used on a motorbike, he secured his bike to the railings in his building in Leith.
However, earlier this year, thieves cut the chain and railing. The kitchen manager then spotted the bike on Marketplace and is desperate to get it returned.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live, he said: "My nana was killed in a hit and run. I used part of the money from a court case to buy the bike. The way I saw it was that the bike was like the last thing she bought me. It's the main reason I'm going through such effort to get it back."
He explained: "I know it's mine because I had to make adjustments to it, I'm only 5"4 so I had to change the seat. There are scrapes on the front of the seat which happened when I was in a pretty serious accident two years ago. I broke my arm and the seat scraped along the tarmac. The paint is also chipped from where the motorbike chain and lock have been on it."
He said: "It's a desirable model and it cost me £1,200 back in 2020."
Robert had been periodically checking Marketplace and Gumtree for the Calibre Bossnut on the off chance that someone would try and sell it. He spotted it on April 21 and messaged the seller.
"I asked for the dimensions, and the seller told me the frame was high, 'but don't worry because the seat goes up really high', which it doesn't because I'm only 5"4 and I cut the seat post down. He stopped responding to me and the listing has been taken down, so I think it's been sold."
The dad said: "I used to go cycling a lot until I had two boys and work takes up a lot of time. But then this year me and my wife organised time for me to go back out there. I scheduled it so that I could be off Friday afternoons and that would give me time to finally get back to mountain biking.
"But just a week later after I finally got a bit of time off, it was stolen."
He added: "The police strongly advised me not to meet up with the seller, and to be honest as a dad, I wouldn't put myself in that situation."
Robert hopes that if someone does have his treasured bike, they return it.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 0.45 am on Friday, April 21 2023, a report was made to police of a bike that had been stolen being available for sale online.
"Enquiries into the incident are continuing."
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