Bognor Regis man's plea to replace stolen bike: 'it was my life, my legs, my transport'

"It really meant a lot, my bike. I used it for everything"
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Tim, from Bognor Regis, used his bike to get everywhere. A high-end Carrera mountain bike, he bought it for £550 twelve years ago and, in that time, it became his 'best friend.' So, when he woke up one Monday morning to find the locks cut and the bike gone, he was appropriately devastated.

"I realise it's metal and it's rubber, and it can be replaced. But there's just this horrible feeling. Someone has come into my space and taken something while I was in bed asleep," he explained.

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"It really meant a lot, my bike. I used it for everything. I spend a lot of time travelling, and when I'm back in England, that bike was my legs. I used it around town, I'd cycle up to Bristol on it. It's like a car for someone else. I don't have a car so, for me, that was my transport. I loved it. I loved that bike."

Tim said he found his bike missing on January 24Tim said he found his bike missing on January 24
Tim said he found his bike missing on January 24

The bike was stolen from the car park outside Tim's home overnight between January 23 and 24. Unsure he'll ever see his old friend again, he is now fundraising to buy a new one.

The £275 he hopes to raise, should cover half the cost of a new bike and any extra, he said, will be donated to Chestnut Tree House.

"Something bad has happened, and if this works. I just thought I want to balance things out. When you do something nice for someone, it gives you a good feeling and you can pass that on to someone else. So I hope it restores that sense of humanity."

Police have asked anyone with information about Tim's bike is asked to report it online or by calling 101, quoting serial number 274 of 24/01.