Edinburgh cyclists ‘shaken’ after being attacked by thieves who made off with bikes worth £10,000

Two best friends were enjoying a cycle ride on the Blackhall Path when they were ‘pounced’ on by two hooded men

An Edinburgh cyclist has spoken out after he and his best friend were assaulted by two men who made off with bikes worth £10,000.

The Easter Drylaw resident, who wished to remain anonymous, was cycling along Blackhall Path near Corbiehill Avenue at around 6pm on Saturday when two men dressed in dark clothing emerged from under a bridge, assaulted the pair and then took off with their bikes.

The resident, 34, said both he and his friend were still shaken following the incident and no longer feel safe to go out cycling - an activity the friends regularly enjoy. He said: “You hear about this happening to other people all the time but you never anticipate it happening to you. We had just cycled under a bridge and they were hiding on steps to the right hand side. They were there waiting - if it hadn’t been us it would have been someone else.”

He added: “These bikes were our pride and joy - they were what we used to escape from everyday life and to improve our mental health. Now we are both extremely shaken and wouldn’t feel safe to go out riding again. It’s absolutely soul destroying.” 

Police Scotland said enquiries into the theft are ongoing. One of the stolen bikes is a black Trek Fuel EX 9.7 Caron worth £4,500 and the second bike is a red Orbea Wild FS H30 electric bike worth £5,500. The Edinburgh resident said: ““I loved my bike - it was the first one that I’ve spent a lot of money on.”

Left: The Easter Drylaw resident said the hooded attackers were hiding at the stairwell near the bridge. Right: The bikes that were stolen

Setting off on a bike ride at around 4.30pm on Saturday, the pair had travelled along the River Almond Walkway, visiting Cammo, Cramond and Silverknowes  before circling back and heading home via the Blackhall cycle path when the ‘beautiful’ day quickly took a turn for the worse.

He said: “We were coming up to this bridge and my friend was in front of me. I saw the first man come out from the right and run into my friend with some force and pushed him clean off his bike. At this point I knew what was happening - they had concealed themselves under the bridge and then waited to pounce on us.”

After stopping to make sure his friend was okay, he then found himself assaulted by a second attacker who began to grapple with the 34-year-old and eventually stole his bike from him. He said: “They were both shouting and very irate at this point. The two of them then took off with our bikes down Blackhall Path towards Drylaw.” 

After making a call to the police, the pair left the area. But the man then bravely waited further along the footpath to warn other cyclists about what had happened. “I tried to stop as many cyclists as I could. I think I stopped about 11 cyclists to tell them to be on the lookout,” he said.

The man said police are classifying the crime as an assault and robbery due to leg and angle injuries sustained by his 36-year-old best friend. He added: “The police were excellent. They took my friend’s jacked in a bid to recover one of the attacker’s DNA.” 

He described the two men as being in their late teens or early 20s with one wearing a grey tracksuit and the other wearing black clothing, and both had hoods on at the time. 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "At around 5.50pm on Saturday, 3 February 2024, police were called after two men reported that their bikes had been stolen from them as they cycled along Blackhall Cycle Path, Drylaw, Edinburgh. Enquiries are continuing."