Midlothian soldier devastated after thieves steal prized mountain bikes worth £18,000 from Easthouses home

It is understood a pair of men were seen stealing the bikes on Monday evening

A Midlothian soldier has been left devastated after thieves made off with two prized mountain bikes worth £18,000.

Liam Dickson, from Easthouses, who has spent a considerable sum of money on his passion for cycling over the years, was working south of the border when he was told the upsetting news earlier this week. 

The 35-year-old, who has invested significant funds modifying his bikes, said riding bikes is his main hobby and he also represents the Army in competitions. The Midlothian resident hopes that by sharing images of the rare bikes, thieves will have a more difficult time trying to sell them. 

One of the stolen bikes was an orange 2020 Scott Gambler Tuned with a value of £9,000

Speaking to the Evening News, Liam said: “I race for the Army and I also take part in civilian races - mountain biking is something I do all the time. I’m on leave for two weeks and now I feel absolutely lost because I can’t go out riding.

“One of the bikes is really rare, it was a limited edition and it was an extra large because I’m six foot six - those bikes are really hard to get a hold of in that size - so if someone tries to sell it for a silly price, people in the mountain biking community will know straight away that it’s a dodgy bike.”

Liam said neighbours told him they saw two men acting suspiciously in the area at the time and it is understood police have launched enquiries into the incident and are checking nearby CCTV in a bid to identify the thieves. Police said the bikes were stolen from a garden shed at ‘some point overnight between Monday, 25 March, and Tuesday, 26 March.’

The second stolen bike is a yellow 2022 Specialized Kenevo SL eBike with a value of £9,500

One of the distinctive stolen bikes is a yellow 2022 Specialized Kenevo SL eBike with a value of £9,500. The second bike is an orange 2020 Scott Gambler Tuned with a value of £9,000.

Liam explained that the bikes were only relocated to the garden shed from the inside his house last week to make space for works in his home. Prior to the theft Liam had also ordered a new, reinforced shed to house his prized possessions. 

He said: “I thought it would be fine to put them in the shed for three or four days until the new shed arrived because it’s quite a quiet street - but within two days they were taken. So that’s when I thought have people been waiting to pounce? They would have also seen that my car wasn’t there. It also seems like they’ve taken a path to my house purposefully avoiding CCTV - so that takes time and planning.”

 A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers are carrying out enquiries following a report of two bikes being stolen from a shed in the garden of a property in Leighton Crescent, Easthouses, Midlothian.

 “The incident is understood to have occurred at some point overnight between Monday, 25 March, and Tuesday, 26 March, 2024.”