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The Taiwanese brand’s UK distribution hit hard, as criminals target container.
Mere weeks after a Shimano parts shipment was hijacked in Germany, many e-bikes have been stolen in a single act – near London.
Giant has confirmed that 127 of its UK distribution e-bikes, were stolen.
Thieves managed to cut open a container on Thursday, which contained a selection of 2022 model year e-bikes. The incident happened on the A12, between Lowestoft and London
Among the 127 bikes stolen, Giant lists new Reign E+ MX Pro and Talon E+ models.
Read more: where are all the bikes?
More pressure on the system
With such a daring bulk theft of bikes happening shortly after Shimano’s parts heist in Germany, it adds even more pressure on an exposed supply chain.
Everyone knows that global shipping backlogs are pressuring inventories. Bike part prices remain stubbornly high and most distributors are lacking product diversity. This scarcity scenario creates the kind of criminal economics that make new bike shipments vulnerable.
Individual bike theft is not new. It has been with us for decades. But such a professional theft, targeting more than 100 new bikes, is alarming.
Breaking-up bikes for parts…
With parts being in such short supply, the theft value of those stolen Giants would be in their constituent components. Criminal networks with adequate scale and resources can hide stolen parts and opt to push them into the market many months from now.
Although batch and serial numbers can help authorities, it’s nearly impossible to trace networked stolen parts, once they have reinterred the market.
Ian Beasant, Giant’s UK managing director, recognizes the issue. “We ask for our retailers and the cycling community to be wary of these goods circulating in the market.”