Police say Thieves Try to Sell $9,000 Bicycle

(Memphis) They say it’s not just a custom bike, it’s a one of a kind.

“A real enthusiast would ride something like this,” said Hall Mabray, owner of Peddler Bike Shop.

So, when it came rolling back into the Peddler Bike Shop, the owner said that he knew right away it didn’t belong to the guy who had it.

“I  saw the owner was already on the phone with the police because he immediately recognized it because the bike had been reported stolen to us two days prior,” said Andy Jameson, a sales rep at the shop.

Police say 51-year-old Robert Maness tried to unload the $9,000 bicycle at the same shop that had sold it.

The bike had been stolen out of the owner’s Land Rover a few days ago.

Police say Maness was hoping to score $1500 for the ride and split the cash with his buddy waiting outside in a car.

‘Once I saw it I was like ‘well let me stall this guy’ so I took it to the back to get the mechanics to take a look at it,” said Jameson.

“What that means is we put it in a work stand and pretend to look the bicycle over as if we might buy the bike while I call the police,” said Mabray.

They say it took 20 minutes for police to arrest both men and get that custom-built bike back to the man who loves it.

“He was very happy to get his baby back,” said Mabray.

Both men are facing theft and burglary charges.

In the meantime, the Peddler Bike Shop recommends that bike owners jot down their bike’s serial number just in case it’s ever stolen police and bike shops can identify it.