Stolen ex-Team Sky Pinarello Dogma 2 reunited with its owner by honest cyclist

An ex-Team Sky Pinarello Dogma 2 worth £7,500 which was stolen on Monday in Manchester was returned to its owner after the buyer realised what he had, and did the right thing.

The bike, which Lee Eaton bought from Team Sky after making signs for the pro racing team, was stolen from his van on Monday, leaving Eaton devastated.

The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought Eaton's bike for £1,250 from two men in their mid-20s, realising it was stolen after finding an appeal about the theft in the Manchester Evening News (MEN).

Lee Eaton, 42, told the MEN, “I really did think it was gone forever.”

“This means so much to me.

“I was devastated on Monday, but now elated on with the return of my Team Sky bike.”

The buyer, who apparently thought he had got a really good deal, called Eaton when he realised his error, and received a £1,000 reward for returning the bike.

Greater Manchester Police are looking at CCTV footage from the theft, and are investigating a mountain bike abandoned at the scene by the criminals. No arrests have been made. 

Second hand Pinarello Dogmas are few and far between, with some notable exceptions.

Chris Froome's 2012 Tour de France Team Sky Pinarello was sold on eBay for £10,250 last July, by a woman who won the bike in a competition, and then found it was too big. All the money went to children's charities.

In November 2013 a Sky customer unexpectedly won Bradley Wiggins' Pinarello Dogma 2 when he upgraded his TV package, then decided to sell it to raise some cash, but not until he'd taken it for a test ride. He described it as like "going from an Escort to a Ferrari".