Thieves steal more than 50 bicycles from Paso Robles shop

February 13, 2019

Thieves stole more than 50 bicycles with a combined dollar value in the six figures from a Paso Robles bike shop earlier this month. [KSBY]

The theft occurred during Super Bowl weekend at Cambria Bicycle Outfitters’s warehouse located at 1645 Commerce Way in Paso Robles. Police have not made any arrests in the case, which they describe as organized crime, and investigators are still searching for leads.

Paso Robles Police Commander Caleb Davis said the thieves cut a hole in the bicycle warehouse, bypassing security systems. The thieves walked past less expensive bikes and picked out high-end bicycles that cost nearly $5,000. They targeted top brands like Santa Cruz, Intense, Juliana and Niner.

Investigators found bicycle boxes on Neal Springs Road in Paso Robles, but they have not gathered much other evidence. There were not many cameras in the area where the theft occurred.

Clay Akey, the CEO of Cambria Bicycle Outfitters, said no one could prepare for a theft like that and the heist was like “Ocean’s 14.” Akey said the thieves would have needed multiple people and a trailer or some type of large truck, and they would have been limited to 15 to 20 minutes.

Cambria Bicycle Outfitters is now beefing up its security system, Akey said.

Police say it is difficult for thieves to get rid of higher end bikes because they are very serialized. Hence, the stolen bicycles may not appear for sale on a site like Craigslist.