An Edinburgh man has hit out at ‘lowlifes’ who allegedly stole his beloved bike.
Alan Tolmie’s Radpower Roadrunning utility bike was supposedly swiped from Shrubhill Walk between 10.30pm on Tuesday May 13 and 6am on Wednesday 14.
Alan, from Leith, relied on the bike to get to his job in Dalry and charity role in Gorgie throughout the week. He said losing the bike has had a severe impact on his mental health.
READ MORE: Major Edinburgh city centre street taped off as police race to ‘ongoing incident’
READ MORE: Borders Railway ‘costing double its earnings’ ahead of tenth anniversary
The utility electric bike is described as unique as it has a black storage console which is covered in stickers. There is also a basket on the front with a motorbike type seat.
“The impact of the theft has been devastating,” he said. “I use the bike to commute the local cycle path to work, from Powderhall to Dalry.
Join Edinburgh Live’s Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
“This journey takes longer than by road, but it is a more therapeutic way to travel. I have two jobs, I work as a supervisor in the Co-op on Dalry road in the mornings and in the evenings I am the caretaker for a charity called The Welcoming in Gorgie.
The bike had very unique features.
“Luckily both jobs are on cycle path routes, so that’s 22 miles a day cycling to work and back twice. The reason I got an extra battery is because cycling is good physiotherapy for my osteoarthritis.
“The bike is good for both my physical and mental health, it’s double therapy, and also lots of fun. On my days off from the Co-op I spend the day cycling Edinburgh’s brilliant cyclepaths, as it’s like being in the countryside, seeing nature and wildlife.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
“The bike is basically part of me, and I’m going to have a really depressing day off work without my bike. It’s been ruined by lowlife.”
Police Scotland have been approached for comment.