The Clubhouse is a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Putney High Street, tucked away on a tranquil promenade overlooking the River Thames.
A café that sells upscale Raptor bikes along with cookies and matcha has grown to be a celebrity and cyclist’s paradise. Among its famous customers are tennis players Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu.
However, a new kind of visitor—the criminal wearing a balaclava—has invaded The Clubhouse in recent months.
Over £50,000 worth of motorcycles have been stolen from his shelves since the beginning of the year, according to owner Bradley Wright, who told the Daily Mail.
Although not a single offender has been apprehended, nearly all of the crimes have been caught on camera. “I think we’ve probably had 10 thefts in the last few months,” Mr. Wright adds. “Petty thieves come all the time.” They ride their e-bikes by and steal a bike from the rack or whatever. Just last week, three of those situations occurred.
However, there have been a couple more significant incidents lately. A few months back, after pursuing two robbers who had stolen her bike in front of her, a woman was threatened with a knife.
In just a few months, the Clubhouse café in Putney, south London, has seen over ten robberies (on November 30, a thief was spotted stealing a bike from the establishment).
Later, two bikes valued at over £10,000 are seen resting on the criminal’s shoulder as he rides along the River Thames.
The Clubhouse, which debuted in May 2024 and is conveniently located near Putney’s busy center, has grown to be a popular hangout for celebrities.
The café sells matcha and pastries in addition to its upscale Raptor bikes. At the end of November, there was a break-in where a man used an angle grinder to push a window open in the middle of the night.
He stole the two most costly motorcycles in the store, each valued at over £10,000, for which we lacked insurance. These robbers have always used masks and balaclavas.
Shortly after two in the morning on November 30, a hooded robber wearing all black is seen on camera forcing entry through a window.
After entering, he puts two bikes on his shoulder and rides off in the direction of Putney Bridge down the Thames. Computers, iPads, and a variety of pricey equipment remained unaltered in the store.
Only a few weeks had passed since another crook, this time wearing a grey beanie, had also made a covert visit to The Clubhouse.
In the video, he can be seen boldly sipping from a water fountain outside the café, then reaching up to turn off a security camera. “It’s no coincidence,” says bewildered owner Mr. Wright, after another bike worth thousands of dollars was stolen the next day.
But these crimes aren’t limited to being conducted after hours and out of sight of possible witnesses. No, there have also been other thefts at The Clubhouse during the day.
In a video taken in February, two yobs—one on foot and the other on an e-bike—snatch a bike while over ten patrons look on.
The robbers are alleged to have threatened a selfless customer with a knife later on, in a time not captured in the CCTV film, and the customer pursued them.
“A woman chased them for about 100 meters towards a small alleyway,” Mr. Wright remembers. “When she followed them down there, they stopped, turned around, and showed her the knife.” When she returned, she was rather agitated.
More startling video shows thieves in cycle helmets rushing through the café and brazenly stealing bikes from shelves while employees stand helplessly behind the bar.
In blatant video, two robbers are seen stealing a bike and then trying to escape while a customer is pursuing them.
In other videos, however, employees stand helplessly behind the bar while robbers wearing cycling helmets surge into the café and shamelessly steal bikes off shelves.
One burglar was even captured on camera leaving The Clubhouse with a bike valued at over £10,000 in one hand while wearing a balaclava.
One burglar is seen leaving The Clubhouse with a bike valued at over £10,000 in one hand while wearing a balaclava.
Incredibly, according to Mr. Wright, a tracking device that was affixed to the bike was discovered eight hours later in Bulgaria.
“This has happened more than once,” the owner goes on. Two or three times, a man in riding attire has entered the room, grabbed a £17,000 bike off the stage, and fled.
The bike’s tracking chip showed that it was being ridden throughout Bulgaria seven or eight hours later.
“So it’s gone straight on a plane and gone.” These people are skilled at what they do. This is really ridiculous; it happened in January.
Not a single perpetrator has been apprehended despite Mr. Wright reporting all of the incidents to the local Metropolitan Police station and providing CCTV evidence.
“It’s completely unlawful,” he claims. To be fair, the cops have been making an effort, but they have been unsuccessful. Since the police station is only 300 meters away, they are not particularly interested in bike theft. I want them to simply come down here and identify the offenders when we report crimes.
I’ve been informed that many bikes wind up in an estate in Fulham across the river. You won’t see them again because they are disassembled and sold for parts.
Since opening in May 2024, the Clubhouse has grown to be a very popular destination for south Londoners, serving almost 250,000 patrons in 2025. The café will establish a another location in lush Wimbledon a few miles away next month.
Mr. Wright claims that such thefts may have destroyed his company if it weren’t for such success.
We had to install bespoke stands, which cost thousands of dollars. The shop’s interior had to be redesigned, and anti-grinder locks had to be installed on the floor. He claims, “It’s costing us a fortune.”
It has cost far more than £50,000. It’s probably closer to £70,000 or £80,000, in my opinion. We are a modest company with only 14 or 15 employees.
Making money is extremely difficult due to national insurance, personnel costs, and company rates. We are fortunate to have a well-known company and the bikes to counterbalance that.
However, there are a lot of things that can easily screw people if you’re just a café. This kind of behaviour might spell disaster for your company. There is simply nothing you can do about it.
A crime wave that has been afflicting London’s streets for years is exemplified by the thefts at The Clubhouse.
Between January and June 2025, 6,721 motorcycles were reported stolen to the Metropolitan Police, which was another alarming increase.
However, only 39 persons were charged, prosecuted, or warned during the first half of last year.In comparison to an 11% possibility of winning any reward on the National Lottery, this translated to 0.6% of instances having what the police refer to as “a positive outcome.”
A few miles from The Clubhouse, just a few weeks ago, a rider was threatened with a knife while attempting to stop two criminals wearing balaclavas from tearing a road bike from the roof of his Volvo.
Additionally, in March, 17-year-old Gabby McHugh, a development cyclist for Team GB, told the Mail that she was “too scared” to ride on the capital’s streets following the theft of more than £15,000 worth of bikes in Clapham by masked burglars.
Following a string of thefts, a post by @RichmondParkCyclists this week cautioned riders to “be aware” of bike jackers in Richmond Park, one of the most popular cycling destinations in Europe.
Mr. Wright, the proprietor of the Clubhouse, called the crime wave “bonkers.”
Richmond Park is a Royal Park, yet people are actually claiming they won’t go there! “The King’s park,” he remarked.
One of the most popular parks in the world is Richmond Park. It is completely overrun with bicycles. However, if you’re riding about with the guys and you get dropped and find yourself alone, you might be really afraid that some of the boys will flank you and rob you. It’s crazy!
The Metropolitan Police were approached by The Daily Mail for comment.
