A Manchester student was given his bike back by a would-be thief after he realised that he could not ride the fixed-gear machine – and that it had punctures in both tyres.

Brook Ellis was wheeling his punctured bike along the road when he was approached by a man, who tried to take the bike from him.

>> Save up to 31% with a magazine subscription. Enjoy the luxury of home delivery and never miss an issue <<

The incident took place on the Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, on July 31 at around 12.15am. Ellis tried to tell the thief – who he described as a ‘huge guy’ – that the Specialized Langster had two punctures, reports the Manchester Evening News.

>>> Donations flood in for paralysed motorcyclist who chose to steer into ditch rather than hitting group of cyclists

“I’m saying that it’s got two flats, and he’s saying something about me not wanting it then,” said Ellis.

“He’s getting more aggressive and I’m getting nowhere, so I take the chance that he’s unaware of the performance-sapping effects of deflation on the common road tyre and allow him to get an overly optimistic leg over it.

“Reality dawned. He was also stumped by how to operate a fixed gear and ended up giving up.”

Ellis said that there was then an ‘awkward’ moment as the man gave him back the bike, before leaving the scene.

Ellis subsequently reported the attempted theft to Greater Manchester Police.