James Clayton is dead. The wily bike thief who would befriend cyclists on group rides only to find out enough about them to steal their bikes later died on December 24 in the Phoenix, AZ area apparently from complications from a heart condition he had.

Thanks to Rob D’Amico who gave us the heads up on this when he noticed a wall post about Clayton’s passing on Clayton’s current girlfriend’s Facebook Wall:

“It is with an incredibly heavy heart and aching soul that I share the sudden passing of the love of my life, James Clayton. Keep your loved ones close and never let words of kindness and appreciation go unspoken. He never failed to remind me how much he loved and appreciated me. Every moment was precious. Thank you James for more than I could ever express. I will miss you more than you could ever imagine.”

Rob later confirmed the death with Maricopa County. After Clayton’s arrest for possession of 20 bikes and $60,000 in parts, Rob wrote a great article for the Austin Chronicle covering the James Clayton saga and how he made up a pro cycling career and conned trusting cyclists.

Nuthouse Bikes framebuilder Abe Dashner did a little further digging after reading some of the posts on Clayton’s Facebook page. It appears Clayton had ensconced himself in the Phoenix area cycling scene getting a job at a local bike shop after he was released from his prison stay for the Austin thefts. Dashner spoke with the shop owner, and it appears none of Clayton’s Phoenix circle knew of his larcenous past. The shop owner was quite broken up about Clayton’s death and only knew Clayton had moved from Austin “due to all that ugly stuff with the girlfriend.” Whether he had turned over a new leaf or was up to his old tricks is unknown.

In the age of Google, it is bizarre that a con man like Clayton could exist. In Austin, he claimed he had a pro cycling career making 6 figures until a heart condition put an end to his racing. It is hard to believe that a bike shop owner would hire Clayton knowing his criminal history. A quick search of the USA Cycling site shows there was never a pro names James Clayton and a Google search of his name (without even adding “Austin” or “Texas”) brings up a series of articles about his thefts.

Though he was despised in life, he is gone now. Whatever caused the man to connive and steal was surely part of a greater hole in his soul.

R.I.P., James Clayton.