recovery rates for stolen bike

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2mtr

Just wondering. How many of you have had a bike stolen? How many have gotten a stolen bike back? And of those lucky buggers who got their ride back, was it the cops, yourself, or some other vigilante soul?

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CPcyclist

Where is the one: never got the bike back?

jeff williams

None above.
Ex's bike, I spotted chained > she had reported it stolen, so we had the Police come by with boltcutters.

AndrewP

I had a bike stolen from the locker room of the apartment building I was living in (about 1973). The police caught them while they were loading all their loot. I reported the theft and my household insurance payed up within a few weeks. About a year later I got a call from the police asking me to pick up the bike as the trial was over and they no longer needed the evidence. That was the first I knew that they had the bike - poor commincations in the Toronto police force. I called my insurance agent and he eventually picked it up from me to give to a friend of his. The insurance enabled me to do a slight upgrade, but that was stolen a couple of years later and I never saw it again.

Hawkear

Of the bikes I've had stolen, they were probably in Mexico before I realized it.

Metro

Back in 1970's I purchased a "Chopper Yellow" Raliegh from my local bike shop. I rode it to my local college. On the way, someone stopped me and asked if it was his son's stolen bike. Aparantly his son had the same bike stolen from him. I continued to school, chained the bike to a gate at school and went to class. End of the day, to my chagrin, the rear wheel had been taken along with the rear deraileur.

Needless to say I never saw them again. I Left the carcass chanined to the gate. Like the skeletal remains of a cow in the desert, it could still be there, eaten by the vultures, to this very day, for all I know.....

lala

I'm answering for my friend. My own bike was not recovered, nor reported to the police. Said friend was riding home @ 2:00am-ish. He sees dude on his bike. He confronts dude. Dude looks confused and uncomfortable, explains his 'buddy' gave him the bike. Friend agrees to ride with dude home (!) then ghost rides bike back to the ssafety of his abode. yay! Needless to say, my friend is a big forceful guy with a cellphone.

Metro

Here's a related turn on this thread.
What theft deterants/bike identity measures do you have on your bike?

I have registered my bike with the national registry. Not that I actually expect them to retrieve my stolen bike, but I know the registration number and have placed the registration sticker in an inconspicous place. I have my name on a piece of paper stuffed in the handlebar. My name is also blazoned on the top tube.

Granted, few stolen bikes are ever recovered and there are lots of ways to obscure obvious identifying characteristics. But if I see what resembles my bike on the road, (There are not that many bright yellow EPX's on the road.) I will also know a few secrets about the bike the current holder may not know. When it comes to my word against his, he would have a hard time explaining to the police how my name and other personal info made its way into his handlebar without him knowing it.

Maybe it's a magic trick. Abra ca dabra. There's a card in your ear.... and look, your social security number my handlebars!!!!. Ta daaaaaa...! For my next trip, I will attempt to dissaper (before I get arrested by this cop).

velocity

I would like a word of silience for my fallin bike. Stole from garage.

kids left the door open
felt so bad I could have cried.
Just sat mopen
They use to hang horse theives
I looked high low daylight to eve
but its been 3 years I guess
I should stop hopen
I am not rich
Give my bike back you son of a bitc.....
Velocity

Orikal

I chose the third. Had some no-name brand bmx bike stolen from my driveway in the evening when I was around 7. My dad just about blew a gasket. Luckily, it seems as though someone just wanted it for a joyride, since it was back in my driveway the next morning, propped up on the kickstand and all.

way124

I have had two bikes stolen. One was a $300 Trek which left me heartbroken. The other was a $0 salvaged bike which left my devastated (I put a lot of effort restoring it). So now I just ride some department store bike which I trashed-painted with casually applied flat black spray paint. It looked like 2 years old after just 2 weeks.

Now that I am going to install an aerobar, I need to up my worries. Oh yeah, of course the two bikes were never recovered.

recursive

I found my stolen bike cable locked to a street sign, so I lifted it over the sign. Meanwhile some confronted me and called the cops. I waited for them to show up. (mistake) They took the bike and kept it for months, then they let me claim it for an $8 registration fee.

Paul L.

I lived in Japan awhile back and my roommate's bike and mine were stolen from the first floor of our building. We told the police and waited. My friend was ready to really beatup and maim the person who stole our bikes. It was kind of funny because it turned out to be some kids and they parked them right behind the police station (not very smart kids). Anyway, my friend was the one when the mothers came with the kids to apologize. The kids were terror stricken when they saw a tall white gaijin in the door (some areas of japan have people with very strange opinions of Americans, like we are all violent and carry guns). Anyway, my friend was a little humbled by the amount of fear he instilled and felt really bad about all the stuff he said when he was mad. Anyway, just an interesting story. Japanese have to be some of the most polite people. In America most parents would give the kid a slap on the wrist and that would be the end of it. These kids had to come and watch their mothers make a scene of saying how sorry they were and profusely apologizing. I know it doesn't sound like much but over there family honor is a big thing and to go about apologizing to people in that fashion is really rare. The boys had to say they were sorry too by the way.

ollo_ollo

Was able to report the serial # with a description. Bike returned by police about 2 weeks later. No questions asked, no information volunteered. (Small town)

Metro

Now that's a good story, rare but good. In a perfect world, all you had to do is report the id number, they activate the lojack and get your bike back.

lamajo25

Being a police officer:

#1. Most people who have a bike stolen don't know or have their serial number on hand or on record somehow.
#2. Most people who have a bike stolen can't describe their bike to include color, make, model, or other descriptors.
#3. Even if the victim of the theft has all of the above if the thief is a pro they will take the bike and paint it and somehow remove the serial number.

So moral of the story. Make sure you have good and pertinent information on your bike and make a record of all of the above.

Naiss

jeff-o

I had my bike stolen from the garage once. We were having work done on the house at the time, and the contractors had left the garage door open for easy access. Some punk from the nearby secondary school just walked in, and rode out. The nerve!!

Luckily, someone saw him do it. They reported it to the principal, who retrieved it from the bike racks (he had ridden it back to school!!) and held it in his office until we came by to pick it up. We left $25 for the person who reported the theft (we never met them), though in hindsight $100 would have been worth it. Not because it was an expensive bike, but because people (especially teens) deserve to be rewarded for doing the right thing.

I still have the bike, though it will be replaced in a few days. I haven't yet decided if I will sell the old beast. Maybe I'll donate it.

CMcMahon

Where is the one: never got the bike back?

Same question here.

Raiyn

I still have the bike, though it will be replaced in a few days. I haven't yet decided if I will sell the old beast. Maybe I'll donate it.
Make it a commuter or keep it as a back up

Brian

Redline Carrera and Redline 600A, stolen and recovered by me from neighbor. Mongoose stolen from school bike racks and never seen again. 2 mountain bikes stolen from in front of a glass fronted store, never recovered. I'm a bit more security conscious now, with a lock on the shed door, and 3 cable locks across 5 bikes in the shed. No, you can't have my address.

jeff-o

Make it a commuter or keep it as a back up

Well, its replacement (a Trek 7500 FX) IS my new commuter. My old bike is a monster steel beast with shady brakes, temperamental shifting and no-where to mount a rear rack. I don't have to worry about theft when I'm at work, as my bike will be under constant surveillance (as is the rest of the parking lot - I work for a US army contractor). It's also right beside the smoking area, so there's almost always someone there.

As a backup, I guess I could keep it. Usually though, if I'm going to be taking my bike someplace shady, I may just take the car. Hey! I could lock my new bike to my old one when it's at home, using its mass as a sort of anchor. That might work... ;)

Dirtbike

My bike was stolen a couple months ago from my friend's house. I slept over and we left our bikes outside (mistake) the next morning it wasnt there, and I would be unable to ever afford another one. Some punk had ridden it around and it was in the park nearby. Thank god he didnt fck up my fork.

Metro

I have unique information written on a piece of paper stored in the handlebars or my bike. If I can spot my bike, I can prove it is mine by identifying what's in the handlbars. (Hope the bike thief is not reading this post. Oh well, my cover is blown)

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