voldemort

I had a 2015 bright green Scott Sub Speed 10 Commuter bike stolen last Monday in Minneapolis. There aren't a lot of bikes out there that look like it (matching color fenders, belt drive, internal hub). The color alone is fairly unique. Other than reporting to police and checking police auctions, does anyone have any other advice regarding recovering my stolen bike?

Has anyone ever posted signs in a neighborhood offering a reward if info led to the actual recovery of a bike? It was about $1200 new.

Thanks for any advice!

SylvainG

Pawnshops, Craiglist.

Mark42

Yes, Craigslist, and don't forget to check e-bay for the bike, and to see if its been broken down and sold as parts. Other suggestion is to go around to local ball fields when games are on and see if you find it. My local pool usually has 30 or 40 bikes lined up on the weekends. Also local train station has a dozen or two. If someone is using it, you may find it chained up.

Do you have the ID number from the bottom of the bottom bracket to prove it's yours?

KeepClimbing

Hey Voldermort,
I know this is a little late, but if you have good homeowners insurance, you may be able to add next bike to the policy for under $100, and it will cover bike for pretty much anything, no deductible, and unless you do someting destructive to it, its covered riding out on the street, etc.

CliffordK

Make sure your bike gets listed on: https://bikeindex.org/stolen

Do you have the serial number? It probably won't get to a police auction if you've reported it with a serial number.

Just waiting for it to show up may take some time.

I talked to a guy a while ago that said he had a bike recovery service, apparently with reasonable success, although I'm not quite sure how one would find him again. Perhaps he watches Craigslist for stolen bike ads. Word of mouth?

Anyway, I think he said that he starts at the place the bike was stolen and knocks on every door within a mile or two asking about the bike, and looking for it. Perhaps he also knows the "usual suspects" Persistence pays off.

General Geoff

If you don't mind me asking, was the bike locked up? If so, what lock were you using?

Tape2012

I currently rent, and was pleasantly surprised that my renter's insurance replaced my 2008 Specialized Allez to the tune of $1800. Took some work to convince them of what was on the bike to justify the cost, photos really helped. Hopefully you have good pics and made a complete police report.

I think the odds of recovering the bike are pretty small, I watched CL and ebay for a while with no luck. Out here in California, Iv'e been told they quickly sell them for a few bucks to buy drugs.

Honestly never really read my insurance policy, just assumed it would be like getting a car stolen where they would only give you blue book value. But that wasn't the case.

drlogik 

...and flea markets.

baldilocks

I'm sorry. I hope the person get's caught. And I hope one way or another, you end up with a bike as good or better.

voldemort

It was locked to a pretty hefty metal railing. They hacksawed through the railing.

BikeLite

Need to make a list of apps too that people use to sell stuff, iOS and android apps like "5 mile"

jefnvk

File a police report and watch the local CL/Facebook for sale ads, call around to the local pawn shops with a description. Maybe you get lucky, maybe you don't. Watch around the area it was stolen for it to be ridden, the person is likely local. My guess would be that such a bike would stick out too much at flea markets, I wouldn't be inclined to look for it there.

If you do find it online, do be sure to attempt to get police involved when you go to retrieve it.

wipekitty

In addition to what others have said, see if any of your local clubs/bike advocacy groups/beer rides have Facebook pages and are willing to post a BOLO for your bike. One of our groups down here in La Crosse does that, and has recovered a fair number of bikes.

It's a long shot, but I'll keep my eyes peeled on the nearby Craigslists. Sometimes thieves will try to get rid of their stolen property using Craigslist in different markets.

locolobo13 

That's a bummer. A few years ago I recovered a stolen bike. It popped up on CL about 2 months after it was stolen. OTOH another bike stolen last Dec is still missing. In addition to CL, check Ebay, offerup.com and letgo.com. You might post about it in the regional forum here. Post a pic there as well. Who know maybe somebody will see it.

Myosmith

Notify every pawn shop and bike shop and bike co-op in your area, send pictures. Ask the bike shops and co-ops to post pictures if they have a public bulletin board. Bike people tend to notice bikes more than the average non-cyclist does. There is a law that protects pawn shops if they inadvertently purchase stolen items in good faith, but if they have been notified to BOLO for a stolen item, especially if it is rather unique, your case for recovery is much stronger as they cannot claim ignorance that the item was likely stolen. Keep a record of when you sent them the info and any responses you received.

There are likely Facebook pages for cycling and runners clubs in your area. Posting there, if allowed, is a good idea because these people are out and about on the MUPs and trails where they may encounter your bike. Getting your friends to repost a picture of your bike on FB and other social media may also help. A number of bikes have been recovered in the Fargo-Moorhead area through social media campaigns.

In addition to watching CL and EBay, post a Wanted To Buy in the bike section. List the general type of bike and size but don't get too specific or it will smell like a setup. If someone contacts you with an offer to sell, have them send a picture using the email anonymizer.

Make sure you have proof of ownership before any recovery attempt. Serial number, sales receipt, photo of you with the bike, are good. Just being able to describe the bike is not adequate proof that you are the legitimate owner and if you attempt to take back your bike without proof of ownership, it could be you who is charged with theft.

You could try recruiting a local biker gang to help in your search https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...91&action=view