swap'o'rama tips?

So... my bike got stolen last night.   (Yes, I listed it on the stolen bike registry). It sounds from other discussions as if a lot of stolen bike are ending up at the Swap o Rama.  I know the main thing is to get there early, but I'm wondering: if I find my bike, what do I do then? Do I need to call the cops? Should I just show them a copy of the police report and hope they'll not want to deal with the hassle and just give it back? I do not have the serial number. I'm also not very good at being confrontational.  Any tips will be much appreciated. The picture below is pretty accurate except that the rear fender is gone and I added some neon reflective tape strips on the fork and seat stays. 

Views: 403

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by joe on April 28, 2010 at 1:37pm
u can also file a report over the phone if u dont have time. i did that with the last bike i had stolen. nothing came of it tho...scrap yard bound since it was a stupid bum with tools. good luck man.
Permalink Reply by RigWheels on April 29, 2010 at 5:58pm
Heather, if you give the shop a call tomorrow you might get some good info. We have had a couple mechanics lose their rides only to find them at the swap. Bob recently had luck recovering his bike, ask for Bob and he can tell you what he had to do. Good luck and keep us posted. We can hook it up no matter what comes of this. So sorry for your loss, see you Sunday.
Permalink Reply by heather s on April 30, 2010 at 9:45am
::radio silence::

;) I was not really expecting anyone else to give up their Saturday morning--my girlfriend might come along too.

I did file the police report and the cops were super nice and gracious. I have not seen a police report in a long time so I'm little surprised at how little info is on the actual paper they gave me. It's basically just a report number with my name and the date on it.

I tried, in a friendly offhand way, to explain to the guy how I was trying to get the bike back and how a lot of stolen bike end up at the Swap. I guess the naif in me thought that maybe he would say, "Gosh, I didn't know that a lot of those were stolen! Maybe we should send someone down there to check it out!" Alas, he was pretty skeptical.


H3N3 said:
Nobosy else is in for a trip down there tomorrow morning?

Really?
Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on April 30, 2010 at 10:19am
Heather clearly stated: "If there are lessons to be learned here, they include: don't leave my bike outside overnight, and get renters insurance to protect the remaining bikes."

Why tell her the same thing with your hindsight? It's no longer helpful, it's just smarmy and rude...



Craig S. said:
Sorry to hear the news, Heather, but ummm, yeah, leaving a bike outside over night, especially a Bianchi, isn't really the best idea. Also, why work with your roommates with regards to renter's insurance? Renter's insurance is cheap. All the years I rented solo and with roommates I had my own policy. Don't wait for roommates to look into renter's insurance.
heather stratton said:
Yeah, unfortunately getting renters insurance turned out to be one of those things that I kept meaning to do, and brought up with my roommates, and never got around to.

If there are lessons to be learned here, they include: don't leave my bike outside overnight, and get renters insurance to protect the remaining bikes. I'm glad I got this shake-up with the bike that never fit me well and to which I wasn't emotionally attached. I'm more annoyed (well, and out a big chunk of cash) than sad. dav said:
Don't forget that your bicycle can also be claimed with your homeowners or renters insurance. You may not be able to get the complete value, but it should get you on your way if the swap-o-rama thing doesn't work out. Good luck.
Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on April 30, 2010 at 10:33am
If you find your ride, you might ask to see if your U-lock fits on it. Then refuse to unlock it.

I would imagine two people will be enough to claim the bike, one to get security and one to watch/hold it.

Maybe bring a camera to photo the vendor?

Shit, 7am. Ugh. I'm in. I'll email you for details.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 1, 2010 at 4:39am
That's a pretty awesome idea; man you are a sneaky one...

T.C. O'Rourke said:
If you find your ride, you might ask to see if your U-lock fits on it. Then refuse to unlock it.
Permalink Reply by Lindsay E. Stout on May 1, 2010 at 10:14am
Just buy it back duh....If it's there, it won't be more than $20--stay in the parking lot, not the swap itself.
Permalink Reply by heather s on May 2, 2010 at 7:48am
We did see a guy in the parking lot (and later, in the swap) with a lot of really nice and probably stolen bikes. Including another San Jose. But mine wasn't one of them.

Lindsay E. Stout said:
Just buy it back duh....If it's there, it won't be more than $20--stay in the parking lot, not the swap itself.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service