Stolen Bike Registry - do this when your bike gets stolen

"With all the stolen bike posts lately (and no one thinking "I wonder if there's something under Useful Links for this."), I think it's well past time to make a sticky about the Stolen Bike Registry"

- Tank-Ridin' Ryan

Well said Ryan.

http://chicago.stolenbike.org/

Done and done.

And sticky too.

Cheers - Lee Diamond

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on September 2, 2011 at 4:20am

How important is proof of purchase when trying to prove ownership when trying to recover a stolen bike? All of my bikes have been purchased used, and there's not clear paper trail for each of my bikes; I paid cash for one, and was given another.

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on September 2, 2011 at 4:34am

Yes. The police do not require an original receipt. They also like police report numbers, but not required.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 2, 2011 at 4:45am

It sounds like, reading this story, that it is pretty DARN important. This incident seemed pretty touch-and-go without the police cooperating.

Whenever I sell a restored bike I give a full data sheet with all the details of the bike, any provenance I can find with it, and specifying everything from color, frame size, equipment specifics, serial numbers and locations and any other details. I also have a bill of sale form that has make/model/year/Serial # and location on it along with buyer and sellers name and signature and it is dated. I keep a copy for my own records. Along with that information I also give a link to Bikeregistry.com that is a free bike registry for life service. All the info needed to fill out the web form at that site is on the lists I give the buyer. In addition to that I offer to keep the Craigslist ad up for 24 hours so the buyer can download the large and clear pictures I post when selling a bike (I host my pictures off-site so they are 800pixels wide and you can actually SEE the bike and what it looks like.)

All this information is handed over to the buyer. What they do with it from that point is up to them. If they are too lazy to act on it and register the bike for FREE, or save the information and bill of sale in a safe place (like with their auto titles and birth certificates or whatever) then that is their own problem.

You can lead a horse to water but you can not make them drink. I rest knowing that I did my part.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

How important is proof of purchase when trying to prove ownership when trying to recover a stolen bike? All of my bikes have been purchased used, and there's not clear paper trail for each of my bikes; I paid cash for one, and was given another.

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

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Permalink Reply by bryan on September 2, 2011 at 5:27am

i joined the site just so i could post that this is awesome. i havent had a bike stolen yet but many thanks and appreciations for the people in this world who still give a shit about doing the right thing. thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 2, 2011 at 6:17am

I should think the first thing a clever thief would do is grind off the serial number from the frame, so even having a receipt in hand may not prove anything. That being said, you could put your business card in little plastic zip bags, roll them up and hide them inside the handlebars, seat tube, bottom bracket, glue to the bottom of the seat, put one anywhere you can stick a card--even if the thief found one and removed it, the others would still prove your ownership. Engrave your name on the handlebars and frame--I know, the thief could grind those off too, but a big paintless spot on the frame might make the bike harder for the thief to fence.

Anyone know of any downsides to this strategy?

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

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Permalink Reply by ad on September 2, 2011 at 6:29am

I write my name or my wife's name with a sharpie on the cloth rim strips of both wheels on our respective bikes. Not sure how practical it would be in the event I found a bike after it had been stolen (considering I'd have to deflate and remove the tire, which would take some time), but I figure it is something easy to do that could help identify the bike as mine in a pinch.

Thunder Snow said:

I should think the first thing a clever thief would do is grind off the serial number from the frame, so even holding a receipt in hand may not prove anything. That being said, you could put your business card in little plastic zip bags, roll them up and hide them inside the handlebars, seat tube, bottom bracket, glue to the bottom of the seat, put one anywhere you can stick a card--even if the thief found one and removed it, the others would still prove your ownership. Engrave your name on the handlebars and frame--I know, the thief could grind those off too, but a big paintless spot on the frame might make the bike harder for the thief to fence.

Anyone know of any downsides to this strategy?

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 2, 2011 at 6:44am

Good idea! I'm going to do the same now.

ad said:

I write my name or my wife's name with a sharpie on the cloth rim strips of both wheels on our respective bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on September 2, 2011 at 6:46am

I write my name on a 3x5 notecard and roll it up into the seat post.

Thunder Snow said:

I should think the first thing a clever thief would do is grind off the serial number from the frame, so even having a receipt in hand may not prove anything. That being said, you could put your business card in little plastic zip bags, roll them up and hide them inside the handlebars, seat tube, bottom bracket, glue to the bottom of the seat, put one anywhere you can stick a card--even if the thief found one and removed it, the others would still prove your ownership. Engrave your name on the handlebars and frame--I know, the thief could grind those off too, but a big paintless spot on the frame might make the bike harder for the thief to fence.

Anyone know of any downsides to this strategy?

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 2, 2011 at 7:01am

Good to know, h'. Luckily for us, most thieves aren't very clever or enterprising enough to make recovery any harder.

h' said:

Obliterating the serial number is actually very rare in my experience (in fact I have never come across an obliterated serial number personally.)

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on September 2, 2011 at 7:03am

Agree that there is no downside to having a method of identifying yourself as the owner of your bike. Don't tell anyone, but I employ the Mr. Bike method of hiding a business card inside my handlebars.

With respect to any attempts by thieves to alter the appearance of the bike, my experience is that it very rarely ever happens. Bikes were recovered last year at the Swipe-O-Rama that had all the same accessories still affixed, including one which had a saddle bag still attached containing the victim's prescription asthma inhaler (with prescription label still attached).

Elliott's experience is the norm not the exception.

h' said:

Obliterating the serial number is actually very rare in my experience (in fact I have never come across an obliterated serial number personally.) It's a little like using freon to shatter a U-lock-- widely discussed but doesn't seem to be a widespread practice.

Your other ideas are sound-- no downside.

More valuable-- getting owners to register their bikes or at least record their serial numbers.

Very few do.

Thunder Snow said:

I should think the first thing a clever thief would do is grind off the serial number from the frame, so even having a receipt in hand may not prove anything. That being said, you could put your business card in little plastic zip bags, roll them up and hide them inside the handlebars, seat tube, bottom bracket, glue to the bottom of the seat, put one anywhere you can stick a card--even if the thief found one and removed it, the others would still prove your ownership. Engrave your name on the handlebars and frame--I know, the thief could grind those off too, but a big paintless spot on the frame might make the bike harder for the thief to fence.

Anyone know of any downsides to this strategy?

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Is having pictures, serial numbers, and a stolen bike registry post good enough?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on September 2, 2011 at 7:17am

Not to be a drag or anything, and believe me, I like a good recovery story as much as the next guy, but I just approved the seventh entry to the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry today! Five of them were locked with cable locks, one was locked to an object which was cut, one wasn't locked.

Write down your serial number, take a picture of your bike, lock it with a decent lock to a secure object.