Tips for a stolen bike (2024)

FAQs

What should you do if your bike is stolen? ›

Whilst it's possible to report your stolen bike by phone and in some cases online, it can be more beneficial to go into your local police station. Provide as much detail as possible, the more the better, including: Exact details about the theft (where/when/how) Frame number, bike make/type, parts and unique features.

Less than 5% of stolen bikes are returned to their owners, according to the study by 529 Garage. This is hardly surprising, when we consider that their study also found that only 1 in 5 bike thefts are reported to the police, and less than 20% of victims knew their bike serial number.

You can check the frame number or BikeRegister ID by using our FREE BikeChecker facility on the BikeRegister database to make sure that the bike is not listed as stolen. If the seller can produce an original purchase receipt and service history, that's a good sign of a genuine sale.

Thieves most want bikes that will command a decent price and/or can be easily sold. Expensive-looking road bikes and mountain bikes top the list. Roadsters and hybrids with practical features such as mudguards are less likely to be pinched.

The majority of bicycle thefts were reported to occur overnight (41%) and morning is the least likely time for thefts to occur (9%).

GPS trackers were used by just three per cent of bike owners to protect their bikes. Other significant data from BikeRegister shows the most common bike colour sought by thieves is black, with Specialized the most targeted cycle brand.

You might think the police will do nothing. You might think it's a waste of time. But the fact is that almost half of stolen bikes are eventually recovered by the police. And the only reason that just 5% of stolen bikes are returned to their owners is that the police can't link the bikes to the owners.

Yes, the police make efforts to locate and recover stolen bikes. They collaborate with the community, investigate leads, and utilize available resources to track down stolen bikes.

Report your bike stolen to the police

The local police have a good handle on the area and may be able to trace your bike within minutes. It's not uncommon for the police to spot the thief riding your bike. Once reported, the police will give you a crime reference number.

Suspiciously Low Price: One of the first warning signs that a bike might be stolen is an unusually low price. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Thieves often sell stolen bikes at significantly lower prices to make them more attractive to potential buyers.

What parts of a bike can be stolen? ›

Rather than taking the entire bike, there are a number of cases where only certain parts get stolen. Lights and cycle computers can be removed very easily. Although wheels are one of the most expensive parts, they can be easily taken off as most of them have quick releases and do not require tools for removal.

Acquisitive: These thieves steal bicycles for financial gain and usually trade them for cash or goods. The bikes may also be sold in pieces for drugs or money. In Portland, Oregon, bike thieves are often drug addicts who provide stolen bicycles to drug dealers in exchange for drugs.

A bike lock with an alarm provides great safety and peace of mind since it attracts unwanted attention. Therefore, the sound of the alarm will most often scare off any thieves if they try to steal the bike making the bike theft-proof.

The best bike GPS trackers increase your chances of being reunited with a stolen bike, by broadcasting its location back to you once you've flagged it as lost. There are two main ways in which GPS trackers function. Passive trackers work via a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone to say where they are.