Safe to lock a bike next to high traffic establishments even for a few minutes?

[TwoWheelsDC]

It’s also good to have photos of your bike’s serial number, rather than just photos of the bike itself.

[Dickie]

@mstone 92823 wrote:

wtf is “officially registered”? I take it he doesn’t have a receipt?

Yeah, I thought the same thing…. he couldn’t find his receipt at home but he is contacting the bike shop to see if they have any old records. It made me wonder what would happen if this happened to me… bike stolen in a different jurisdiction to where it was registered…. can DC check with Arlco, etc? I told him to at least remove the pedals, seat, etc so it can’t easily be ridden…. it’s so stupid, it’s just sitting outside his office with two locks on it.

[Steve]

Seems like he should just get a saw and steal it back. What’s the thief going to do, report the stolen bike? By the very nature of this thread, it seems like he could remove the other person’s lock pretty quickly.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Since when is “officially registered” a requirement of establishing personal property ownership?

[dasgeh]

@Steve 92837 wrote:

Seems like he should just get a saw and steal it back. What’s the thief going to do, report the stolen bike? By the very nature of this thread, it seems like he could remove the other person’s lock pretty quickly.

It’s completely possible that it was stolen then flipped, so the guy that locked it up bought it from the thief, and is not the thief himself.

[Powerful Pete]

This is crazy, but what to do? I bought one roadbike secondhand via ebay a good few years ago (a Specialized S-Works). I have no proof of ownership and I am the second owner. If someone stole it I would have a heck of a time proving it was mine…

What to do beyond registering with Arlington County Police and hoping for the best? Not that a sticker on a frame is going to dissuade a bad guy, no?

[DismalScientist]

I make it a point never to buy a bicycle more expensive than a lock.

[dkel]

@DismalScientist 92884 wrote:

I make it a point never to buy a bicycle more expensive than a lock.

That’s saying a lot: he gets all his locks on the internet for cheeeeap!

[ShawnoftheDread]

@DismalScientist 92884 wrote:

I make it a point never to buy a bicycle more expensive than a lock.

We’ve noticed that.

[rcannon100]

National Bike Registry

My operating assumption is, if my bike is stolen, it aint coming back. NBR says 3% of unregistered bikes are returned to owners. What they dont say is the percent of registered bikes that are returned (I assume it is essentially as low)

[A.C.]

n18

thanks for the links. basically, any lock is breakable given enough time and the right tools. I can’t remember where I came across it but I read that you should spend x% in bike security for your value of a bike.

[Steve O]

@Dickie 92800 wrote:

Since this post went up my good friend Ross had his bike stolen, and in a VERY bizarre twist the thief just happened to ride it and lock it up the next day outside his office. Short story, even though he could identify the bike by serial numbers and pictures the Police would do nothing as the bike was never officially registered

Cut the lock and take it back. What? Is the thief going to report it stolen?
No one will even notice, as pointed out by n18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGttmR2DTY8

[n18]

@Powerful Pete 92878 wrote:

This is crazy, but what to do? I bought one roadbike secondhand via ebay a good few years ago (a Specialized S-Works). I have no proof of ownership and I am the second owner. If someone stole it I would have a heck of a time proving it was mine…

What to do beyond registering with Arlington County Police and hoping for the best? Not that a sticker on a frame is going to dissuade a bad guy, no?

Obviously the police can’t just cut a lock, and handover a bike to someone claiming that it’s his bike based on a serial number on a hand written note. Anyone could flip a bike and write down the serial number.

In your case, one suggestion is to take pictures of your bike and go to a notary public office to notarize it. There are also “digital notary” or eNotray on the Internet that lets you upload pictures or ZIP files, and sign them. These cost pennies and would be time-stamped based on the eNotary server date and time, regardless of what the user set their date and time to, so it proofs that the file or picture was taken on or prior to that date. This could proof that you had the bike for a long time. This stands better in court than mailing something to yourself as I have read.

Another option is to register it with the National Bike Registry, but if it turns out that it was stolen, the police could take it from your hands and give it to the original owner, or you can make a deal with the original owner.

Because of the above, I wouldn’t buy from eBay, unless the seller is local. If I buy from Craigslist, I would ask for the bike documentation, or at the very least insist on meeting the seller inside his home or garage to make sure I have his correct address at least. Meeting someone in a public place is okay if the owner have receipt or documentation.

[KLizotte]

It would greatly help if people kept all receipts for purchases then pass on the receipts when they sell on Ebay/Craigslist. I did that for the last bike I sold.

Also, I met a woman last night whose bike was stolen while locked up at an employee rack in front of the EPA. The fact that it was on federal property and surrounded by cameras did not deter the thief. The fact that she was only using a cable lock did not help. When she talked to the security folks, they said six other bikes had been stolen from the same racks recently!

[Powerful Pete]

@KLizotte 92952 wrote:

Also, I met a woman last night whose bike was stolen while locked up at an employee rack in front of the EPA. The fact that it was federal property and surrounded by cameras had no effect on deterring the thief. The fact that she was only using a cable lock did not help. When she talked to the security folks, they said six other bikes had been stolen from the same racks recently!

@n18, all good points.

KLizotte, that is crazy. The security people are aware that bikes are being stolen regularly and that bike rack is being targeted. And just state it openly without, it would seem, taking any measures to make the rack more secure.

I wonder if six cars were stolen out of the EPA parking lot in quick succession whether their response to the owner of the seventh stolen car would be “oh yeah, that happens a lot here”. 😡

[Author]

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