Cycling UK Forum

• Stolen Bikes – Stolen Bike Register
• Find That Bike – Email alerts for eBay, Gumtree and PreLoved

1. Report it to the police. Go on do it now we'll wait, by reporting it not only are you helping your own chances of getting your bike back should the police happen across it, but you are also highlighting that bike theft is a huge problem.
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2. Let other organisations know (Insurers, lock manufacturer). If you bike was insured you need to let them know asap, otherwise you might invalidate your claim. Some lock manufacturers also operate a anti-theft cover, which means that if your bike was locked properly they'll pay, again time is of the essence any delay might effect a payout.
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3. Have a look around. Many bike thieves simply move the stolen bike to a new rack in the local area, so it's well worth checking this out. The reason they do this is it reduces the chances of them being caught with the stolen bike.
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4. Get the word out. Mock up some flyers and pass them out. Local bike shop's, cycling clubs, cash converters, markets and car boots are all good places to start.
   
   Get the word out online too, this forum is a good place to start. You then have online stolen bike registers, such as stolen-bikes.co.uk. Social media is also a good place to help spread the word. If you've got a good story to go with the theft you might even be able to convince your local rag to publish your story.
   
   Some people also post their flyers up on Gumtree and eBay, I have mixed feelings about this as I have seen it work but the logical side of me says that your letting the bike thief know your checking that website and therefore reducing your chances of it appearing.
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5. Keep an eye out. If you want to recover your bike it's time to put in some leg work, check your local car boots, markets, cash converters and any other place used bikes might be bought/sold in your area.
   
   Setup email alerts for eBay, Gumtree and other classifieds using Find That Bike. Often a bike will pop up for sale online a couple of months after the theft, giving you a very real chance of recovery.
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6. If your bikes spotted. Phone the police, many people will tell you to bring in the heavies yourself to get your bike back but this will just land you in hot water.
   
   If the police are truly unhelpful (and they may well be), then the following has proven successful for some..
   
   Arrange to buy/win the bike, when you've arrange a time/place to pickup (make sure it's a very public place or a house) contact the police again to see if their more helpful.
   
   If once again they tell you they have better things to do, go to meet the seller. Once you've spotted the bike phone the police (out of ear shot of the seller, make up an excuse if needs be such as forgetting the money), tell them you need help and to get to the address then hang up and put your phone on mute (they will try to phone you back). Act like nothings wrong and waste time, if you can try and get the bike off them using an excuse (flipping it over and spinning the wheels is often a good trick). *

Police in the New Forest have recovered more than 100 suspected stolen bikes as part of a crackdown on bike theft in the New Forest.

Since September at least 50 bikes have been reported as stolen across the Lymington, Brockenhurst and New Milton areas worth at least £15,000. The number of thefts has been running at around twice the level of the same time last year. The cycles have been taken from all sorts of locations including people’s drives, apartment storage areas and locked public cycle racks

Police in Edinburgh have arrested and charged four people in connection with 50 break-ins to garden sheds in the west of the Capital.

A number of expensive bicycles and other property were stolen in the break-ins, with an estimated combined value of approximately £70,000. Bikes, bike parts and property worth £15,000 have since been recovered, and officers are working to return the items to their rightful owners.

The break-ins took place from December last year in the Swanston, Greenbank, Hunters Tryst, Morningside, Bonaly, Craiglockhart and Dreghorn areas.

The four men, aged 16, 16, 20 and 25, have been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged crimes, and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.

Detective Inspector Gordon McCreadie said: "At this time I would urge homeowners to make sure the security of their sheds and garages is up to standard, and if they choose to store their bikes within, then take measures to secure their bike to the structure. "