{"id":1279,"date":"2022-06-23T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brooklynfixedgear.com\/?p=1279"},"modified":"2024-02-05T22:40:52","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T03:40:52","slug":"what-to-do-if-your-bike-gets-stolen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brooklynfixedgear.com\/law-and-regulations\/what-to-do-if-your-bike-gets-stolen\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do if Your Bike Gets Stolen (8 Tips)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s awful to think about your bike being stolen. It’s always disheartening to have something taken from you. But if you’re reading this, it probably happened to you. So, now what? What do you do if your bike gets stolen?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your bike gets stolen, stay calm. Alert the police, social media, the bike theft register, and local bike shops. For your safety, never try to confront the bike thief yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there’s a lot more to it than that. So, in this article, you’ll learn what to do if you’re a victim of bike theft<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into what you should do if your bike is stolen, let’s first discuss how widespread bicycle theft is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How common is bike theft?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re the victim of bike theft, you’re not alone. According to the Marcel insurance company, 188,500 bicycle thefts are reported stolen yearly<\/a> in the United States. Suffice to say that bike theft is extremely common<\/strong>. But there are plenty of steps you can take to prevent bike theft. Check out our full guide on how not to get your (next) bike stolen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do when your bike gets stolen?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ok. Now, on to what you should do if your bike is stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Call the police<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first and most obvious thing you should do is call the police. But, of course, this completely depends on your relationship with local law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don’t get your hopes too high. In most cases, there’s not much they can do. The fact is that most bikes that are reported to your local police are never found. At best, they can look around the area to see if they spot your ride. But hey, that’s better than nothing. And who knows? They might just finish taking a report with you, get back into their cruiser, and happen to see the bike a few blocks away. In that case, you might get your bike back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there’s ever an event where the thief is arrested with the bike, they might just run the bike’s serial number<\/a>, and there’s a chance they will contact you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, to claim theft protection and other items from the company you purchased your bike from, you must sometimes file a police report within 24 hours of the theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, regardless of your relationship with the police, consider getting them involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Alert social media networks to the theft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ask your friends to share your post<\/strong> far and wide. You never know who they know or which of their friends will share your post. With any luck, it can help you get your bike back. At the very least, it can help prevent someone from buying stolen goods. It’s also possible someone could see a listing for your bike or see someone trying to sell your bike at a yard sale or flea market and alert you to its location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. List your bike as stolen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some bike registration websites allow registrants to flag a bike as stolen<\/strong>. So, if a person checks the records of a bike they are attempting to buy, the registration number will be flagged for theft. This is most certainly helpful in preventing the sale of a stolen bike; it’s possible it can even help you recover it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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