I got my stolen bike back!

hynesie · 09-05-2009 10:26pm #1

I started a thread earlier this week about a bike which was stolen from my back yard last weekend. Biologic came up trumps and posted a link to an ebay auction with a bike of the same description. I had the thread deleted just in case the seller spotted the thread; boards gets indexed really well by google.
I then got the seller to send on some pics of the bike and sure enough it was my bike. I made sure I won the auction, which ended last night, and this morning I went with a garda to pick up my bike.
Stupidly I hadn't kept record of the serial number, but due to some miracle I had kept the box the bike came in which had the serial number printed on it. The serial numbers matched up, I got my bike back and the seller got arrested. Happy days!

Some words of advice: If anybody out there doesn't have a record of the serial number of their bikes then write them down now. Make sure your bikes are always locked, regardless of where they are. I nearly learned both these lessons the hard way.

A big thanks to Biologic for posting the link and the gardai who were great to deal with.

09-05-2009 10:29pm

Nice one, glad it worked out!

keltoms · 09-05-2009 10:31pm

class! good enough for him!!

lucky-colm · 09-05-2009 10:31pm

well done
great to have a story with a happy ending in these dark and gloomy days of recession '09

i suspect this guys stratergy was to steal his way through the recession (busted)

Raam · 09-05-2009 10:32pm

That is class

Captain-America · 09-05-2009 10:33pm

Brilliant story.

E39MSport · 09-05-2009 10:42pm

Good on ya. I would love to have seen the tea-leaf's face when he/she opened to the door to see a cop with you.

gzoladz · 09-05-2009 10:45pm

Congratulations, well done! And well done to the Garda for the help he provided by going along.

keltoms · 09-05-2009 10:46pm

hynesie wrote: »

I made sure I won the auction, which ended last night, and this morning I went with a garda to pick up my bike.

hope the thief wasnt 2 tyred :eek:

Raam · 09-05-2009 10:49pm

This is the kind of thing that should be printed in the papers

Samurai · 09-05-2009 10:51pm

haha owned!

Hermy · 09-05-2009 10:52pm

Post of the day.
That really is good news.
Well done to you and the Garda that helped you.

zzzzzzzz · 09-05-2009 10:53pm

That's deadly

gman2k · 09-05-2009 11:00pm

Through up a link to the ebay auction?

brayblue24 · 09-05-2009 11:00pm

Good to hear. Well done for keeping a cool head! And as a Garda as well as a keen cyclist well done to my colleague too. Great to hear these stories.

kenmc · 09-05-2009 11:03pm

savage! nice one! hope the cops got a few other homeless bikes there too.

Biologic · 09-05-2009 11:36pm

Wow, so I did get something done this weekend. Glad to hear you got your bike back mate. I really didn't think it would turn out to be yours, what a long-shot.
I cant find the ebay link I sent you, did he have much feedback for bike sales in the past?

Kinetic^ · 09-05-2009 11:42pm

Internet 1
Scum 0

Vélo · 09-05-2009 11:44pm

luvly jubly!!

davidoco · 09-05-2009 11:47pm

He'll probably leave you negative feedback now!

Thomas_S_Hunterson · 09-05-2009 11:49pm

legend, that made my day

Alanstrainor · 09-05-2009 11:50pm

Hermy wrote: »

Post of the day.
That really is good news.
Well done to you and the Garda that helped you.

Post of the day indeed! Great story, and glad to see you got the bike back! I've just put a reminder in my phone to take note of my serial number in the mornin!

uberwolf · 09-05-2009 11:55pm

Biologic wrote: »

Wow, so I did get something done this weekend. Glad to hear you got your bike back mate. I really didn't think it would turn out to be yours, what a long-shot.
I cant find the ebay link I sent you, did he have much feedback for bike sales in the past?

I can prob undelete the thread now, let you have a look!

Debunker · 10-05-2009 12:08am

Great story, knew a place that was always getting bikes nicked too.
Always at the same time though so they eventually get caught,
the tools.:pac:

PCPhoto · 10-05-2009 12:15am

only downside to this is that the guy knows where you live (and your bike) and will no doubt be out on bail a couple of hours after he was arrested.
and now knows he will have to be more careful about selling stuff on

(theres always a downside to a good story)

bellybutton · 10-05-2009 12:41am

Well done, scare her why don't you!! I bought a bike a while ago, it didn't come in a box. Where do I find the serial number on it??

72hundred · 10-05-2009 12:57am

uberwolf wrote: »

I can prob undelete the thread now, let you have a look!

Can someone throw up a link if you manage to reopen the thread. Thanks.

NeilMcEoigheann · 10-05-2009 1:33am

bellybutton wrote: »

Well done, scare her why don't you!! I bought a bike a while ago, it didn't come in a box. Where do I find the serial number on it??

under the bottom bracket on some bikes...

Hermy · 10-05-2009 1:59am

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Post of the day indeed!

And according to the stats it is the post of the day!
Well done all.:)
Next thing you know the recession will be over.

AstraMonti · 10-05-2009 7:39am

That's just beautiful!

Gavin · 10-05-2009 7:56am

That's deadly, great to hear. I remember thinking that the auction was a bit dodge with your man not having any history at all, but he described the bike fully. Interesting, he must have known bikes to some degree.

What was the reaction like when you turned you with the Garda ? Was the Garda in plain clothes, did you feel like it was a major crime drama ?

tomc · 10-05-2009 9:42am

So Sweeeeet.:):):):):):):):):):):)

GrumPy · 10-05-2009 10:34am

TEAM INTERNET WIN AGAIN!!!

ScottStorm · 10-05-2009 10:56am

That's managed to cheer me right up!

colblimp · 10-05-2009 11:05am

That has made my weekend - brilliant!

I would like to hear the story from when the scumbag opened the door, to when he was taken away - go on, tell us!:D

grizzly · 10-05-2009 12:41pm

Biologic wrote: »

I cant find the ebay link I sent you, did he have much feedback for bike sales in the past?

I was wondering this, did he have previous sales in his history or was it his first sale under this account. If he did sell other stolen bikes would it be possible to retrieve them still? (EDIT: checked the ebay page – only sale on the account)

Great story though, unfortunately it's all too rare!

YourName · 10-05-2009 12:46pm

Good stuff man, bet your delighted.

Good work there ! ! ! ! !

Asok · 10-05-2009 12:54pm

I saw the deleted thread, congrats on getting the bike back!

Zulu · 10-05-2009 1:02pm

Deadly - good man. Delighted for the tinkering knackbag the knicked it.

neilled · 10-05-2009 1:06pm

You'll have to post some negative feedback on his ebay account!

Wolfman-2 · 10-05-2009 1:48pm

Congrats, that's a brilliant result!

It's a glorious day, get out & put some miles up on it!

Martina.J · 10-05-2009 4:49pm

How do you know he stole it??? Maybe he is the one the person who stole it sold it to... I mean if you know you have a stolen bike you would hardly put it on ebay for the whole world to see!!!!

NeilMcEoigheann · 10-05-2009 4:54pm

Martina.J wrote: »

How do you know he stole it??? Maybe he is the one the person who stole it sold it to... I mean if you know you have a stolen bike you would hardly put it on ebay for the whole world to see!!!!

selling stolen property, buying stolen property to sell its all the same.
what was the guys reaction?

Martina.J · 10-05-2009 5:03pm

Yeah but how do you know he knew it was stolen, Maybe he just bought a bike from someone, decided he didn't like it and decided to sell it on not knowing it was stolen. Then the poor lad gets arrested, looses the bike he bought and cant get the money he paid for it back either!!! Just think that if he knew he had a stolen bike he wouldn't have put it on ebay as obviously the person it was stolen from would be looking for it, especially if it was only stolen last weekend. Just doesn't make sence!!!

Ryder · 10-05-2009 5:05pm

Congrats. Having read the ebay post though i really feel that you should have gone around on your own and made him even sorrier than he is now. Anyway one of the best threads ever on boards.

TheInquisitor · 10-05-2009 5:05pm

It does Martina. Its as simple as the stealing B@STARD is a retard! Stop defending the guilty its almost as if you know the person involved.

kensutz · 10-05-2009 5:06pm

Martina.J wrote: »

Yeah but how do you know he knew it was stolen, Maybe he just bought a bike from someone, decided he didn't like it and decided to sell it on not knowing it was stolen. Then the poor lad gets arrested, looses the bike he bought and cant get the money he paid for it back either!!! Just think that if he knew he had a stolen bike he wouldn't have put it on ebay as obviously the person it was stolen from would be looking for it, especially if it was only stolen last weekend. Just doesn't make sence!!!

Still handling stolen goods

kippy · 10-05-2009 5:08pm

Great to see a "good news story" every now and again.
Fair play for posting the update and a good warning to all with valuable equipment at this time.
Kippy

KStaford · 10-05-2009 5:11pm

I was thrilled to see the outcome of this, fantastic. Although now that we have a megathread on boards about it, it might make other thieving b@stards wise up and avoid using the net to sell what they nick.

Martina.J · 10-05-2009 5:12pm

No its just that something similar happened to a friend of mine a few years back, Saw an ad for a bike on a board in some shop or post office or somewhere like that, bought it, a few months later he needed some money so he decided to sell and put an ad in the avertised and someone called and came to buy it and he got arrested, not knowing the bike was stolen. Now if he had know it was stolen he wouldn't have advertised it... just think that the same thing might have happened here, glad you got it back either way...

KStaford · 10-05-2009 5:33pm

Martina.J wrote: »

No its just that something similar happened to a friend of mine a few years back, Saw an ad for a bike on a board in some shop or post office or somewhere like that, bought it, a few months later he needed some money so he decided to sell and put an ad in the avertised and someone called and came to buy it and he got arrested, not knowing the bike was stolen. Now if he had know it was stolen he wouldn't have advertised it... just think that the same thing might have happened here, glad you got it back either way...

well we all have a legal and moral responsability (including your mate) when buying second hand gear, to suss out the seller, their place and their story. Your mate was guilty of receiving stolen goods, even if he did steal the bike. So him getting arrested was a-ok AFAIC. I'm sure he told his tale to the cops down at the station and they probably released him after a relatively short period of time. He was guilty of a crime after all. As they keep telling us, Ignorance is no excuse.

I got my stolen bike back!

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