Found my stolen bike... locked

Poisson

Hello all,
I am living in Galway. My bike was stolen last month, and I've just seen it locked to another bike, locked to a drainpipe.
I have no evidence whatsoever to demonstrate that it's my bike.
I suppose this would be a philosophical as well as a practical conundrum - is it fair enough to just lift the bike, and, if so, how would I do it?
On the second point, the lock is a woven wire covered with plastic type, ten odd mm in thickness. Would a heavy bolt cutter do the job?
I'm open to suggestions on the first issue.
Thanks in advance,
Brian

Hotale.com

I wouldn't go near it simply out of fear that the scumbag who stole it would attack me...

Do you have no proof whatsoever that it's yours?

Lumen

You cannot steal that which is already yours.

Yes, bolt cutters should do the job.

Or you could put another lock on it.

Quazzie

hey All,

I'd like to rob someone's bike so would also appreciate answers to the OP's question.

Yours,

Mr. T Leaf.

happytramp

Is there an even 1% chance that it's not yours? If so i'd be wary. If you know for certain it is then I'd do whatever was necessary to get it back. Throw another lock on it to stop the thief/buyer of stolen bikes from removing it.

A Greedy Algorithm

If you are sure it is yours, simply take it back. If you dare.

who_me

Be wary - if someone sees you taking it back, they might - understandably - jump to the wrong conclusion. I'd get the Gardai involved, if possible.

Hotale.com

The OP is considering cutting the lock that the thief put on it, why wouldn't the thief cut the lock that the OP would put on it to prevent the thief keeping it?

(Sorry for the brutally long sentence) :pac:

No Pants

Poisson wrote: »

I've just seen it...

I have no evidence whatsoever to demonstrate that it's my bike.

What makes you think that it's your bike?

Squeeonline

If that person had bought your bike believing it wasn't stolen then you'll be hurting them as well.

Maybe wait for the person to come out and ask where they bought it. You could find somewhere dealing in stolen bikes and report them to the police.

SeamusFX

My father would always write our name on a piece of paper and push it inside the handle bars. Years ago my bike was stolen and a few days later I saw someone on my bike, I called the Gardaí. He swore it was his bike and the Gardai believed him, until I asked them to look inside the handle bars.

Maphisto

Lumen wrote: »

You cannot steal that which is already yours.

Yes, bolt cutters should do the job.

Or you could put another lock on it.

If you're 100% it's yours - wouldn't that be enough to convince the Gards? (Certain marks, damage, accessories)

Although if you couldn't convince the Gards and were still sure it was yours I do like the suggestion above.

Good Luck

endacl

In two minds about this one*. Will follow with interest.


* I know what I'd do...

stecleary

Put an other lock on it. Call the garda and wait for them and the "owner" to show up. If it's yours and the garda agree have both locks taken off and cycle home.

Zyzz

Steal the saddle and leave the seat post.

That'll teach him.

Hotale.com

Zyzz wrote: »

Steal the saddle and leave the seat post.

That'll teach him.

This guy knows his stuff.

Deagol

Zyzz wrote: »

Steal the saddle and leave the seat post.

That'll teach him.

You sure ?

Maphisto

SeamusFX wrote: »

My father would always write our name on a piece of paper and push it inside the handle bars. Years ago my bike was stolen and a few days later I saw someone on my bike, I called the Gardaí. He swore it was his bike and the Gardai believed him, until I asked them to look inside the handle bars.

stecleary wrote: »

Put an other lock on it. Call the garda and wait for them and the "owner" to show up. If it's yours and the garda agree have both locks taken off and cycle home.

I'm not saying anything. :eek:

No Pants

Steal the drainpipe and leave the bikes. That'll confuse 'em.

kirving

Did you buy it from a shop yourself? Some shops will record the buyers name against the serial number. They might also do the same if you left it in anywhere for a service.

yankinlk

stecleary wrote: »

Put an other lock on it. Call the garda and wait for them and the "owner" to show up. .

before the guards turn up, be sure to put your name on a rolled up piece of paper in the handlebars...

Ninap

stecleary wrote: »

Put an other lock on it. Call the garda and wait for them and the "owner" to show up. If it's yours and the garda agree have both locks taken off and cycle home.

The guards will probably close off the street to be sure they catch the thief, and employ 30 or so plain clothes detectives to play the part of ordinary civilians so that the thief won't suspect anything is awry.

el tel

If only you knew the serial number of your stolen bike, you could emboss it into the frame of this other bike.

Doc07

el tel wrote: »

If only you knew the serial number of your stolen bike, you could emboss it into the frame of this other bike.

To the OP I'm sorry you had your bike knicked but make sure it's yours before knocking it back. To all other posters, thanks , I had a ****ty day at work and I'm crying laughing at some of the replies.

mp31

yankinlk wrote: »

before the guards turn up, be sure to put your name on a rolled up piece of paper in the handlebars...

...but make sure there isn't another rolled up piece of paper with another name on it already in the handlebars first.

Alternatively, find another much better looking bike, stick a piece of paper in the handlebars with your name on it and <insert appropriate piece of latin here which means something along the lines of 'bobs your uncle'>

endacl

mp31 wrote: »

...but make sure there isn't another rolled up piece of paper with another name on it already in the handlebars first.

Alternatively, find another much better looking bike, stick a piece of paper in the handlebars with your name on it and <insert appropriate piece of latin here which means something along the lines of 'bobs your uncle'>

Roberti patris tui est

Doom

Rub ****e all over the lock...that'll serve them

BofaDeezNuhtz

yankinlk wrote: »

before the guards turn up, be sure to put your name on a rolled up piece of paper in the handlebars...

mp31 wrote: »

...but make sure there isn't another rolled up piece of paper with another name on it already in the handlebars first.

Alternatively, find another much better looking bike, stick a piece of paper in the handlebars with your name on it

Hahahaha



On an unrelated note, who here knows what drainpipe Lenny locks that Gulf BMC yoke to?
(slyly scribbles something on old piece of envelope) :cool:

metroburgers

Main issue is that this current owner might have bought it and be unaware it was recently stolen. Garda won't be interested in where/who/how current owner bought bike, only that the OP can prove the bike was his... and he can't.

Also very possible scumbag who stole bicycle is current "owner".

Tough one... my solution is also to put a lock across the two bikes with a note saying one bike is yours and was recently stolen. Say you will remove the lock if "current owner" can explain their ownership on here... would make for an interesting thread...

dewindygap

Well OP ??? What did you do in the end ???

Grimebox

donegal.

the bikes new owner has ensured we won't hear from the op for a while

donkey balls

This happened to me way back in the 90s my Muddy Fox got robbed from my parents shed,At the time there wasn't many bike shops in Dublin as there is now that sold high end bikes so I left the details of my bike in shops that sold the higher end spec bkes.
Anyway one Friday while walking down O'Connell St I noticed my bike locked to a tree across from the GPO I said to my mate at the time that's my bike he replied by saying that it could not be,I convinced him that it was and to go to Cycle ways as they had the details of my bike in the mean time I approached the Gardai at the GPO and told him about my bike.
So we just waited until the lad came back and as he unlocked the bike me and my mate walked over to him followed by the Gardai,Took the bike of him he was brought to Store street along with the bike and done it took a week or so before the bike was giving back to me.
It is eight months since my shed got broken in to and my mountain nicked but I'm still keeping an eye open for it and if I saw it locked somewhere I do the same as I did in the 90s.

njburke

Similar story here.
My bike was new nicked from the 'secure' bike park in trinity in the 90's.
About two weeks later, I went to go lock my POS replacement on the rack at the top of Grafton street. Woe and behold, I find my stolen bike (A raleigh pioneer that cost me two weeks wages).
I locked the two together and headed off to find a Guard on Grafton street, who with a bit of convincing called a detective, probably because loads of bikes were nicked from the same place in Trinity.

The detective stood outside the photo printers, leafing through the same packet of someones holiday snaps until a guy came to unlock the bike. He lifted yer man, and we all headed for Pearse St Garda station.

Anyway, this guy had some hardluck story that he'ld bought the bike for £20 in the market off O'Connell street, was unemployed and was using the bike to get to job interviews.
All I had a receipt and serial number, which I had to cycle home and get.
The detective passed on a request that yer man had made about a 'Reward' for finding it, which is probably what pissed me off most.
Got it back though.

Briando

If its your bike OP, then take it. Call a mate to help if you are unsure of your safety, but take it fast and don't wait.

If you lined my bike up with 100 others of the same model, color and year, I could pick mine out. I think any true cycling enthusiast could pick there own bike out from the 'personality' you bike has developed being dropped and crashed numerous times.

tomdempsey200

there's prob half a dozen unique identifiers on my bike so i would know for certain



having had 1 stolen already i would steal it back myself anyhow

el tel

donkey balls wrote: »

This happened to me way back in the 90s my Muddy Fox got robbed from my parents shed,At the time there wasn't many bike shops in Dublin as there is now that sold high end bikes so I left the details of my bike in shops that sold the higher end spec bkes.
Anyway one Friday while walking down O'Connell St I noticed my bike locked to a tree across from the GPO I said to my mate at the time that's my bike he replied by saying that it could not be,I convinced him that it was and to go to Cycle ways as they had the details of my bike in the mean time I approached the Gardai at the GPO and told him about my bike.
So we just waited until the lad came back and as he unlocked the bike me and my mate walked over to him followed by the Gardai,Took the bike of him he was brought to Store street along with the bike and done it took a week or so before the bike was giving back to me.
It is eight months since my shed got broken in to and my mountain nicked but I'm still keeping an eye open for it and if I saw it locked somewhere I do the same as I did in the 90s.

It's amazing to think that Muddy Fox was at one time considered high end. Where did it all go wrong.

Poisson

Thanks to everyone for the ideas and thoughts.
I'm a fairly regular busker on the streets of Galway, so if the bike is parked around, I'll probably see it. Someone in a shop actually told me they had seen it in the same place at least once before.
The idea of locking the bikes with my own lock is genius... but only to buy some time, I reckon.
I'm going to see with the tool hire places if they rent bolt cutters. Then, I'll hope for the best to see the bike again. When I do, I'll immobilize it, run to the tool hire place and hope they guy doesn't come back before I've done the job.
It seems best to avoid a confrontation, I haven't been in a fight since secondary school....
To avoid the temptation for revenge on the thief's part, or a similar reaction to mine on the part of an unwitting buyer, I might give the bike a lick of paint, thus ending what may have been an immensely long chain of thefts and counter-plots (frightening thought)...
Well, I'll post on here if anything happens, wish me luck,
B

HivemindXX

Since you seem to be willing to take what appeared to me to be obviously stupid advice I'll just point out that when you are wondering how it can look so easy on youtube but seem so difficult to the first time bolt cutter operator and a guard arrests you "it's really my bike but I have no way to prove that at all" will be very unlikely to work as an excuse.

The best advice, which is too late for you this time around, is to keep the proof of purchase. Make a note of the serial number. If it gets stolen report it to the guards. If you do find it yourself those three things should guarantee your ability to get it back.

Hotale.com

Why not go up to the bike and get the serial number, then just report it stolen and claim you saw it a few days later and checked the serial number and it was yours?

manwithaplan

You will need to get some practice with the bolt cutters for when you see your bike again. I would suggest stealing some other bikes first.

Zyzz

manwithaplan wrote: »

You will need to get some practice with the bolt cutters for when you see your bike again. I would suggest stealing some other bikes first.

Strong username to post suggestion correlation :pac:

Kenny B

Zyzz wrote: »

Steal the saddle and leave the seat post.

That'll teach him.

My understanding is you have to leave a jar of vaseline if you do that.

Bloggsie

I would not just remove it, unless your are 110% certain its your bike, cos if you do your just the same a the toerag that took your bike & the punter that bought it will be just as pi**ed as you were when it was knicked on you. Put a 2nd lock on it & leave your number on it get a BIG mate to go with you & meet the "new owner"

Best of luck.