Apologies but I did publish a previous version of the post earlier but I’ve now expanded it from 15 to 20 lessons. If anyone else has any more tips or useful websites please post a reply. Original article published on my blog here:- Tumblr Blog

My son’s bike was stolen this week but luckily we recovered it. These are the 20 lessons learnt we leant from the incident:-

1) The bike was only two months old. My son (who was visiting at the time) had not made a note of the serial number. We’ve made a note now and taken a photograph! Also record the number in the manual that came with the bike. Take photos of yourself with the bike.

2) The bike was not marked, you can have your bike chipped or etched by the police or with an online service (see link below). Even a roll of paper in the seat tube, inside tyre or handlebar tube with your details would be better than nothing to the help Police return a stolen item.http://www.immobilise.com/index.php

3) The bike was left unlocked and unattended for no more than 5 minutes, never leave a bike anywhere unlocked, even your own home! Buy the best lock you can afford (relative to the cost of your bike).

4) If your bike is stolen set up alerts on E-bay and Gumtree. I kept the search generic and simple as possible to get the best chance of a match, our region and the bike manufacturer.

5) If you buy an ‘obscure’ brand you’ll probably have a better chance of recovery. Far too many Trek, Giants and Speciliaized out there for the Police to go hunting after on eBay/Gumtree.

6) We were very tempted to meet without the police and ‘sort it out’ privately but that would have just made things worse. The police were great once I’d fully explained the Gumtree thing and why we thought it was our bike.

7) When making contact with the seller he did not know the frame size, simple questions like that brought a stutter from him. Any legitimate seller would not hesitate to answer. Ask where it was bought, frame size, maintenance, mileage, etc but try not to be too obvious. Tell then you live somewhere other than where the bike was stolen to avoid arising suspicion.

8) Watch for people watching you as you leave/arrive home with bike. Just because you’re paranoid does not mean they are not watching you!

9) Never ever leave your Garmin/Bike Computer on your bike when you’re not there. Far to easy to walk off with. Leaving your Garmin on your bike outside a cafe is asking for trouble.

10) Consider using ‘secure’ skewers to protect wheels and seat posts. http://atomic22.com/

11) Some thieves really are stupid. Don’t give up hope.

12) Whilst the Police were great we had to phone then up constantly to get action. Calls left weren’t returned, not having a go (they are busy people) but you have to help move the ‘process’ along. It took over 10 calls yesterday to make all the final arrangements with the undercover squad.

13) Check local ‘For Sale’ noticeboards often found in local supermarkets and community centres.

14) Consider placing a ‘Wanted’ add locally or on Gumtree to see if the thief contacts you. You never know you might get lucky. Again tell then you live somewhere other than where the bike was stolen to avoid arising suspicion.

15) Remember that most bike insurance policies (including home insurance policies) won’t pay up if the bike was away from the home and not locked up at the time of the theft!!!

16) Post details of your stolen bike to popular bike forums such as bikeradar.com and singletrackworld.com

17) Register with Bike Register to see if stolen bikes in your area and check if a bike is stolen before buying it. https://www.bikeregister.com/bike-checker

18) If the above advice is not followed and if the bike is recovered their is a good chance the bike could be returned to the thief! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157093/Stolen-bicycles-returned-thieves-police-t-prove-dont-them.html

19) Some people have reported that expensive mountain bikes are now stolen to order. They are spotted at trails centres then followed home. Beware. Possibly consider taking car reg numbers of anyone following you.

20) Even bikes stored inside homes should be locked up especially so those in sheds/garages. All would be well advised to fit ground anchors (like one of these: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/squire/bpga-hi-security-bridge-ground-anchor-ec033588).

I’m glad to say on this occasion we did recover the bike. The bike was spotted on Gumtree (via the alerts we’d set-up) and then the police informed. They took it from there.