[Closed] If you knew who had your stolen bike.. WWYD?

It depends how hard your mates are.

Police first, then if they did nothing I'd go and get it.

I saw someone cycling past me on my bike that had been stolen in a burglary.

I took it back and enjoy riding it to this day.

A mob handed ambush with enough show of force that they hand it over*.
*unless they are local and would then start a gang war that would destroy your life

Tough one this. An old school aquantance had this decision to make a few years back (although it was his kids bike, not his own). For his audacity, he was attacked with a cricket bat and died on the street. So I think I'd be opting for cops, although not sure I'd trust them to do anything about it.

My running buddy had his bike stolen in London, popped up for sale on ebay, he passed details onto police. He called them 2 days later, they said they'd closed the case as there was no leads! So, he told them he was going round to where the bike was listed for sale, at which point they shat it and told him not to, and in the end they went with him.

Was a couple of years ago, the same ebay account is still active selling bikes, jewellery, designer handbags etc. Dreadful.

Depends if my insurance had paid out or not I suppose.

Cops did nothing when I found my stolen bike chained up outside a chinese restasurant.  chap said he bought it from the friday ads and the police belived him despite me having photographic evidence of me with the bike (custom paint job, custom bike I had cycled to Morrocco and back) which I went back to my house to get (pre smartphone). The best they could come up with was to ask him nicely for it back........this was quite some time ago when I was younger and I just accepted this and left the scene.  Now things would be vey different!

Wait for them to be out riding it (or any other bike) and then a SMIDSY.

Impossible to answer without knowing a) How hard you and your mates are b) How hard the thief is and c) Who else the thief knows or is involved with.

If you are going to try and recover it yourself then make sure you properly scope the address first and know what you are getting into.

I had this, I went police. Got most of my stuff back, the police recovered a ton of other stuff for other people, and he got done for it.

I am not hard but even if I was, this way would still have been better

When I was 13 or 14 my Raleigh Tuff Burner (blue with yellow mags) got stolen from outside the arcades. The lad that stole it was a year below me and openly riding it round town, I finally caught up with him a week or so later - he'd parked it almost exactly where he'd nicked it from and was in the arcade playing Double Dragon. I schmacked him about a bit and then marched him a mile to the police station in a headlock. Happy days!

I'm not suggesting you do the same, especially not after reading kevin1911's post up there ^ but thought I'd share as it still makes me smile.

did he steal it from your house, if so he knows where you live...

[if not, bolt croppers to the achillies tendons will stop any further bike thefts]

Last year the boy had his bike nicked in London - found it on Gumtree the next day forwarded to the police with unique recognisable features and they refused to do anything as we didn't have the frame number.

Gumtree wouldn't even remove it from their listings even with a crime number.

If it's insured take the payout and move on

Many moons ago, my bike got stolen.
Wife saw it 6 months later outside a shop, told the shop owner, who called the cops and stopped the new ‘owner’ from riding off with it.
I got it back as i was able to give several identifying features.
The copper who dealt with it all had never known anyone to get a bike back after such a long period.
I’d go and take it back.
Wouldn’t risk my life for it though.

My cove hummer was stolen and I had a fair idea of who stole it (local smackhead) so with the aid of a big Bertha golf club I went and got it back. Nearest police station is 30 miles away so I wasn’t about to wait.

Wife saw it 6 months later outside a shop, told the shop owner, who called the cops and stopped the new ‘owner’ from riding off with it.

We recovered a few stolen bikes in similar circumstances when I worked at a bike shop. A couple of bikes were known to us - descriptions, pics etc circulated - a couple you could guess at. Things like expensive bikes being brought in for puncture repairs by folk who clearly didn't know what they were riding and the bike could be whisked off to the workshop while enquiries were made and police notified.

I wouldn't do any heroic "calling on the criminals" act although I know a few folk who've recovered bikes by arranging to "buy" them when they've seen them advertised. One guy simply rode off, one turned up with several mates in the vicinity and when he gave the nod, they all moved in and "advised" the seller to just hand it back...

i would go to the house and ask for it back. if refused i would force my way into the property and remove my property.

Yes, last November. The link below shows the full thread.
Idiot thief puts it on FB marketplace, we see it, inform Police, who are totally uninterested. I advise them that there is likely to be a breach of the peace when I go round to collect it, they tell me to not go round as I will be arrested if it kicks off, which is rubbish, as I'd be defending myself, while I beat the shite out of the thief.
In the end he was a wimp, who wouldnt fight his way out of a paper bag.
We complained to the Police afterwards, they did actually take notice, he was eventually 'offered' a community rehabiliation order, and fined £200 or something, rather than being taken to court for handling stolen goods.
Stolen bike found

I'd rather not grapple with anyone who might know where I live or might hit me. Can you just ride off on it if it's for sale? Do you see it locked up outside somewhere so you can incapacitate it with your own lock and then grind off their lock at your leisure once they've pissed off?

Local scrot stole my bike when I was 18, got the insurance and bought a motorcycle. I would not hesitate to do as Ton suggested but he'd likely throw a brick or something through my parents home as they lived in the same road.
Years after my parents went home to Ireland I bumped into him to discuss it with him.

I know a few folk who’ve recovered bikes by arranging to “buy” them when they’ve seen them advertised.

Very much this. Son told police he was off to 'recover' his stolen bike with a bunch of mates and to Gwent police's credit they waited around the corner whilst he went in and confirmed it was his bike. Not sure if the police were a bit concerned that 5 massive blokes from Bristol were about to descend on Caldicot, or if the seller was known to them.

Either way a result!

And if you are going to nick a bike on Friday, don't stick it on Gumtree the next day. You dumb ****.

C'mon OP, give us the back story!

Letter through their letterbox asking them to leave at the police station saying they found it or you'll brick their windows every week.

Likely involving these.

did he steal it from your house, if so he knows where you live…

This is one of the big problems.

Absolutely not the police.

Pal had a bike nicked in Edinburgh. Told her to check Gumtree. Turns out the thief was selling her bike and TEN others. Sadly the police still not interested, which I found just incredible...thought it would have been good for their stats to solve 10+ crimes. She eventually gave up on the police and gave up on getting it back as it wasn't worth much.

The copper who dealt with it all had never known anyone to get a bike back after such a long period

Mine was 3 years.

Got nabbed from outside a shop in town, 3 years later I saw a guy riding it, we passed him in our car & I got dropped off further down the road, as he approached I pressed the traffic light, which caused him to stop. I said it was mine, he said it was his. That's fine I said, I'll phone 999 now then and we can discuss it with the police. He gave it back there and then.

Not many Kona HumuHumuNukuNukuApuaA with Campag hubs and a weird extended crown set of Project 2 forks!

@alanl

I've just read your thread about your bike recovery. Good work there.

You mention that the thief rang up the relative who got the address for you and sent them death threats! What happened after that? Did the police finally do something?

2x well used bikes stolen few years ago, culprits soon found.
My plans of kicking doors and heads in soon wained when I received the insurance offered and started looking at what to replace them with.

Thieves in question had been on a spree and pished a lot of people off.
Locals held a meeting and invited local PC, anger was vented but police didn’t seem to do anything until somebody distributed western style ‘wanted’ posters and the vigilantes helped the thieves fall down some concrete steps.
Thieves arrested for handling not long after as the police had suddenly found the resources to put them under observation.

I in no way blame the police for the delayed action, the Mrs works at the local station and knows how bad moral is due to Tory cuts.

I once had a bike nicked outside a cafe. My stupid fault for leaving it unlocked. However the thief actually out-stupided me by riding it to the police station. He was on bail and on his way to report to the station when he decides to nick a bike! I wandered there to report it and saw it parked outside. I've forgotten what story he tried to spin but the officer didn't buy it! He also reminded me how lucky I was...

And in answer to the OP, there's no way I'd confront a bike thief for fear of it backfiring

Impossible to answer without knowing a) How hard you and your mates are

Well, I’d recruit my kid brother, who’s 6’4”, and is a biker. He’s also a member of a bike club, most of the members of which are current and former members of HM Armed Forces, mostly Army. I’ve met many of them, they’re not people I’d want to be getting on the wrong side of.
When he got married for the second time, the reception was at the clubhouse, there were thirty-odd bikes outside his house, it made quite an impression on his neighbours… 😉

Earlier this month I found myself wearing nothing but a bath sheet chasing my bike down my road after some scrote broke into my kitchen. I had not considered what I'd have down if I caught up but given my attire was so limited greco-roman wrestling would have been on the cards...

It has to be worth going to the police and telling them you are going round to ask for it back, and can they assist? when there is someone in the area? provide serial number. photo etc, so they can identify it, if it's not there though..

Is there not some sort of STW stolen bike recovery posse for this sort of thing? shout out on here and they all turn up at designated time.

Is there not some sort of STW stolen bike recovery posse for this sort of thing? shout out on here and they all turn up at designated time.

Where are you OP? I'm guessing just enough people to look intimidating enough that if it is your bike they'll just hand it over but few enough that we can just look sheepish and melt away if it turns out to be the wrong bike once you've seen it close up.

What did I do? Insurance.

Happened to me in the early 1990s. Dynatec Diablo LX nicked out of my garage. Never seen again.
Yellow mini seen outside my house owned by mate of a 'mate'.
A good mate told me that the 'mate' miraculously found some money to go to a rave that weekend at the last minute.
Went to the cops but they didn't seem particularly interested.
Dad's advice:
1. bash his head against the wall until he gives the money or the bike to you.
2. burn the car.

Looking back i'm glad i didn't. At that age i'd broken enough people's bones by mistake playing sports, my luck i'd have done him some damage and ended up in more trouble than him. The 'mate' never spoke to me again and we avoided each other. But his Dad (local landlord) had suicided not that long before and he must have been through the shittiest time.

Luckily Mum had house insurance that covered it. The newer Raleigh wasn't as good though 🙁

You mention that the thief rang up the relative who got the address for you and sent them death threats! What happened after that? Did the police finally do something?

He got a Community Order. A fine and, I think, around 20 hours of community work. He denied sending the messages, the Police just didnt have the resources to check, if it had been more serious, he wouldnt have got off so lightly as he left a trail of evidence - FB ad, messages, even admittimg to the PCSO that he had tried to sell the bike.

[if not, bolt croppers to the achillies tendons will stop any further bike thefts]

Alternatively both thumbs.

I’d recruit my kid brother, who’s 6’4”, and is a biker. He’s also a member of a bike club,

My son is in an MC and most of my mates as well.

I'd never be spoken to again if I called the cops lol.

So many hard men who knew

Was just thinking that.

Not a fan of thieves but vigilante justice even less.

How many thumbs have actually been removed or are you just fwapping in your bedrooms at the thought of it?