How to Recover Your Stolen Bike

Having recovered not one, but two stolen bikes I often get asked, how do I recover my stolen bike??

1. Find where you wrote down your serial number. If you didn’t write it down try looking at your receipt or call the bike store you bought it from
2. Call the police and file a police report
3. Log it at the Bike Index
4. Search your local Craigslist obsessively. Search for the brand in the top level for sale category because the thief may not know what model your bike is and may post it in Bicycles or Sporting Goods.
5. Use an iPhone app like Craigslist+ that lets you search Craigslist across the country and receive notifications. Often times bikes are stolen in one city and taken to another (mine was)
6. Also search OfferUp, a smartphone app that is increasingly popular for buying and selling used stuff
7. Create a saved search on eBay and get email alerts for matches
8. If you’re in Seattle check @GetYourBikeBack
9. Try the site Find That Bike
10. Check local flea markets within a 50 mile radius
11. If you have a blog, write a blog post about it. I recovered one bike from someone Googling the brand name and stolen and found the blog post I wrote about having it stolen!
12. Don’t give up hope!
13. When it turns up call your police and set up a sting. If the police aren’t interested take matters into your own hands. Just use a little caution…

Updated 4/27/15 with some tips from Bryan and BikeIndex