Have you recorded your bicycle serial number? Me neither, but I plan to today after reading how Colorado Springs police solved a string of bike thefts.
Detectives conducting a routine record search of sales from county pawn shops recently stumbled across the serial number of a bicycle that had been reported stolen.
Tracking that sale led to the arrest of the seller and four accomplices. It helped solve a year-long bicycle theft spree that had netted more than 60 bicycles from Colorado Springs and Colorado College.
Cut locks
A detective told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the theft ring might been discovered earlier if the victims had records of their serial numbers that they could turn over to police.
The thieves used bolt cutters to cut through bike locks or files to cut cable locks, and they switched components and gear from one bike to the next to avoid detection. They sold the bikes on the street or through pawnshops, avoiding online sales.
The suspects could be charged with grand larceny, lying to a pawnbroker and conspiracy.
Where to look
The serial numbers are stamped into the bottom brackets of bicycles. The one above is on my Lemond; I'll need a little degreaser before the entire ID is visible.
In addition to turning over the serial numbers of stolen bicycles to police, you can also put them on file at the Stolen Bicycle Registry.
That website has 3,500 bicycles from the US and 113 from Canada on its list. It's for use by bike theft victims, as well as potential buyers who want to check if the bike they'd like to buy is hot.
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