Found my stolen bike... what should I do?

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Found my stolen bike... what should I do?
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flag Lemur11
Posted: Jul 24, 2010 at 23:10 Quote
Steal it back?
Follow the guy and kick some ass?
Frame the guy?

So a few months ago my bike was stolen off my university campus. They cut my lock in the middle of the day! Not my best bike but still worth about $400 and I have been so pissed ever since. Well yesterday I found my bike! The poor thing had been massacred. It was all sanded and spray painted black with that stone textured speckle paint, the front end had been swapped out and the peddles had been changed. They changed the back tire but kept the original front tire. They front disk was on but they never put the break back on so they had no front break. They thing really looked stupid, it made me almost want to cry but worst of all the serial number had been filed off! I've been carrying the serial number around with me ever since it was stolen because I just knew I would recognize it if I saw it, although after seeing what they had done I can't believe I did. So I immediately called the cops and explained and the lady transferred me to leave a message... wtf good is that going to do so I called sportcheck and got an employee to describe my frame to me so I could be 100% sure it was my bike (I had to call one 2 hours away, I've never seen another one so I just can't believe it could be coincidence)... I call the cops back and bitch about them wanting me to just leave a message and I get the same lady and she says that since there is no serial number it isn't very important and there are 20 calls in front of me and it will be a couple HOURS before an officer could come meet me. F-ing Bull. I waited about an hour and a half hoping the guy would come back to the bike but then I had to go, it was so hard to leave me poor bike just locked up there but I assume that the person probably works at the building it was locked in front of so I plan to go back often, now I am very determined to find my bike again but I'm not sure what I should do...

Should I stake out the bike and follow the guy home one day? I figure he is or knows a bike thief since it was basically just my frame I found... but then what... the cops are useless pieces off *%@#. I am in summer school so I don't even have any buddies in town I could bring for backup so I don't know about confronting the guy... Man I'd like to kick some ass. I am really tempted to slip a laminated business card down the seat post and then call the cops and just pretend I had done that before it was stolen... what are the chances there is another one of my bike stolen with the serial number filed off?!?! Then I can be satisfied that the cops are bringing justice and I get my missing parts back. I feel my best option is to just steal it back but the f*er takes the seat off (wish I had thought of that!) and it was locked so I'd still have to follow them home or try to jump them after they start riding off. Man I have no idea what to do, what do you guys think?
flag snickkers
Posted: Jul 24, 2010 at 23:14 Quote
ask him for it back politely?
flag KaDooZiE
Posted: Jul 24, 2010 at 23:26 Quote
Lemur11 wrote:
Steal it back?
Follow the guy and kick some ass?
Frame the guy?

So a few months ago my bike was stolen off my university campus. They cut my lock in the middle of the day! Not my best bike but still worth about $400 and I have been so pissed ever since. Well yesterday I found my bike! The poor thing had been massacred. It was all sanded and spray painted black with that stone textured speckle paint, the front end had been swapped out and the peddles had been changed. They changed the back tire but kept the original front tire. They front disk was on but they never put the break back on so they had no front break. They thing really looked stupid, it made me almost want to cry but worst of all the serial number had been filed off! I've been carrying the serial number around with me ever since it was stolen because I just knew I would recognize it if I saw it, although after seeing what they had done I can't believe I did. So I immediately called the cops and explained and the lady transferred me to leave a message... wtf good is that going to do so I called sportcheck and got an employee to describe my frame to me so I could be 100% sure it was my bike (I had to call one 2 hours away, I've never seen another one so I just can't believe it could be coincidence)... I call the cops back and bitch about them wanting me to just leave a message and I get the same lady and she says that since there is no serial number it isn't very important and there are 20 calls in front of me and it will be a couple HOURS before an officer could come meet me. F-ing Bull. I waited about an hour and a half hoping the guy would come back to the bike but then I had to go, it was so hard to leave me poor bike just locked up there but I assume that the person probably works at the building it was locked in front of so I plan to go back often, now I am very determined to find my bike again but I'm not sure what I should do...

Should I stake out the bike and follow the guy home one day? I figure he is or knows a bike thief since it was basically just my frame I found... but then what... the cops are useless pieces off *%@#. I am in summer school so I don't even have any buddies in town I could bring for backup so I don't know about confronting the guy... Man I'd like to kick some ass. I am really tempted to slip a laminated business card down the seat post and then call the cops and just pretend I had done that before it was stolen... what are the chances there is another one of my bike stolen with the serial number filed off?!?! Then I can be satisfied that the cops are bringing justice and I get my missing parts back. I feel my best option is to just steal it back but the f*er takes the seat off (wish I had thought of that!) and it was locked so I'd still have to follow them home or try to jump them after they start riding off. Man I have no idea what to do, what do you guys think?

Put your buisness card in the seatpost tube or under the grips or inside the handlebars (if there hollow).
flag Lemur11
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 7:25 Quote
KaDooZiE wrote:
Put your buisness card in the seatpost tube or under the grips or inside the handlebars (if there hollow).

Handle bars were changed but putting it in the seat post is what I am leaning towards. I'm just worried, what if an identical bike was stolen and mine ever turns up... then again the cops are downright useless so it isn't like that is ever going to happen
flag adove
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 7:38 Quote
Where do you live? There might be some people who live in your community that can think of other sources of help other than the fuzz.
flag therider07
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 7:47 Quote
call up cam mccaul?
flag ezekiel
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 8:05 Quote
Lemur11 wrote:
I figure he is or knows a bike thief since it was basically just my frame I found...

I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Judging by the description of it, it sounds like the byproduct of a bike theft ring. They steal a handful of similar bikes, swap the parts between them to make them harder to reconize, give them a new paint job and dump them for cheap on Craigslist or in some shady pawn shop to some poor unsuspecting bastard.

I wouldn't entirely rule out just waiting for the guy and talking to him, the business card idea sounds pretty reasonable too but kicking the guy's ass will accomplish nothing but you ending up with a criminal record.
flag likeomg
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 8:16 Quote
Lemur11 wrote:
Steal it back?

Big Grin http://www.makitauk.com/index.php?special=product_detail_popup&pid=1514&catid=34

http://www.gadgets.co.uk/item/CARINV/12V-240V-Car-Power-Inverter.html - one like it, we have one in one of our cars that can put out 1000watts

pull up with a extension cut the lock and do off...
flag pawthepaw
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 8:17 Quote
Lemur11 wrote:
Steal it back?
Follow the guy and kick some ass?
Frame the guy?

So a few months ago my bike was stolen off my university campus. They cut my lock in the middle of the day! Not my best bike but still worth about $400 and I have been so pissed ever since. Well yesterday I found my bike! The poor thing had been massacred. It was all sanded and spray painted black with that stone textured speckle paint, the front end had been swapped out and the peddles had been changed. They changed the back tire but kept the original front tire. They front disk was on but they never put the break back on so they had no front break. They thing really looked stupid, it made me almost want to cry but worst of all the serial number had been filed off! I've been carrying the serial number around with me ever since it was stolen because I just knew I would recognize it if I saw it, although after seeing what they had done I can't believe I did. So I immediately called the cops and explained and the lady transferred me to leave a message... wtf good is that going to do so I called sportcheck and got an employee to describe my frame to me so I could be 100% sure it was my bike (I had to call one 2 hours away, I've never seen another one so I just can't believe it could be coincidence)... I call the cops back and bitch about them wanting me to just leave a message and I get the same lady and she says that since there is no serial number it isn't very important and there are 20 calls in front of me and it will be a couple HOURS before an officer could come meet me. F-ing Bull. I waited about an hour and a half hoping the guy would come back to the bike but then I had to go, it was so hard to leave me poor bike just locked up there but I assume that the person probably works at the building it was locked in front of so I plan to go back often, now I am very determined to find my bike again but I'm not sure what I should do...

Should I stake out the bike and follow the guy home one day? I figure he is or knows a bike thief since it was basically just my frame I found... but then what... the cops are useless pieces off *%@#. I am in summer school so I don't even have any buddies in town I could bring for backup so I don't know about confronting the guy... Man I'd like to kick some ass. I am really tempted to slip a laminated business card down the seat post and then call the cops and just pretend I had done that before it was stolen... what are the chances there is another one of my bike stolen with the serial number filed off?!?! Then I can be satisfied that the cops are bringing justice and I get my missing parts back. I feel my best option is to just steal it back but the f*er takes the seat off (wish I had thought of that!) and it was locked so I'd still have to follow them home or try to jump them after they start riding off. Man I have no idea what to do, what do you guys think?

lock it up with your lock, it would give you more time for police?
flag aaronaaron
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 8:34 Quote
open a can of whoop ass?
flag chazdog
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 8:40 Quote
lock it with you lock, leave a number for the guy to call on the lock and talk to him, say you ve called the police, who can i'd it despite the frame number being gone, but would like to settle it quicker without theft charges ruining his miserable little life (DONT tell him how feckin useless they have been!) Put a business card in the seatube to prove its been yours 'all along' as well. Seems best option to me if you cant loiter there with a half brick in a sock all day
flag Lemur11
Posted: Jul 25, 2010 at 15:02 Quote
chazdog wrote:
lock it with you lock, leave a number for the guy to call on the lock and talk to him, say you ve called the police, who can i'd it despite the frame number being gone, but would like to settle it quicker without theft charges ruining his miserable little life (DONT tell him how feckin useless they have been!) Put a business card in the seatube to prove its been yours 'all along' as well. Seems best option to me if you cant loiter there with a half brick in a sock all day

I like this idea. I have been itching to kick some ass ever since it was stolen but I guess I really can't know this guy has any relation to the thief.

Still I am really pissed about all the missing parts. It looks like the guy would have been lucky to get $30 for it and it's going to cost me a but load to make it look decent again. That makes me want to get the police involved just so I can feel good that someone is getting some kind of payback for my grief.

Thanks for the tips guys. Any new ideas are welcome! I'll let you know how things go down next time I find it.

And I love that video with Cam. Got my adrenaline pumping and made me even more determined to get this bike back
flag knobzy
O+
Posted: Jul 26, 2010 at 12:11 Quote
steal it back.

cops won't care about a $400 bike.
flag bkd253
Posted: Jul 31, 2010 at 11:52 Quote
Steal it back. Or, confront him asking where he got the bike and call him out on all your parts.
flag samuelity
Posted: Aug 7, 2010 at 18:26 Quote
you should listen to him^ he is a beast
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