You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
There have been a ton of posts on Ride Sheffield recently detailing seemingly quite hardcore bike thefts. I don't know if it's the same everywhere.
There's been discussion as to whether most of the bikes are going abroad, being sold in other cities, or being split up to sell as 2nd hand components. People have discussed not wanting to buy 2nd hand off eBay etc. for fear of fuelling bike theft, which is a legitimate concern I think.
I was wondering if promoting a standard way of listing stuff could make the second hand market more reassuring, while reducing the ability for little thieving $hit$ to make money. What if every time you listed a bike or significant part you wrote:
- frame number in title (for big money parts like wheels list the frame number of bike they came off..or serial no...do forks have 'frame numbers?!'.I realise if things were bought as wheels this would be impossible)
- for parts list the bike model and year the bits came off
- who you bought it off...either Facebook name, or Pinkbike or Singletrack name, or shop name
- why you're selling it
I'm sure there are massive holes in my idea, but I think 'some' way of doing this, if we could promote and standardize it, would tip the balance somewhat in favour of legit bikers.
What do folks reckon?!
I’m sure there are massive holes in my idea,
Yes, there are.
1. It's utterly impractical. Nobody is going to want to maintain a database of frame numbers and the components that match it.
2. It would be very easy to cheat (if you wanted to sell dodgy parts, all you'd need to do is copy some frame numbers off legit ads and use those).
I think its difficult to address, most police forces claim they are too busy to investigate and issue a crime no, to claim from insurance.
As we have seen in other threads, when a stolen bike is being advertised the police are not keen to attend the address,until this is rectified the theives will win as they know they wont be punished.
Are most ordinary riders even aware their bike has a frame no, maybe a national frame number database would help but who would fund, adminster?
Re Police attendance this is what I have picked up on forums and social media there are immense pressures for them I'm not anti police.
Wouldn't it be simpler if people like our good selves on STW sold/bought bikes or parts with a copy of the original receipt? Yes there will still be people who don't care but it would reduce the sale of stolen bikes/parts even if it couldn't stop it completely
I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere.
It's not, Sheffield has had a rep for years now, as have a few other places, Bristol seems to be similar, and on a much lesser but targetted scale, innerleithen.
I don't think the OP's idea is really workable. Everyone needs to decide for themselves if a seller is legit or a possible theft/fence. Some buyers will be scrupulous in checking that the seller knows their stuff/seems like an honest type/has original packaging/receipts. Some buyers will not care as long as they are getting a bargain.
Yeah, nah, the original idea isn't workable, you (and others) are right. I just think some kind of community standard of advertising could help. I don't think high end bits/bikes legitimately change hands that many times. Sure a fence/thief could fake it but it'd waste their time and I suspect would make them easier to spot.
copy of the original receipt?
I have no idea where the original receipts are for the stuff i bought last month, let alone 4 years ago.
What the OP talks about doesnt work - we cannot change the way people SELL bikes.
What we can (and you should) do is change the way we BUY bikes. There is definitely a large overlap in the number of people who would be very upset if their bike got stolen, yet would perhaps not have such an issue about picking up a bargain off facebook marketplace without perhaps doing the research/due dilligence that in the back of their mind they know would leave them morally stranded.
Frame number databases, registers etc all already exist and have done for ages.
Just cut their goolies off when you catch the scrotes.
I presume Donald down the Dog and Duck will stop selling stolen bikes for £100 now he has to list frame numbers.
Ha ha yeah Donald will still be fine. Is buying dodgy stuff down the boozer still a thing? (I mean not this year obviously) I'm wondering how much stolen good stuff is up on the internet though (I'm guessing it may be a very small proportion of what's nicked) and if there's any neat way of making it better for mtb community, harder to abuse.
Will all get solved in a few years:
1. Every broke is an ebike
2. Immobilisers
Aggghhhhhh
Ha ha yeah Donald will still be fine. Is buying dodgy stuff down the boozer still a thing?
No idea. However a quick peruse of my local facebook marketplace groups shows so many shonky bikes 'being sold for a mate' and 'won in a raffle, I am not a biker and just want to sell' or 'Santa Cruz DOWNHILL racing mounatin bike. Shinano breaks. Awesomz Bars. Thos speceal pedals for clipping'. Sorry, but a 'requirement' to list and put good photos up will bypass not only a lot of 'good' people, but will be actively ignored by those who want to sell or buy a cheap bike and couldn't care less about theft. And lets not forget, the majority of buyers full well know that they are buying dodgy goods.
I have wondered when at a trail centre how many folk are riding around on stolen bikes and bits....
1. It’s utterly impractical. Nobody is going to want to maintain a database of frame numbers and the components that match it.
2. It would be very easy to cheat (if you wanted to sell dodgy parts, all you’d need to do is copy some frame numbers off legit ads and use those).
1) Noone need keep a database... other than ebay etc. which is their database of sales and ads anyway... nothing new needed ...
2) Pretty sure most of us would notice the numbers don't match pretty quickly.
Someone sells you a fork with a serial that's different to the ad then its pretty likely its nicked
Question is then what
As we have seen in other threads, when a stolen bike is being advertised the police are not keen to attend the address,until this is rectified the theives will win as they know they wont be punished.
It's a bit beyond attending they will threaten you with wasting police time.
Local thefts from right outside the police station (council offices) middle of the day on camera... others from the station where thieves are wearing masks over their chin not even bothering to cover their face and looking directly at the camera don't care if they are identified. The bike racks are 8mm mild steel even the cheapest bolt cutters will go through them... then they get welded back after a bunch of bikes are stolen.
Frame number databases, registers etc all already exist and have done for ages.
Yeah what could possibly go wrong .. a shopping list of expensive bikes and where they are stored available to anyone who can bribe a bent copper.
Yeah what could possibly go wrong .. a shopping list of expensive bikes and where they are stored available to anyone who can bribe a bent copper.
Seen this concern before. I'm considering marking my bike, noting the code privately, and not registering it until (hopefully never) it gets stolen, or registering it without an address if such a thing is possible. Good/bad idea?