Re: [CR]Stolen bikes...how the heck would we know?

(Example: History:Norris Lockley)

Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 12:45:55 -0600
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Rick Paulos" <rick-paulos@uiowa.edu>
Subject: Re: [CR]Stolen bikes...how the heck would we know?
In-Reply-To: <MONKEYFOODeLYCT4aJ6000000d1@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>


I've had quite a few bikes stolen so this is a hot topic for me.

1: Reminds me of a gorgeous purple Mercian that was stolen (~~1975) from the son of an owner of the bike shop I worked at. A few weeks or months later the bike showed up at the same bike shop in the hands of a kid who couldn't figure out how to pump up the tires. We grabed the bike and the kid and called the cops. Well since the bike was purchased by a shop owner for a family member, the normal sales paperwork never got filled out. No serial number recorded and no reciept. The police could not find the stolen bike report while we were waiting on the phone if there ever was one. I do remember a cop at the bike shop telling the kid he could go. So the end result was the kid walked (literally) away with the bike. We ran after him and offered him $$$ for the bike but he was too spooked. Never saw him or the bike again.

2: Another time some lady brought in a Masi she bought at a garage sale for $5. She couldn't figure out how to pump up the tires. The bikeshop owner spotted and recognized the bike imediately (sold from this shop) and made her a trade for a new low end 10 speed that would be far better suited to her kid. The bikes owner had already been paid off by the insurance agent. The agent was notified that the bike was recovered. The insurance agent was the orignal owners neighbor and the bike shop owners insurance agent. The masi got a needed repaint and sold. I don't think the insurance agency got anything back from the bike shop. The original owner wasn't told.

3: I had a Schwinn Paramount Tandem stolen just weeks after I bought it used. I had taken the time to write the frame serial number on the check when I bought it. The insurance agent accepted my canceled check as proof of ownership & value and paid that amount.

4: My brother had even more bikes taken. One was a 1976 raleigh super course that he modified for touring. A large friend spotted the bike being riden in a park and stopped the rider. Accused him of taking the bike. The kid was so scared he dropped the bike and ran off.

Back to the Weigle. So what's the proof the bike is his? A sales reciept? A copy of the police theft report? His ssn engraved on the underside of the frame? (remember that fad) If it came from a police sale of impounded or recovered goods, state law would probably be the top factor. My dad (a lawyer) always claimed the police sales were illegal under state law (before drug forfeiture laws). I would think anyone renting a storage locker has to sign a contract that problably waives ownership of anything abandoned or seized for non-payment. If you have a reciept that you bought it in good faith, I would think the police can't charge you with possession of stolen goods. Try insisting on a reciept from a police auction with the serial number written on it. BTW, all those eBay listings go away after several weeks. Print a copy of the auction listing for your records.

How many people keep receipts for bikes? I can't remember how many times we had to dig out the carbon copy of sales reciepts for bikes sold years after the fact when the insurance company or police asked the owners for proof of purchase and serial number. And how many times has any bike shop written up an 'estimate' for replacement value knowing full well the victim may well be a customer. We did have insurance companies say they would not pay for a stolen bike if it wasn't registered with the city. So we sold city bike licenses with bikes at the bike shop. I have purchased many bikes at police auctions with those city license stickers on them. Do the police even bother to look them up? I didn't record the serial number of the the last bike that was stolen from me. And it was a really nice Huffy too. Bright yellow with aluminum rims. Too shiny for some frat boy I guess. All the bikes I buy at Goodwill or the Salvation Army outlets come with a typical cash register reciept with no indication that it's for a bike. The campus cops and local city cops base their entire stolen bike data base on serial number. Without it there is no chance they will ever call me. Face it, bikes are a nuisance or toys to the insurance companies, police, airlines and shippers. Not worth bothering with.

Remove that name and without a sales reciept with serial number, who could ever say?

Rick Paulos Davenport, Iowa.

At 10:48 AM 12/13/2004, you wrote:
>Jerry,
>Just this morning I composed a post remarking how I never get or offer a
>bill of sale for a classic bike so there is little paper trail on them. I
>felt like I was foggy about what I really meant to say about this and
>deleted it rather than bother all the folks on the list with it.
>Perhaps someone else can better articulate the problem (if, indeed, it
>really is one) and how we might better protect ourselves.
>I had a Weigle that was bought from a sale about two owners back from
>unclaimed stuff in a storage locker. It even had the apparent original
>owner's name painted on it. I believe you saw it at Cirque...sort of root
>beer and gold. I often wondered what I would do if some irate guy came up
>and it was his name and he said it was stolen and demanded it back.
>Tom