Stolen bike (1)
Don’t worry. This isn’t an A.P.B. In fact it’s just a great story with an awesome ending. Here are a few things to always consider.
First, take the right precautions to prevent your bike getting stolen. Second, don’t support thieves by buying your bike at any of the notorious “second-hand” bike markets. Finally, keep all the records of ownership of your bike. If it’s stolen, report it immediately.
That said, we had our friend Peter write about his recent experience getting his bike stolen and all the steps he took to get it back. Read on and learn exactly what it takes to get your bike back in the event it goes missing as well as a few tips to avoid this happening at all.
1) Tell a little bit about your bike. What makes it special?
My bike is my chariot. It’s the quickest, healthiest, most fun way to get around. It makes me feel more part of the place I live. So whenever I arrive in a country, my first priority is to get a bike. A large frame, mid range components, and something that I can take on and off road are my priorities. So in my second week in Chengdu I bought the only large bike I could find that fit the bill – my green machine.
There is actually nothing too personal about the bike it self – not when I bought it anyway. What makes it special is what it represents: My independence to get myself where I want to go on my own time, and the relationship I have with it – it’s my bike.
2) Tell us exactly how it got stolen. Where, what, when, how? Share how the theft of your bike made you feel.
I’m aware my bike is worth more than most e-bikes on the road – and e-bikes are constantly getting stolen — so I’m cautious. I had a decent quality D-lock/U-lock and always made sure to lock the frame to something solid.
The night it was stolen, I went to meet up with an old friend at the Jin Li Lantern Festival. I locked my bike to a railing in front of a China Construction Bank. There were a number of other bikes in front of the bank, including a load of share bikes, but none were locked to anything. Additionally, there were two cameras in front of the bank pointed at my bike. The area was well-lit with some security and police mulling about. I thought it should be pretty safe.
3) Talk about the first actions you did after you got it stolen. Who did you tell and how? What kind of awareness did you create for the bike and where did you go looking? Tell us a bit about what your outlook was (for instance maintaining a positive outlook helps).
Having had a great reunion with an old friend, my spirits were high. As we walked out of my friend joked, “I hope your bike is still there.” We crossed the street to discover the empty spot where my bike had been locked. My bike just wasn’t there.
In fact all the bikes in front of the bank were gone. No share bikes. Nothing. I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Was it moved? Did I have the place wrong? Did I park it somewhere else? A sinking feeling replaced my jovial spirits: I had to accept that my bike was gone.
I felt stupid. I felt awkward. I felt angry and confused. But it had been stolen. What could I do? I asked the security guard standing outside the bank if he had seen anything. I told him my bike had been locked up just meters behind him, and now it’s gone. He had no idea.
I tried to let it go. Its just a “thing” I told myself. I told my friend I would walk around more and look for it, so we parted ways. I felt like I needed to do something, anything to feel like I was being proactive. Deep down I knew I wouldn’t find it, but I just couldn’t let it go.
In a daze, I walked around passively searching before making the long walk home.
The next day I met up with a friend, Jin, a Korean cycle tourist who had recently contacted me. She convinced me it was worth it to report it to the police. We went to the police station in the Jin Li area and filed a case. The officer was friendly. He took down all the details and gave me a copy of the case file with the case number and the station telephone number. He warned stolen bikes are hard to find, but that they would try. My best bet would be to call the station and see if they had found anything.
I did know one thing uncommon about my bike though. It was a large frame. In China these are more often than not hard to come by. In fact when I’d first bought it, I’d had the same trouble. It took forever to find something that fit. I had a hunch. If someone was selling a second-hand, large, bright green mountain bike, there was a good chance it was mine.