Once you have as much of the above as you can get, simply click here, register, and log in to list your stolen bike(s). Once they are registered, they'll be auto-tweeted out via our Seattle Twitter feed - and the bike's info will be available to all our area partners.
Spread the word!Finding stolen bikes is a game of numbers - the more people you have looking out for your bike, the better. So: you're going to have to spread the word! Tell everybody you know about your stolen bike . If you're in an apartment building, post a flier. If someone stole your bike from a business, alert the building management. And of course, you'll want to hit all the popular online methods, because Craigslist isn't the only place thieves sell stolen bikes online anymore.
Twitter - If you're on Twitter, definitely post your Bike Index link, a photos of your bike, and tag @stolenbikessea and perhaps throw a #seabikes hashtag in there for greater reach.
Facebook - Facebook is a good next step. Post your bike, mention all the specifics, link its BikeIndex listing, and maybe get it out to some of the local Seattle-specific stolen bike groups like 'SABRE', 'PNW Lost/Stolen Bikes' or 'Bellingham Stolen Bicycle Group'
Instagram - Stolen bikes Instagram is a great resource - so if you're on Instagram, post your bike, mention the make, model, specific city you're in and then tag @bikeindex so we can regram it
Reddit - we see stolen bike posts on Reddit all the time, and there's a lot of eyeballs there, too. So - if you're a Redditor, /r/seattle or /r/seattlebike may be a good place to post.
Nextdoor - even though Nextdoor is a 'closed' system, so to speak, there's still a lot of people there on the lookout for stolen bikes in their neighborhoods. So it's worth posting your stolen bike's Bike Index listing to Nextdoor.
Look for your bike 'in the wild'
It doesn't hurt to just cruise around Seattle and look for your bike 'in the wild.' Many Seattle-area bike theft victims have spotted their bikes out on the street, usually in Seattle's's many open-air chop shops. The Burke-Gilman trail is always a hotspot, along with Gas Works park and 3rd between Pine and Union. Sketchy RV's are also a good place to watch out for your ride.
The locations of these change pretty frequently, but hit up the Seattle stolen-bike FB groups and ask around, and you'll get a list of known chop shops pretty quick. We've also seen thieves 'stash' bikes in public bike racks (so they can leave them there, locked, to sell later) so be sure to check out the bike racks you see while you're out and about.
Keep an eye out for it online
A huge, huge amount of stolen bikes are fenced online - but it's not just Craigslist you have to deal with anymore. Now, there's many different sites you will need to watch:
- Offerup - a chronically terrible service full of stolen bikes. This is the first place you should go to look for your stolen bike - or stolen anything - for that matter.
- Letgo - another app that is similar to Offerup - same idea
- Facebook marketplace - not as popular with thieves yet, but growing
Make it a habit to check for your bike on these sites every day, for many weeks - even months, if you can. We've seen thieves steal bikes and stash them in storage for months to let them 'cool off' before listing them for sale online. So be ready to play the 'long game' if you're serious about hunting down your stolen bike.
If you do find your bike for sale on Craigslist, LetGo, or Offerup - get in touch with the police, and skip contacting the online site because none of these services are ever going to help you. Don't waste your time engaging with these sites unless you enjoy terrible, Kafka-esque discussions with unhelpful people who will do nothing but send you form letters and/or ignore you. Chasing your bike with your local police instead is the way to go.
You can always email contact@bikeindex.org if you need some tips for dealing with online sellers who may have your bike.
Lastly, for those of you who are curious, if you'd like to know what happens to all the stolen bikes in Seattle (and elsewhere) this is a great read: This Is What Happens to Your Bike After It’s Stolen. It's a great overview of the stolen-bike black market in the Seattle area.
About Bike Index: I’ve been working on the bike theft problem since the mid-90's - basically trying to connect bike theft victims with people most likely to recover stolen bikes — i.e., shops, other bikers, schools, police departments, etc. I’ve found that by giving everybody access to the data they need, this model works - you wouldn’t believe some of our recoveries! The more people know about BikeIndex, though, the better it works. So: I’d hugely appreciate a link, a retweet, or simply you letting a local bike shop know about bikeindex.org.
And PS - if you think there's anything I've left out of this list, let me know! Drop me an email at bryan@bikeindex.org
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://bikeindex.org/news/what-to-do-when-your-bike-has-been-stolen-in-seattle