Need help.I bought a really nice bike today and it shows as Stolen
 

I bought a really nice bike today. It's a Cannondale Synapse...
I went to check the Part Number on the bottom bracket to see what model bike I bought.
Turns out it was a Serial Number and it shows as "Stolen" in Bike Index
The Bike index website is locked up and won't let me register so I can notify the owner.
Anyone got access to Bike Index? Log in (bikeindex.org)
I guess I have to call the Police, but what if they show disinterest?
I'd like to get my money back obviously and I'd like to make the original owner whole.

Site seems to be working, but I don't have an account. You would think they wouldn't make you jump through hoops to tell them you have found a bike? Maybe try sending them an email? contact@bikeindex.org

Someone I know was at the other end of this situation. The purchaser of the stolen bike contacted him directly, and they arranged to have the bike left for him at the local police station.

In other words, I don't think you have to join bike index to do this.

I was so excited about this bike last night that I only had 5 hours of sleep,
So I'm going to get some sleep and handle this carefully and with good judgement tomorrow.
I have concerns that the city police may over react.. The culprit doesn't seem to be menacing. He's an older man.
#%$^ I'm just an innocent guy who would rather be riding my regular old bike tomorrow

This feels similar as turning in counterfeit money to the bank, thinking they would reimburse me with real legal money.

I'm certain they would not arrest and question me, thinking I was the counterfeiter.

I don't think you are obligated to say where you bought it. But purchase and possession of stolen goods is technically a criminal offense, so it might be a good idea to be circumspect. The owner will be very grateful to have it back.

I'm no lawyer, but I thought it was only a criminal offense if you knowingly purchased and took possession of goods you knew were stolen? Finding out afterwards I thought was basically ok?

I think in practice that is how it works.

He's likely a front man for thoses that stole the bike.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fence_(criminal)

I would get the bike to the original owner and I would talk with the person who sold the stolen bike to you and see if you can get your money back. If they decide to not give you your money back then I would involve the police. If they do give you the money back I would explain to them not to buy and sell stolen bikes and to be careful and if not I would put them on blast. Put their picture out there on the same places you found the stolen bikes. Bike thieves need to be stopped even if they are the person in the middle. They are still involved in the cycle and an important part as they insulating the actual thieves.

There's a bit of irony in this. Saturday is my day to take that long relaxing ride for few hours.

Now I got to spend all day . cleaning this up.

I have a Cannondale Carbon Synapse 2 in my possession. Donated to our local bike coop from the original owner who bought it from a reputable dealer. I could not find a serial number on it anywhere. There is a sticker on the bb that looks more like a date of manufacture code. I often look up expensive donations at Bike Index and this number came back as stolen but as a different model. I suspect another Cannondale owner entered that same dom/part number as their serial number. I guess you looked up the dom/part number and got a hit due to Cannondale owners not knowing what their bikes real serial number is.

I asked about this "serial number" at vintage cannondale but got no reply. I think it's just too new for them.

IMO, a sticker is not a responsible way of putting a serial number on a bike frame. I've seen many bikes with bar codes and numbers on a sticker but they all had a legitimately stamped serial number in the metal that matched.

I would call the police immediately and let them know what happened and give them the contact information for the person that sold it to you. Let the police figure out whether the seller is a fence and let them get the bike back to the original owner.

I bet the owner has already settled with their insurance company - but should still follow up with police.

Ride it like you stole it...

Like someone else suggested, first step is to really make sure it's actually stolen and not just an input error to the website. Other than that, I agree with what you're planning.

Depends on the state law. My state includes "retain" as an act of receiving stolen property if it is done with the intent of depriving the rightful owner of possession of the item. Once you are on actual notice that the item is stolen, you can't safely keep it.

No! This could be considered extortion--generally threatening to report a crime unless you are paid is itself criminal (blackmail). You don't want to do anything that could be construed as that it's not worth the risk.

On most bikes the serial number never shows what model of bike it is. Some will decode to a year, month and maybe a day of manufacture. Some have frame sizes in cm or inches. Cannondale even had rear axle width in one of their many serial number systems.

When trying to id a bike you can use the date codes on the components to narrow it down to a year or two, then search the www for relevant catalogs and look for matching colors and parts. Most Asian parts makers use a 2 letter date code on the back side. Usually stamped or cast in the metal or sometimes a tiny sticker.

With Cannondale, Synapse is a line of bikes, not a particular bike. Cannondale used the Synapse name on carbon fibre and aluminum frame bikes. Many Cannondales came in 3 levels of componentry on the same frame starting in with their first race bike in 1983/4. A practice they used for decades. The Synapse bike specs were changed quite regularly. Different colors and different parts each year. Cannondale classified the Synapse as a "Performance Sport" bike, not a racing model.

You have no way of knowing if the person who sold the bike is a fence or a person who bought the bike in about the same way you did. Do not make assumptions.

It should not remotely be possible to mistake a sticker for a serial number. What?

This is a job for the police. I would start by contacting Bike Index to verify that it is actually stolen and then follow their advice. They must have a procedure for this scenario as it is their business. Getting your money back could be difficult depending on how you bought it and the seller. It's usually not a good idea to go directly demanding a refund from a potential criminal unless you personally know the guy and their circumstances. Like say if you bought it from a friend who you knew had previously bought the bike in good faith. Or you bought it from a reputable bike shop. But if the seller was a stranger I would leave it to the police to deal with and take legal advice about potentially recovering the money from them.

I am trying to put myself in the OP's position. Had I been looking for a bike, if this one came available would I suspect anything unusual? Was the seller a known dealer in bicycles? If not, how did they just happen to have this bike and want to sell? Is the seller a rider or was there any reason a non-rider would just happen to have this bike?

Yes, try to get your money back, but make sure this seller never does it again. Contact the authorities. Let them handle it. Do it now and not tomorrow. The longer you procrastinate, the more complicit you appear.

Cannondale never used stickers for their serial numbers. They embossed them into the frame at various locations over the years, including, e.g., on the bottom of the left chainstay. If I were unable to locate a serial number on a name brand bike, I'd suspect that the bike had been refinished with overly thick powdercoating.