Originally Posted by
Bald Paul
That is true, IF:
You have recorded your serial number
You have registered your serial number with something like 529 Garage
Your bike is actually recovered
The local law enforcement knows enough (or will actually care enough) to check the registration to determine who the real owner is.
That's a lot of ifs.
The first two items in your list are within my control, and done.
The 3rd item would not be within my control. Anecdotally, and consistent with research I've seen, the more effort that's required to cut a lock, the less likely the bike will be recovered. Using good locks, as I do, should make a bike less likely to be stolen, but correlates to a stolen bike being less likely to be recovered.
The 4th item seems decent, and seems to be gaining traction around here via 529 (which apparently accesses similar registration services). I know a few people who have had phone calls from police, to pick up their recovered bikes. They all filed police reports with enough information to identify the bikes.