szy0931

I am not a biker and I just want to buy a bike for recreational biking in Katy Trail. When I search in Facebook Market Place and Cragslist, I found somebodies have a lots of bikes for sale. Where do they get the bikes? I want to buy a second-hand bike but I do not want to promote stealing.

Bald Paul

Ask for pictures, and the serial number of the bike (usually on the bottom bracket). Tell the seller you just want to run it past the local PD to make sure it hasn't been reported as stolen.
Not everyone records that info, nor to they always report it to the police, but the seller - if he's dealing in stolen bikes - won't want to take the chance.

rickpaulos

Checking with the local police will only cover locally stolen bikes reported to that police department. My local pd won't even bother to enter the report unless you have the serial number. Bikeindex.com is nationwide but it depends on the owner reporting it stolen and including the serial number. I run a local bike coop and we have returned 2 bikes to owners in 7 years that were given to us by the local police. One was stolen in a town 20 miles away, recovered 9 years later in my town. I happened to stumble across the bike index listing and got the bike back to the original owner. The other was also donated to our coop by the police. They had the bike when it was reported stolen but due to a typo in the owners receipt, the serial number didn't match exactly. Every time someone "invents" a new bike registry, they continue to dilute the effectiveness. A web base registry only works well when there is only one. If the bike has a shop sticker on it, contact the shop and see if they can look up the original buyer and call them. IMO, most bikes at pawn shops were stolen.

As to how bikes accumulate? Yeah, I have that N+1 problem too. Once you are in the hobby, people just keep giving bikes to get rid of them. My aging mother is one source as her friends' husbands die off and the widows know about her son. I can't pass up a bargain at a sale or auction. And there are the wish list bikes that become available.

Binky

Anybody want to buy a stolen bicycle ?

Of course you don't. Besides the obvious moral issues involved, being caught with stolen property in Canada can be very embarrassing and potentially expensive. Even if you didn't actually steal the bike yourself, your lawyer still has to have something to say in your defence when you appear in court if you are charged with being in possession of stolen property.

When you buy a used bike from a stranger, don't be stupid: Ask for a dated receipt that has the colour, make and model of the bike, and has the seller's name on it. Take along a pen and a piece of paper in case the seller doesn't have one and ask to see some identification with a picture on it. Everybody carries a drivers license or health card. take a picture of it with your phone. If the seller gets indignant and refuses to show you any identification or give you a receipt, maybe you should pass on the bike.

Write down a license plate number if the seller shows up with a pickup truck full of bikes "for delivery". Take a few more pictures with your cell phone.
Also, don't agree to meet the seller after dark on a street corner, parking lot, or municipal park with hundreds of dollars in cash in your pocket. That's just asking for trouble.

Happy Feet

Wowsers. No offense but you probably won't show up in court in Canada if you stole the bike, much less are in possession of it by accident. People buy hundreds thousands of stolen bikes each year at police auctions with the risk that they later get tagged by the previous owner. Sadly it's a fact of life with the used for bicycle market. It's good to ask for a receipt, or take a picture of the ad you responded to, so you can later show you bought it in good faith and trust your gut about the seller. You may be out the bike but no one is going to take you to court.

As to asking for my ID and taking a picture of it with your phone... uh, no. I'm not letting you take a pic of my personal data like full name, DOB, address, DL number. Perhaps you've heard of Identity theft? Who's to say you aren't the scammer?

rickpaulos

I bought bikes from a university surplus department and had to sign a statement acknowledging the bikes were campus impounds and if the owner wanted it back, I had to give it to them. If I kept my receipt I could get my money back from the surplus department. I did talk to a lawyer once about police auctions and he stated they were flat out illegal in this state. But what are the police going to do? Build endless warehouses for recovered property to hold forever for the owner? There are statue of limitations on many crimes. I'd guess there are time limits for theft, burglary and possession of stolen items. Yet they are still going after art stolen by the Nazis 80 years ago. To most, bikes are toys, why bother with them.

The local bike coop got a new load of bikes one week from the police.. By chance a customer came in that day and said "that use to be my bike" pointing at one ($1700 bike). Sure dude. I tried to get him to provide some sort of proof. I didn't say it out loud but if he could prove it, I'd give it to him on the spot. No photos on his phone, no receipt, he bought it after dark in a small outlying town for cash for a bargain price. Besides he saw another bike he really wanted so he bought that instead. I checked bikeindex dot com and nothing.

rickpaulos

Local used car dealers won't let you test drive until they photocopy your license right in front of you. It may be an insurance regulation or a state law. Test drive a car and get 1000 robo calls trying to sell you extended warranties. I'll never give any motel or used car dealer my cell number again.

As a shop manager, I sometimes ask for an id to hold while someone is out on a test ride. Well the last time I did that the rider returned with the bike, I handed him his id back and 5 minutes later he snuck in and stole the bike. I had little info to give to the police. Full description of the bike but not much on the guy. I barely glanced at the id when I had it. An eye witness walked off before the police arrived. No video on any of the area cameras. Well I will always photograph those ids from now on when the shopper is out on the ride. In this case I suspect the driver's license was stolen too.

It's perfectly reasonable to ask for a bill of sale that lists the sellers and buyers info with a item description.

Binky

When I flipped high-end road bikes, near TORONTO, I appended a message to my CL ads:
BONUS: This bike is NOT Stolen !! I will provide to the Buyer a signed receipt / bill of sale at time of sale with full particular of the bike (make, model, size, number of speeds, serial number, colour) and show proper Gov't of Ontario picture ID when you pick up the bike at my HOME.
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Buyers in big cities may assume that expensive racing bikes are possibly stolen... unless they are actually assured that it isn't.
I would not be concerned about a $40 beat-up mountain bike, but for vintage European racers people like paperwork.
In some places it may be possible to put a bicycle onto the apartment contents insurance, especially if the bike is going to be stored in the lock-up in the building.

blacknbluebikes 

if the trade is sketchy, move on, trust your instincts. if I was selling - honestly - and someone wanted to check an s/n or something, fine. if they want to get all FBI in my face, ah, yeah, not good bike for you. take my ID? run a background check? NEXT BID, front and center please. We ain't talking about blockchain provenance here.

szy0931

Thanks for all advice. I am looking for the bike at the level of Trek 7100. It is usually marked as around $200. New one is only around $400. For the bikes at this level, I am wondering if the owners have ever registered or reported after stolen. When I was in college, I had several bikes around $100. I never thought to register or report.

veganbikes

Buy a new bike and then you don't have that issue. Plus you get warranties and support from your local shop and something that should be tuned and ready to ride.

The Trek 7100 is a low end hybrid and probably not worth buying used and certainly would not be a good mountain bike in the least. The only reason to buy a bike like that used is if it is in pristine condition and they are willing to take sub $200 offers and really much lower.

metz1295

Admittedly, I did not read all responses so this may have already been said. If I were shopping for a used bike, I think I would start with local bike shops. First and foremost to your question, the chances of the bike being stolen drop dramatically. Also, you're going to get a bike you can trust. Wear and tear items will have been replaced if needed and the bike will have received a basic servicing before placed on the floor for sale. Look at it exactly as if you're not well versed in what to look for when buying a used car. Would you trust a reputable dealer for a used car more than some guy in a random neighborhood? Probably not. Same with a bicycle.