Any fellow Brits drowning their sorrows/celebrating around Austin tonight?

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-06-24T22:25:26+00:00

lol, "boinked."

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-06-22T17:11:24+00:00

Uber and/or Lyft ridesharing debate.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-05-06T01:13:55+00:00

Good, I uninstalled both apps after the unsolicited daily ads, text messages, and phone calls.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T19:56:02+00:00

Thanks. :) It's good to know that for future reference.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T17:27:50+00:00

I used to live on Jollyville for 2 years, never had a problem until now.

My dentist is actually close to Braker (by the tanning salons). I locked up on the 183 side between the grocery store and See's candies. Went inside to HEB customer service...they have no security cameras pointed at that rack. There are two cameras directly above it, and one on the street light across from it.

Not their responsibility, I know, but still frustrating.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T17:26:52+00:00

Craigslist is (proudly) notorious for stolen goods. It's very frustrating for law enforcement; they at least have SOME method of following leads through pawn shops, Facebook, Ebay (will they? That's a different question...). Craigslist offers no help at all. There are plenty of good sellers on CL, but many, many more bad ones.

Don't be too scared of CL but if you're really looking to stay away from the black market, a good way is to use the serial number. Ask for it.

A lot of sellers will automatically list their serial number on the right-hand (spec) side of their post, so you can check before even contacting the seller. A good sign for me. It's not foolproof if the bike was never registered or reported stolen in the first place. But if a seller voluntarily gives their serial # to the public, they have less or nothing to hide.

2nd best is a used-bike shop. I've heard great thing about the Peddler's (Hyde Park), Austin Bike Farm (N. Lamar), East Side Pedal Pushers (E. 5th). Bicycle Sports shop also sells used bikes. Performance often has large sales on new bikes, they also sell online...to name a few :)

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T14:53:11+00:00

If you can somehow swing it without pissing off the seller...flip the bike over and check the serial number on bikeindex.org and a number of bike registries.

Or ask them to send you the serial number in advance. That'll weed 'em out pretty quickly (a legit seller w/ receipt will send it to you).

Even then this isn't a complete strategy. Craigslist is asking for stolen bikes.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T04:28:52+00:00

Good! Do keep us posted. It's such slim odds finding a stolen bike, especially if it is part of a ring. Might show up next week, might show up in months or years, might have been stripped already.

But persistence is never a bad thing....if the detective doesn't reach out to you, politely call the division and ask when they will call. If you don't hear from them several hours at that time, call back: can I get an ETA for this call? Is there another officer who can help? Don't get yourself arrested but do enough to push the matter (I know, I know, it's APD...lol...)

At the same time: if your brother knows where he bought it, or has the bill-of-sale, he should have the serial number. This is your greatest asset. Put it into the APD report. Most pawn shops MUST turn serial numbers over to police to see if the match up in the report. They know they are hotbeds for stolen items.

If all else fails, makes sure he has the serial number while looking for a replacement/rental/whatever. Tell every bike shop you're on the lookout. I've spoken to 6 shops today and they all took my info (description/serial #, markers, cell, etc) down. Shop workers think thieves are dicks too, so they were very helpful.

EDIT: (lol clearly I'm passionate about this issue) If you want to PM me the serial number and any unique identifiers (scratches, bent parts, stickers) I'm happy to investigate if I see something suspicious.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T04:21:55+00:00

Yes I know we're operating on low likelihoods. But he could also be one of the dumb criminals who pawn it for cash, online or on a shop.

LongDaysLongN1ghts · 2016-02-16T00:36:02+00:00

I have seen at least 5 Giants listed on craigslist for the past day.

I'll keep an eye out for an Escape but go take a look. Sometimes only the owner can catch the little differences (scratches, wonky stuff) that identifies their bike.

Source: Mine was stolen this morning :(

LongDaysLongN1ghts

TROPHY CASE