I found my stolen bike, what should I do?

18 comments

1. > I also didn’t report it as stolen

   This might be a good place to start.

2. Just take it. Worst case scenario, you get the cops called on you but if it is your bike and you have the receipts for it, then you can just say you lost the key on the lock.

   Edit: you mentioned you are lazy but I assume the bike is registered to you and your current address? Otherwise, leave it and call the cops.

3. I was in the same situation a few years back and the police broke the thief’s lock for me

4. Take the bike now. If you wait, the “new owner” will take it back and maybe you won’t find it again. Who cares if you look suspicious, as long as you are able to prove it’s yours.

5. Lie in wait, like a spider drawing a fly into its web…

6. Get the receipts. Put them in your pocket. Go get the bike. If anyone asks, just say you lost the key to the lock.

   Or, go to the Koban. Bring the receipts. Report the bike as stolen. Tell them you looked for it and found it locked up. Tell them the location. I’m pretty sure they will help. I can’t see how you’d get in trouble.

   My bike was stolen in Japan. I didn’t report it because it was a cheap Mamachari. Two years went by and knock knock. Two cops at my door. They had found my bike. I still had the paperwork, so they gave it to me on the spot. I didn’t really want it back at that point, but case closed. The police here take bicycle crime seriously.

7. While you are figuring out what to do, put a new bike chain/lock on it to buy time.

8. Take the proof to the nearest koban and they will most likely take care of it for you.

9. Did u/erratic_panda steal it from you? Don’t worry. We’ll make sure this guy never finds work in this country again.

10. I reported my bike missing once and when they found it, they actually staked it out for 6 hours to see who came back to get it. Turns out it was a student who mistook my bike for hers and it was all just a big mix up.

    But the point is, the police do take bike theft seriously.

11. One day my son’s bicycle was stolen at the parc.
    We signaled it to the police.
    One week later, we found the bike in front of a combini, unlocked. We took it, then went to the cops, and got told off because they said we should have called them before taking it back… (but I was afraid it would disappear in the meantime)
    If there is a next time, I won’t go to the cops the second time I guess…

12. Go to the koban, explain the situation, bring the paperwork with you. Then let the police get your bike back for you. Something similar happened to someone I know, that way there is no unexpected hassle later.

13. Is it a cheap grannie bicycle? Because some of those actually use the same keys for different bicycle. I actually unlocked someone else’s bicycle thinking it’s mine and drove home with it once. It wasn’t till next day I noticed it wasn’t mine.

14. Put a lock on it, tell the cops someone put their lock on your bike (2 locks currently on bike), then show receipts to prove it’s yours.

15. There’s a guy here who got busted for a bicycle related crime, maybe try him

16. When I found mine, it had a new lock on it. I carried it to the Koban, even though I hadn’t reported it stolen, but I did have the original papers from when I bought it (though they didn’t even ask to see it). They helped me take the lock off and just sent me on my way. Every koban might be different but it was extremely easy for me.

17. I would take it without hesitation. No bike, no life.

18. Prepare to be fired!