BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Sounds like Wolfpack is up to their old tricks. http://localhost/message-board/reply/reply-to-bikes-reported-stolen-2015-140/ http://localhost/message-board/topic/bikes-stolen-2016/page/3/

You may want to talk with a lawyer re pawn shops and who is responsible with what for stolen property. Also, did the police have the serial #? If so then this guy is lying and it gives you/an attorney more ammo... Seems that the pgh police don't care too much about this unfortunately. Wondering if the DAs office would be interested.

Hi Craig here at Bicycle Heaven,we also buy many used bikes and we busted more bike thieve s than anyone with no positive feedback from any press, i mention this because we went out of our way to bust people and cost me lots of money and time.When i buy a used bike i have them videoed and fill out paper work and have there hand prints we take and copy ID and the first thing we do is contact the pawn police with ID numbers and info that goes on a list.I bought some bikes in the past that i thought or knew they were stolen because i saw the bikes posted so we contacted police and the owners and they got busted.By law i don't have to turn over the bikes if we go by the pawn police and PA laws indeed the owners have to pay us the value of the item if they want the bike back and or can file a police report and take the seller to court to get there money back.For good business purpose and just feeling bad for the guy who lost his or her bike to a thief many times i just handed over the bike losing my money or going to court with the orig owner so they could prove we had there bike and the thief goes to jail witch i have done many times and taking a risk the jerk wants to get even or see him in the street.I am more picky and its just so much dam work going out of my way to bust jerks.but i still do lol,,it does feel great to see stolen bikes to go back to the owners and they say thank you and all.I can tell you if you receive a bike and just call in SS numbers is simply not good enough,you must go through the procedures we go through.When i get a bike that may seem like a shaky deal i look them right into there eyes and tell them if its a stolen bike your going to get busted and I'm the one who will do it,,,they look right at me and say no its my bike its all good and a few days later i find its stolen,THEY JUST DONT CARE.One time after a guy got put in jail after going to court a few times with the guy who got his bike stolen  2 weeks later i saw him bumming money with a good bike beside him ....it does suck,,,The bottom line i guess I'm trying to say is if Woofpack is doing things by Law and receive a stolen bike they are a victim the same .I have found that most and i hate to say it and i know of other bike shops that don't list or call in SS numbers when they buy used bikes.I can tell you also you can't always go by the way people look when they bring a bike in.One time i had a guy come in with a bike worth 600 bucks and wanted 100 for it and he had no ID,,i gave him a bit of a hard time and told him to fuk off,,he came back in a hour with the sales slip and did i feel like a real jerk,,Buying and selling used bikes is not a easy biz and we get burned many times.  IF YOU GET YOUR BIKE STOLEN,,,CALL THE PAWN POLICE ,,,have the SS number on your bike or date put your name stcriped on your seat post,,,BUY A GOOD LOCK,,i have sold bikes to people because there bike got stolen and can you believe i have had people came back a week later needing another bike,,it got stolen ,,

Thanks for the thoughts and comments. Craig, I appreciate your insight as a reseller and thank you for your efforts in returning stolen bikes and bringing thieves to justice.  I think the salient point for me in what you wrote was this: "I can tell you if you receive a bike and just call in SS numbers is simply not good enough,you must go through the procedures we go through." The fact that other resellers do not (or have no evidence to back it up), and then an owner still has to pay them to get their bike back is infuriating. In my case, I provided the police my SN when I filed a report the day it was stolen and the bike turned up over two weeks later.  That would seem to be enough time to register if the shop owner legitimately did his due diligence.  It would be nice to have some proof that he tried before I hand over money for my own bike.

Either he tried or he didn't. If the police have your stolen bike's sn in a database by the time he "tried" then he didn't try. Simple as that. Police should keep track of who calls and "tries" and sellers should also keep written records of their "trying" and if not the bike should be returned for free

I agree ,,,my point is ,most shops don't call the info / ID of the seller, they just keep a record in there shop and only provide info after they are confronted ,,we call bikes in that day or in at least 3 days and hold onto the bike a few days and quarantine  and have info to the new owner of that bike if sold,,,our paper work is dated that day with the sellers sig and video is dated,,its that simple,,,,,,most shops buy the bike and just put down some info on paper and yes can finagle the paper work if needed,,,,,,yes two weeks does not sound good but if they have info and valid ID of the seller that would give police enough info to contact that seller who sold the bike to that Pawn shop,,,,,but  but a pawn shop that does not call in the info knows its a lot less chance that bike will be found as a stolen bike if they don't call in that info  

I highly doubt he called checked against the police records, if those records even exist.   I really suggest everyone use this tool, including resellers: https://bikeindex.org/

Two folks were arrested in connection with bike thefts. Police have several bikes they want to try to return to owners. Possibly contact PGH Police if you're missing a bike stolen recently. https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/2-charged-in-series-of-bike-thefts-in-east-end/827964375

they showed pictures of the suspects. They totally look like Beavis and Butthead. No disrespect meant to Beavis or Butthead.

? Neither of those two were the guy who took mine but that’s funny.