Our sympathy. We know how much your bike means to you and also how much you depend on it for getting from A to B.
Below are a few tips on where to look for your bike if it has been taken for sale locally. If you are looking for how stop a thief picking on your bike in the first place, here’s our guide.
Tell the police about a theft as soon as possible giving them full details from your entry on Bikeregister.com. Make sure that they give you a crime number for insurance purposes. Take the name of the officer filing the report. If you don't hear anything, follow up with a phone call in a few days' time. Use the crime number in any social media posts so people know the police are looking too.
Many bikes stolen in Colchester are taken to London for resale but others are traded locally or stripped for parts. Alert local pawn shops such as Cash Converters as well as the Saturday auction at Colchester livestock market which sells up to 400 bikes a week. Ask the police which bike shops deal in second hand cycles. Tell Re-cycle in Wormingford in case it turns up there.
Set up searches for your make/model of bike on Ebay and Gumtree and tell the police if it turns up. Consider putting up posters in the neighbourhood. Colchester Cycling Campaign advises against trying to meet a seller without having someone with you.
Did people/businesses near by get pictures of the thieves on CCTV, dashcams or video doorbells?
Put a report and picture of your stolen bike on Facebook and Twitter and ask your friends to share it. This page features stolen and found bikes in Colchester