RackLove.com - A search engine for stolen bikes

Sir Rackalot
Vanquisher of Bike Thieves

Bike thieves suck, but thanks to the Internet, victims have more options when it comes to getting their joy back, and RackLove.com just raised the chances of a successful reunion.

RackLove is a community marketplace for buying and selling bicycles. I first came across them on Reddit, in r/bicycling/, but then later saw them in this post UrbanVelo.org, so they're definitely growing in popularity.

The site is based in San Francisco, but they welcome anyone to join in. The main goal of the site is to build a community of bike buyers and sellers while eliminating the black market for stolen bicycles through independent verification.

By connecting people one-on-one and getting them involved in the community, it should be easier to tell the difference between a legitimate seller and someone who's just looking for a quick buck on a stolen set of wheels. However, RackLove just went a step further in fighting bike thieves by now offering a search engine that specifically looks for stolen bikes.

Want a mutant bike? Visit RackLove.com!

The search engine works by scouring popular sites that bike thieves are more likely to try and sell through (*cough* Craigslist *ahem*). Simply by entering a description of the bike and the zip code where it was stolen, if the thief posted it to any of the targeted sites, hopefully, it should pop up. From there, well, that's up to you. You did remember to take plenty of pictures of your bike and write down the serial number, right?

So, does it work? Check out this thread on the MTBR.com forum. If you're diligent and quick, you might just get your ride back!

Related posts:

Recent bike theft from home in West Scranton leaves owner "rattled"
Bike registration leads to recovered bicycle -- Have you registered your bike?

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Bike registration leads to recovered bicycle -- Have you registered your bike?

Is registering your bike
worth the effort?
Have you registered your bike?

Here's some good news we don't often hear about! Over the weekend, I read a post on Cyclelicio.us about a 10 year old girl whose bike was stolen -- and later recovered -- on the very same day she registered it.

The same day Santa Cruz Ecology Action got kids at Delaveaga Elementary School in Santa Cruz to register their bikes, a thief stole one of the bikes from a 10 year girl. When the bike was later found abandoned, police were able to return the bike to its rightful owner. 

Ecology Action in Santa Cruz are encouraging children at Santa Cruz schools to register their bikes with the city to help fight a growing problem with bike theft. After they distributed 40 registration stickers to students at Delaveaga Elementary School, a bike belonging to student Nicola Nardell was stolen out of the shed in her family’s yard. Police later recovered the bicycle — a very new looking Electra — and were able to identify the owner through the bike license.

It's great that the story has a happy ending, even if it's not so great that the bike was stolen in the first place, but it really got me thinking -- should I register my bike?

I remember as a teen, a long, long time ago, registering my bike with the Hazleton Police at a local playground. I don't remember if it cost anything, but the piece-of-mind I had that I might (might) see my ride again if the worst ever happened was worth it to me. These days, I'm not so naive. I realize the chances of recovering a stolen bicycle are very slim, but if I were to buy a bike that costs hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, isn't getting it registered a good idea?

Searching for information on bicycle registrations in Hazleton, PA didn't turn up much useful information, but I'm considering giving the police a call to see if I can dig up more information on the process. In the meantime, there's always the National Bike Registry.

The National Bike Registry offers 4 types of protection, based on lengths of time, number of bikes to be registered and whether or not your bike has already been stolen.

• $10 will cover a bike for 10 years. 

• $25 will cover a bike for 30 years. 

When you replace your current bike, contact NBR for a new label and certificate, limit one bike at a time.

• $25 Family Registration will cover up to 5 bikes at a single address. Each bike is registered for 10 years.

• 99cent Stolen Bike Registry.

You can register a bike AFTER it has been stolen. In the event that one of our participating law enforcement agencies finds it, it can be returned! (This registration is for one bike, for six months, and does not include a decal or certificate).

Then, there's MyBikeNumber.com which offers a worldwide registration for free.

Whether bicycle registration is worth the price and effort is a question I leave up to you, but if it's something you're already thinking about, why not go ahead and register?

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Recent bike theft from home in West Scranton leaves owner "rattled"

I just learned that a friend of mine from Scranton, PA, Chris Hughes, had his bike stolen very recently. It's a deep blue Haro mountain bike that can be identified by a sticker from the band "The Offspring" stuck to the center cross bar. Also, the back brake was disconnected due to rubbing against the wheel rim, so be on the lookout if you see anything matching that description in West Scranton.

Stolen bikes are an unfortunate reality that many of us must face at some point in our lives. While the bike thief might see it as a way to score a free ride, or a quick way to make a few bucks, the heartbreak of losing your favorite bicycle goes beyond monetary value. However, even the pain of loss that comes with having your bike stolen off the street is nothing compared to feeling of violation when a bike is stolen from your home.

"It is worse," Chris said when I spoke with him via Facebook Messenger. "The safety and security of my home where I'm trying to raise a family was violated by someone who felt entitled to something I've owned for more than half of my life. It rattles you."

"The bike was stored in a shed in my backyard in West Scranton. I noticed it was gone Wednesday morning as I was walking my daughter to school. Something didn't look right about the shed and the way the contents sat inside. I came back after dropping her off at school and quickly realized that my bike had been taken. As frustrated as I am, I'm thankful my kids' bikes were not taken with it."

While it's likely that the bike was taken Tuesday night, anytime between September 23 and 26 is a possibility.

"It would be tough for anyone to get in and out unnoticed. My wife is home during the day, and I usually don't get to bed until 11:30 p.m. Also, my shed doors are incredibly noisy, so we should have heard it. This would have had to have been pretty well calculated, whenever it happened."

Chris then did what anyone would do, he went to the police to report it.

"Police were helpful, but I also understand that cops in Scranton are dealing with much more than my stolen bicycle. Some have struggled with their income being affected this year (if police work is their only source of income) due to Scranton's money troubles and other issues. The officer I spoke with today took down all of the details I had to offer, but I did not have a serial number to give to them."

Chris is currently looking for a picture of the bike to send me, which I'll add to this post once found. In the meantime, anyone with information on the stolen bike is urged to contact the Scranton police department at (570) 348-4134. Chris can be personally contacted at peterparker.pa@gmail.com.

Finally, just a personal, precautionary note from me to anyone reading this. Take few moments to shoot good photos of your bike and write down the serial number. (see image below for likely places where it will be imprinted on the frame.) If stolen, this information will help you to retrieve your bike from authorities if found. 

5 likely places for your bike's serial number. Source

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