What to do if your bike is stolen

No one wants to find themselves a victim of bike theft, but it’s an unfortunate reality for many. If your bike has been stolen and you’re wondering what to do, follow these steps:

First Steps: What to do when your bike is stolen

What happens next might differ depending on your circumstances. But here’s what to do if your bike has been stolen:

Call the police - Report your bike stolen as soon as possible. Most police forces in the UK now allow you to report crime online. You can also call, and in some cases, visit your local station. They will provide you with a crime reference number.
Gather evidence - Try to get footage from any source you can. CCTV, your home security or from neighbours or local businesses.
Set up alerts - you can set up alerts for the make and model of your bike on sites like eBay, Gumtree, Facebook marketplace and Google. This may help you find it if it gets listed for sale online.
Share details on forums - Notify people in bike forums and get them to keep an eye out. There are plenty of cycling and moto forums dedicated to stolen bikes and sites to report your stolen bike.
Take to Social Media - Share your bike on social media - in local groups, bike theft groups and cycling/moto groups. If you are registered with BikeRegister and your bike is stolen, it will get added to their stolen bike map.

Reporting a Stolen Bike

Information you may need if your bike is stolen:

When reporting the theft of your bicycle or motorbike, make sure you have this information to hand:

Your bike (s) frame number or VIN and number plate for motorbikes.
Make, model, colour and year of your bike (s).
You may require proof of purchase.
Details of any upgrades.
Receipts of any locks (some insurers need this).
Photos of your bike.
Details of the theft/burglary - date, location, time, situation.
GPS details - if you have this, provide information to the police.

If your bike is insured:

Will insurance cover my stolen bike?

Not everyone has cycle-specific insurance. Many people opt for cover through their home insurance, but this isn’t always best. According to Founder of Cycler, Alan Hickman, “Most cyclists believe that their home insurance covers them for most eventualities when out cycling, unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case.

Without a tailored cycle insurance product, you could be caught short when you need help.”

Always make sure you’ve read the terms and conditions of your insurance! If the worst should happen, finding out you’re not covered because you’ve not met the conditions would be very frustrating.

To make sure you’re covered, Alan shares things that can void your cycle insurance:

Claims which can't be supported by proof of ownership such as a receipt for your purchase. All Insurers will require this to approve a claim.
If your bike has been left somewhere other than your insured location for more than 24 hours.
If you have not complied with the lock or security requirements specified in your policy.
Use of your bicycle for business reasons (like courier deliveries).
Theft or damage that occurs while under the responsibility of a transport provider.
Damage due to an unsecured bicycle or roof rack.
Deliberate damage by you, your family or someone known to you.
Accidents that happen while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

If your Bike is Stolen and you Don’t have Insurance:

Insurance isn’t for everyone. One downside of being uninsured is having to find the money to replace the bike yourself. However, you might not have a high-value bike or want to spend the extra money on the chance they don’t pay out.

If you don’t have insurance, you should still follow the earlier steps and report your bike stolen. But once you’ve done all of the above, what next?

Bike Stolen? Things you can do to help Police

Titus Halliwell, National Police Lead for Cycle Theft Reduction shares advice on what could help get your bike back if it’s stolen.

“If you haven’t, make sure you register your bike on a Secured By Design accredited database such as BikeRegister which is used by all Police Forces in England and Wales,” he suggests.

If you are registered and have your bike stolen, “Update the bicycle record on the database as ‘stolen’. This means if police or members of the public search BikeRegister it will show it is stolen and appropriate action can be taken,” he adds.

It may seem obvious but at the time it’s easy to let details slip, “When reporting to police provide as much detail as possible from where it was stolen as this will aid CCTV capture. Don’t just say the High Street, say outside Boots on the High Street on the cycle rack to the right,” explains Titus.

If you aren’t registered with BikeRegister and your bike is stolen, you can still create an account. Just register, add the bike details and change your bike from possession to stolen.

Bike Registration Databases

There are other registration databases available, but BikeRegister is recommended as it’s used by UK Police forces. Here are some additional options:

What to do if you find your stolen bike for sale?

If you’ve set up alerts for the make and model of your bike you might get a notification when one gets listed for sale. If you find yourself in this situation, “We know it’s tempting to try to buy it back but the police don’t recommend this as it may place you in danger,” says Titus.

“If you see what you think is your bike online and are confident it is yours and it matches the description, contact your local Police Force providing full details of where you have seen the bike, and why you are certain it's yours,” he adds.

The Impact of Bike Theft

Having a bike stolen is devastating, it impacts people in many ways. Simon Town told us about his experience with bike theft, “My wife discovered the bikes were missing from my garage and contacted the police on 101. They came and had a look around and gave us a crime number for insurance.

I never heard from them again and undertook my own search online for the missing bikes. I looked in the usual places for around six months but never saw anything, unfortunately.”

Insurance wasn’t plain sailing either, but luckily he was able to resolve things with his insurance company, “With insurance, we had a few issues as the bikes were in a garage, which the insurance company classed as an outbuilding. The bikes were insured under house contents and I hadn’t read that the maximum payment for anything taken from an outbuilding is £1500, so it looked like that was all I was going to get for what should have been around £4,000 worth of bikes (replacement value).

We were told that if I had left the bikes unlocked anywhere else on the property, including the garden, they would have been insured for the full value. After some terse phone calls, my wife persuaded the insurance company to speak to their underwriters, who agreed that it was crazy that the bikes would have been insured if left lying around in the garden, instead of locked up in the garage. I got a full payout in the end.”

Following the theft, he increased security in his garage, including adding alarms, a ground anchor and more secure locks.

Everything you need to Know about the Litelok X Range

How to Check if a Bike is Stolen

If you’re buying a second-hand bike and something doesn’t feel right, ask the seller to provide the frame number or BikeRegister marking to search the BikeRegister bike checker.

If the seller is reluctant or can’t provide that information, it’s probably not worth going through with the sale. The best thing to do is ask questions, most people will be able to tell you the history of the bike. Look for red flags such as adverts lacking details. You can usually spot whether someone is genuine.

It’s always worth doing some investigation before buying a bike. If it seems too good to be true, that might be the case!

Tips to Protect your Bike from Theft

The reality is there’s only so much you can do to protect your bike from theft. However, there are things that act as a deterrent. If thieves spot what they think is an easy target, chances are they’ll go for it.

Thanks to advancements in technology, like the Barronium armour on our LITELOK X Range thieves are failing more often. Always invest in a good lock, “When your bike is unattended always use a good rated Sold Secure rated lock ideally Gold or Diamond. Police recommend you spend a minimum of 10% of the value of the bike on a lock. Also keep your bike locked at home and consider using a ground anchor,” advises Titus.

We get a lot of comments about people cutting through racks, thankfully this doesn’t happen as often as you might think. That being said, always check what you’re locking your bike to. Check for any signs of tampering and be wary of racks that have been covered just in case they’ve been cut and covered up.

Think about where you lock your bike when you leave home. If you can, aim for a proper bike stand or secure bike parking, “When locking your bike or e-bike when away from your home, make sure you're locking it to a strong and immovable object. Most Insurers will require this level of security as standard,” says Alan.

See our angle grinder resistant bike locks

Here are our tips for keeping your bike safe:

Use two locks. Securing both the front wheel and frame and rear wheel and frame is a good way to secure your bike.
Don’t leave the bike unattended for too long where possible.
Keep your bikes locked at all times, even when stored at home.
Be mindful of where you lock up - avoid quiet areas and theft hotspots.
If you haven’t, register your bike with a theft database and get it marked.
Always make sure you take any lights, accessories etc with you when you leave your bike.
Consider a GPS tracker so you can track the bike and keep an eye on it whilst it’s unattended.
Be careful with social media. Thieves might be able to identify where you live from photos or apps such as Strava or route trackers. Check your privacy settings!

We hope you never find yourself in this situation, but if you do we hope this helps! Our top tips? Register your bike with a bike registration database - that way, if your bike is recovered you stand a better chance of getting it back.

And of course, we always advise you to buy the best lock you can afford! So, if you haven’t; register with a database, check your insurance details, make copies of all receipts, take note of your frame number and get your bike marked. The actions you take today could help in future.

Bike Stolen: What Now?