dealing with pawn shops (to find your stolen bikes).....?

[Lynx]

Five mountain bikes stolen if you missed that....

planning to check pawn shops, but have questions.

the officer said we should wait 3 weeks and then start making the rounds because by law the pawn shops here in utah are suppose to wait 3 weeks before selling anything they take in.

I have thought about going to the pawn shops to just ask if anyone brought in any or all of the bikes, but i am worried that some pawn shop owners are shady and will lie to me to protect themselves (cause they gave out money to someone for stolen bikes who may have given them fake ID) OR possibly the pawn shop owners are in cahoots with some people who may bring stuff in for sale frequently and would warn them instead of helping me.

would you ask the pawn shop owners? or just wait it out and peruse the stores as a casual customer?

would you wait the 3 weeks? or do you think some pawn guys might not abide by the law and put stuff out for sale sooner to turn the cash?

[Sirshredalot]

I would consult with the local cops again, but I know that in town here the pawn shops' computers are supposed to receive reports of stolen goods from the police automatically. Did the cops indicate that this is the case down there as well? That would definitely affect the approach I would take.

Call up and don't specify why you're looking, just say "I'm looking for a mountain bike. Do you happen to have a RM Switch/575/whatever?" Then if they have it you can go down there and see if it's yours. So I guess I'm saying try not to spook them and present yourself as a customer as much as possible.

[mntlion]

ask if they have right now any, or if they WILL have any in the future too.

[forest]

If its anything like Vancouver, then some of the pawn shop owners are definately in cahoots with bike thieves. Best to be stealthy about it. If you go in with the description of your stolen bike you won't get far.

[powder4breakfast]

Here in Utah, you must leave your finger print when pawning. So, people don't use fake ID's much. As stated before, serial #'s are the best thing you can do to help get a bike back. Reports can be made; but, pawn shops can't cross check bikes without the correct #'s.

If anyone has not done this yet, record your serial numbers and take current photos of your rigs.

[Greydon Clark]

In Seattle the pawn shops exclusively trade in shit, Wall-Mart bikes, 30 year old rifles, and bottom of the range Guitar Center specials.

[ACH]

Lynx,

The whole thing just sucks, really sorry to hear about it.
The last time I was in SLC, it seemed to me that there were a lot of pawn shops.
Seems a like a worthwhile thing to do, but also a lot of ground to cover. What a freaking pain in the ass.

A well known bike photographer in the PNW had his bike stolen from his roof rack this Summer while he was sleeping in his tent near by. The thieves broke the fork drop out in the process so it was unridable. Point being, don't be surprised if the bikes get parted out and components and frames get listed separately on CL or eBay.

[Lynx]

yeah, i wouldn't be surprised and i remember one of my first impressions of utah when i first moved here was "wow there are a LOT of pawn shops"

[Rontele]

Do not resort to self help. Patience and vigilance are you two best friends right now. Flood the internet (CL, MTBR, etc.) with descriptions and tell folks to be on the look out.

If and when they do show up, call the police to help you in retrieving the bicycles.

Good luck.

[Arty50]

I'd be quiet about it. You want the thief to bring it to a pawn shop. So don't do anything in advance. Otherwise, the shop may not take the bike off the thief. Just go perusing all of them over the next couple of weeks and see what you can see.

[truth]

Do not resort to self help.

If and when they do show up, call the police to help you in retrieving the bicycles.

Good luck.

http://www.littermag.com/videos/bikethief.html

[Eldo]

I'd be quiet about it. You want the thief to bring it to a pawn shop. So don't do anything in advance. Otherwise, the shop may not take the bike off the thief. Just go perusing all of them over the next couple of weeks and see what you can see.

Excellent advice. You for sure don't want the thief scared off and keeping the bikes hidden away. You will never find them if they are stuck in storage somewhere.

[moose pit]

Lots of pawn shops have a "back room". The people that run them are basically loan sharks not to be confused with stupid.

Go in looking for a bike let them know that you are looking for some thing a little better than the standard crack head ride - give them a line - knew to town, friends ride you don't have a bike and bike shops are just a try to rip you off, what ever... it helps to be a little shady or get a buddy that is a little shady to do it for you.

Good luck.

Bike thieve should be hung.

[roverdoc]

nice video....

[wanghoeby]

Go in looking for a bike let them know that you are looking for some thing a little better than the standard crack head ride - give them a line - knew to town, friends ride you don't have a bike and bike shops are just a try to rip you off, what ever... it helps to be a little shady or get a buddy that is a little shady to do it for you.

Well put Moose.

Don't give them even the slightest hint that you are looking for a stolen bike. Shadier and sketchier the better.

[SKISC]

You need to find if if the waiting period is for something that is pawned or sold to the shop. Here if it is pawned they have to wait a certain amount of time after the specified payoff or pick up date before putting it out for sale. If it is sold to the shop it can go up for sale immediately.

Don't expect a lot of cooperation from the shops either as the criminals are protected just like always. I had a shot gun stolen, knew who got it and found it in a pwn shop. I told them that was my gun and I wanted to know who sold it to them. They could not give me that info, however, when I gave them the name he did say I was right (one of my former good friends). Anyway, I called the cops and they went to pick it up. I had not serial numbe but the gun had a mark on it that I mentioned and I got it back.

So if you have numbers or can remember any identifying marks that will help. I hope you find the bikes and the asshats that stole them. I absolutely hate thieves, especially bike and ski thieves.