Some analysts believe that if people shopping for used bicycles do so responsibly, the market for stolen bikes will go down, and fewer bikes will be stolen. Be on the lookout for suspicious ads that seem too good to be true. If a Craiglist ad lists only a phone number, includes little information about the bike and seems significantly underpriced, it could be a stolen bicycle.
Experts suggest searching that phone number to see if anyone with the same number has sold any other bikes recently. Get the bike's serial number and check it against the Stolen Bicycle Registry. You can also call your local police station to see if a bike with that serial number was reported stolen. If the serial number has been removed, be suspicious.
Protect your bicycle from thieves by securing it with a bike lock. Start protecting your investment today by purchasing a quality bike lock.