Story with a happy ending
I was also a victim of bike theft. The first bike I bought as an adult was a hard tail mountain bike. It was a good entry-level bike. I learned a lot while riding it! One day I rode it to the gym and left it locked while I took a class. When I came out my bike was gone! What an empty feeling that was!
Trying to find the “silver lining”, I realized that it actually was time for me to get a new bike. I was no longer an entry-level rider. So I researched, shopped and bought my dual suspension bike (Santa Cruz Superlight). It has everything I wanted in a mountain bike!
I filed a police report but I was sure I’d never see my bike again. I wrote the serial number on a card and put it in my husband’s wallet. He’s a general contractor and he drives around our town a lot and he would keep an eye out for my bike. Well 2 years, 9 months and 16 days later, my husband saw some scummy guy riding my little bike down the street! He pulled the guy over, took my bike back and called the police! When the police arrived, my husband showed them the card with the serial number on it so the police let him take it back.
My poor little bike was TRASHED! My LBS guys gave me a bunch of parts. My husband and I put it back together. This was a great experience for me and I learned a lot by rebuilding it. I still ride it once in a while. I know I was extremely lucky to get it back. My LBS guys said they only have one other customer who ever recovered a stolen bike.