What to do if your bike or e-bike is stolen

Why the serial number matters most

A bicycle serial number is the identifier stamped into the frame by the manufacturer. It is the single detail that lets a police officer, bike shop or registry tie a recovered bike back to its owner. Without it, a stolen bike is just a bike; with it, the bike becomes identifiable property that can be matched to your report.

According to the Bike Index serial number guide, most bikes have the serial engraved beneath the bottom bracket, the part of the frame where the pedal cranks attach. Other common locations include the head tube at the front of the frame (Bike Index cites Rad Power e-bikes as an example) and the rear dropout where the back wheel attaches, used on some BMX bikes and some Schwinns. Bike Index notes that a frame with no serial number is rare and is typical only of hand-made or very old bicycles.

If your bike is already gone, look for the serial in your purchase receipt, shop service records, insurance documents, any registration confirmation, or a photo of the underside of the frame. If the frame shows several groups of numbers and letters, Bike Index suggests entering all of them separated by spaces, but leaving out manufacturer model numbers that are not part of the serial.

Reporting the theft to police

Report the theft to the police agency where it happened, even if you think nothing will come of it. A police report gives you a report number that registries, insurers and other officers can reference. It also creates a record that lets police return the bike to you if they find it.

Bike thefts often go unreported. Only 25.4% of other theft, the survey category for property thefts that are not burglaries or motor vehicle thefts, was reported to police in 2024, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization, 2024. In a survey of bike theft victims, just 17% of theft incidents were reported to police, according to Cohen, Nelson, Fitch-Polse et al., Patterns in Bike Theft and Recovery, Findings. That survey recruited mainly through Bike Index, so its respondents may be more theft-conscious than the general public.

When you file, include:

• the serial number, make, model, color and frame size;
• the address and time window of the theft;
• how the bike was locked, and whether the lock was cut or missing;
• photos and any distinctive marks, stickers or parts;
• for an e-bike, the battery details and any tracking information.

Procedures vary by city. Many departments take property theft reports online or through a non-emergency line, so check your local agency's website.

Marking your bike stolen on Bike Index

Bike Index is a free bicycle registry run by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. According to its stolen bike page, you do not need to have registered the bike before the theft; you can register it as stolen right away, which also creates an account. Even a minimal listing with the color and model can help, but a serial number and photos make it far more useful.

Once the bike is marked stolen, the public registry can be searched for free by bike shops, police officers and used-bike buyers, and Bike Index says pawn databases also check it. Anyone who spots the bike can message you through the listing. The listing also produces a stolen-bike alert you can share on social media. Promoted alerts, which push the listing into local Facebook feeds, are an optional paid feature.

After you file a police report, edit the listing to add the report number. Bike Index says a listing with the report number, clear photos and identifying marks is easier for an officer to act on.

Searching resale sites without putting yourself at risk

Stolen bikes are often resold quickly, and online listings are one of the main ways owners find them. Only 15% of stolen bicycles were recovered in a survey of 1,823 US and Canadian theft victims; police returned 34% of recovered bikes, and 27% of recovered bikes had been sold online, according to Cohen, Nelson, Fitch-Polse et al., Patterns in Bike Theft and Recovery, Findings. The same study found that Facebook was the most common online marketplace for recovered bikes in the United States.

Search Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp and similar sites every day for the first few weeks. Thieves sometimes repaint frames or swap saddles, wheels and handlebars, so compare frame shape, welds, cable routing and any scratches you know about.

If you find a likely match:

• Save the evidence. Take screenshots of the listing, the seller's profile and the photos, and copy the link.
• Contact police first. Give the officer your report number and the listing. Some departments will arrange a recovery; others will tell you how they want you to proceed.
• Do not confront the seller. Meeting a stranger who may be selling stolen property is a safety risk, and accusing someone directly can backfire if the bike turns out not to be yours.

The person listing a bike is not necessarily the person who took it. Let police establish who had it and how.

E-bikes: batteries, apps and tracking

Electric bikes cost more than most bicycles and attract the same thieves. In the bike theft survey cited above, 12% of stolen bicycles were electric, though the authors caution that this share does not reflect theft rates relative to how many e-bikes are on the road.

E-bikes give owners a few extra tools, depending on the model:

• Battery details. Many removable batteries carry their own label or serial number. Record it alongside the frame serial so a recovered battery can be matched to you. Check your owner's manual or the manufacturer for where it appears.
• Manufacturer apps. Some e-bikes connect to an app that can show the bike's last known location or lock the motor. Features vary widely by brand, so check what your model offers before you need it.
• GPS trackers and hidden tags. Some e-bikes include GPS tracking, and some owners add a tracker or a Bluetooth tag hidden in the frame or under the saddle. A location is useful information for police, not an invitation to recover the bike yourself.

If your e-bike was bought on financing or through an employer program, notify the lender or program administrator as well. Their terms may require it.

Insurance: what may cover a stolen bike

Coverage for a stolen bike depends entirely on your policy. A renters or homeowners policy may cover a bicycle as personal property, sometimes even when it is stolen away from home. Deductibles, per-item limits and exclusions vary, and some policies treat e-bikes differently from pedal bikes. Dedicated bicycle insurance and some card or retailer protection plans are other possibilities.

Before filing, read the policy or call the insurer and ask:

• whether bicycles, and e-bikes specifically, are covered;
• whether theft away from home is included;
• what the deductible and any limit for bicycles are;
• what proof the insurer needs, such as a receipt, photos, the serial number and the police report number;
• how long you have to report the loss.

This is general information, not insurance advice. If the deductible is close to the bike's value, a claim may not be worthwhile, but the police report and registry listing still matter for recovery.

Buying a used bike: check before you pay

Every stolen bike that sells online creates a second victim: the buyer who may later lose the bike to a police recovery. Before buying a used bike, ask the seller for the serial number, check it against the frame, and search it on Bike Index. The registry's own help pages advise checking the index the next time you buy a used bike.

Be wary of a seller who will not show the underside of the frame, has a serial number that looks filed or covered, offers a price well below market, or cannot explain where the bike came from. A clean search is not a guarantee, because many stolen bikes were never registered. Our guide to checking whether an item is stolen covers other registries, and our stolen property guide covers what to do when other belongings are taken.

Preventing the next theft

Where and when bikes are stolen surprises many owners. In the bike theft survey, 28% of bikes were taken from inside a shed or garage and 18% from an outdoor bike rack, and 41% of thefts happened overnight. Among bikes that were locked when stolen, 35% were secured with a cable lock and 26% with a U-lock. Those figures describe stolen bikes only, not how well each lock performs, but they show that cable locks and unlocked garages are common in theft reports.

• Use a hardened U-lock or heavy chain. Lock the frame and at least one wheel to a fixed object that cannot be lifted, unbolted or easily cut.
• Lock it at home too. Lock bikes inside garages and sheds, keep doors closed, and do not leave bikes on porches or balconies overnight.
• Register it on the day you buy it. Record the serial number, take photos of the whole bike and the underside of the frame, and keep the receipt.
• Take what you can. Remove quick-release parts, lights and, on e-bikes, the battery when you park.

The serial number, the photos and the registry listing take minutes to set up. They are what give a stolen bike a realistic chance of coming home.