5 things you should do right away if your bike is stolen

Your bike just got stolen.  Now What?

Relax.  Take a deep breath.  Here are 5 things you can do right away that will improve your odds of getting it back.

Step 1: Survey the area - did anyone see what happened?  Doesn't hurt to ask around.

Step 2: Post your bike and description to Stolenbicycleregistry.com or Bike Shepherd. This way, anyone in your geographical area that is also a part of this community can help keep their eyes out for it

Step 3: Scan Craigslist for a bike matching your description.  You can subscribe to an RSS feed on craigslist that will alert you the moment someone posts a bicycle matching your description

Step 4: Check the pawn shops.  

Step 5: Report the bike stolen to your local police department.  You'll need your serial number and a description of the bike to get it back.  

What have you done to get your bike back?

Photo stolen from Elizabeth Orrel Photography - check out her blog here