Abandoned Bikes

[Lozz360]

What can be done with them? Reason for asking is a friend of mine that lives locally to me had a bike left unlocked outside her house. Friend then phones the police on the 101 number who said they would come out and collect it. Bike was moved inside her property for safe keeping. Three weeks went by and nothing happened. Friend phones 101 again and this time was told that the police do not collect abandoned bikes as, "we have no where to keep them" and advised friend to have the bike disposed of at her own expense! The police also advised that they are not interested in abandoned bikes unless they have been reported stolen. Although how the police would know that this particular bike wasn't reported stolen is a mystery as no details were asked for or given.

The bike is a Professional Matterhorn women's mountain bike in pink so not high value, but even so. Gut feel that it has been stolen and abandoned, so we don't feel comfortable in disposing it as that would be handling stolen goods. My friend put an advert on the town's facebook page but no response.

What would you do? My thoughts are to sell it and donate all the proceeds to charity. Is it possible to be charged with handling stolen goods if no financial gain is made?

 

[oldfatfool]

Tie it up outside the cop shop and walk away.

 

[classic33]

Don't sell it, eliminates any claims you made money out of it. Give it to a cycle workshop, who'll make better use of it.

 

[annedonnelly]

Do what you can to reunite it with its owner - e.g. Facebook as you have done. Then donate to your local bike recycling charity as @classic33 suggests.

 

[Pale Rider]

Put a note on the wall where it was - 'bike found' and a mobile number.

You've facebooked it as well, contacted the cops, and given time for these things to work.

No one can reasonably say you are trying to steal it, but I would still dispose of it directly to a charity or even take it to the tip rather than take any money for it.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If it fits your friend size-wise, why doesn't she just keep it for herself? She's tried to do the decent thing and locate the owner and drawn a blank, so in my book the bike is a case of finders keepers. A functional bike is a functional bike all said and done. It's just a mass-produced low budget 26" rigid MTB, probably worth about a Tenner used!. No-one ever bothers to keep a record of the frame numbers on bikes like this, even if it had been stolen and dumped, you've got more chance of winning the lottery than of the old bill being able to prove it was nicked, even assuming they were interested in the first place.

 

[Lozz360]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't think of recycling charities. I note that the local Halfords to a Bikes to Africa re-cycle scheme. Maybe they will take it. My next door neighbour has just had a new-ish MTB abandoned outside their house. I'm wondering if these bikes are being stolen in Oxford (only six miles away) and ridden home and abandoned.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've had bikes dumped at the end of my road overnight a couple of times. Only horrible full-sus BSO's unfortunately, otherwise they would have been "liberated" by me and re-homed. I just think there is a glut of low-value unwanted bikes around, and people are dumping them because they don't fetch much on eBay, and if you take them to the tip it costs you time and fuel, plus you risk having some moronic jobsworth council employee accusing you of bringing in "trade" waste and trying to charge you to get rid of it. The easy option is just ditch them and let someone else worry about disposal! If a high-quality bike appeared to be dumped I'd be more suspicious, but cheap bikes are becoming disposable items rather like old TV sets that still work perfectly OK but aren't HD.

 

[Tin Pot]

Chuck it in a canal!

I’ve always wanted to do that.

 

[Debade]

While I like the idea of recycling, sending bikes to Africa maynot be the best idea unless Halfords is working with an NGO that has parts and repair there. If you want to be most helpful, briefly check out the NGO so you know your donation will be used and appreciated for longer then the first required repair.

 

[Lozz360]

While I like the idea of recycling, sending bikes to Africa maynot be the best idea unless Halfords is working with an NGO that has parts and repair there. If you want to be most helpful, briefly check out the NGO so you know your donation will be used and appreciated for longer then the first required repair.

I hear what you are saying. To be fair to Halfords, they do state that your bike might not end up in Africa. One reason would be if spares and repairs are not easily available there for the particular bike offered.

I’m not necessarily wanting to be most helpful. My question was, what can we do with a bike that is most likely stolen, the owner cannot be found and my friend doesn’t want to a) pay to dispose of it as the local police suggested, or b) be charged with handling stolen goods.

 

[ozboz]

Richmond is loaded with abanded bikes , some chained up and left for some reason , others knocked off and left , I have rescued about 4 , the cops do not want to know , every now and then the council badges the chained ones and gives owners a chance to get them away , otherwise off to the recyclers ,

 

[Drago]

If your friend makes reasonable effort to identify the owner, she won't be charged with handling. Ask about locally, a post on Facebook, all reasonable things to do.

If the result is negative, your chum can reasonably assume the rights of the owner, although if the original owner should appear they would be entitled to it back.

Your chum can then give it away, push it to the tip, whatever they fancy.

 

[ianrauk]

Chuck it in a canal!

I’ve always wanted to do that.

Along with a shopping trolley and a traffic cone.

 

[snorri]

Chuck it in a canal!

Yeah! It keeps the guys on the bike dredger in work!