confusedcyclist
Veteran
I think it's high time new bikes should be registered on to a data base by law and micro chipped containing the details of who the owner is. If it's sold the data base is then updated by the old owner. As bikes are getting ever more popular and more expensive ,bike thefts will only increase if nothing is done.
Who is going to pay for this, is the end customer going to be happy with the increased cost of new bikes? I doubt it. If you want to go the extra mile to protect your bike, do it, but it won't stop your bike from being stolen and moved on in the black market. Second hand buyers will not have microchip scanners at their gumtree/ebay meetups. If microchipping bikes became commonplace, criminals would soon work out how to circumvent them, so all the expense for nothing.
I hazard a bet the vast majority of thefts are bikes left out in gardens, garden sheds, or poorly secured garages. Take the effort to secure your bike properly with good locks and you'll do far more to protect yourself from theft than registering or microchipping will ever do.
Edit: I'll add. If you want to do your bit when buying a second hand bike, run the frame number by the free online registries, avoid all bikes with the numbers removed, painted over etc
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