Brady's Got His Groove \ Ride Back

Dude! Where's My Car Bike?!?

That was my reaction as I went to unlock my bicycle from the rack in front of the downtown Omaha public library on 15th and Douglas last Friday afternoon. Dazed and Confused I stood in the afternoon sun, amidst gin & tonic fumes and live jazz drifting from the open bar at Sullivan's Steak House across the street, pondering the whereabouts of my powder-coated yellow bicycle, affectionately known as Old Yeller. Apparently, it had been stolen.

Thus began Pee-Wee's Brady's Big Adventure.


Like Pee-Wee, I was without my favorite bicycle, wandering aimlessly around downtown Omaha and Council Bluffs' pawn shops, second hand stores and homeless shelters. While I never saw large Marge, I did see meet some interesting folks and saw some previously unknown shanty towns down by the river. And like Pee-Wee's happy ending (the former, not the --um-- latter), my efforts were not in vain:

Old Yeller Has Been Recovered!

How to Get Your Stolen Bike Back:
1) Record your bike's Serial number. DO IT NOW. The serial number is stamped on the frame beneath your crank. I did this two years ago when my neighbor's bike was stolen. Why? Pawn shops are required to file the serial numbers with the Police Pawn Unit before they can sell any merchandise. Your serial number is the best way to identify your bike in the police report.

2) Act Quickly: File a Police report. The Police will want your bike's serial number. Also file an on-line Bike theft report at Bikewise. (Thanks for posting that, Scott!)

3) Use Social Networking: Twitter, Facebook, blogs, e-bulletin boards, craigslist. Get the word out!

4) Create & Post fliers on bulletin boards of businesses in the vicinity of the theft, in local bike shops, pawn and second hand shops. A cash reward does a lot toward motivation.

5) Hit the Bricks: Get out and talk to people. Over my lunch hour this past week, I personally handed out dozens of fliers to people around the library and Gene Lehey mall to gather local intelligence. Apparently, there's a cache of stolen bikes down by the river. This needs following up on.

I did all of the above and was fortunate enough to receive word today that my bike is being held at Sols pawn shop on 16th and Cass.

In the end, it was a tip called in from an unknown guy named Rob who acted on the flier he saw posted at the DT Jimmy Johns. Rob said that he saw Old Yeller being walked into Sol's Pawn shop on 16th and Cass on the day it was stolen. Though skeptical, I followed up with Sol's today and discovered that it was indeed in their inventory waiting to be processed.

I was shocked! In fact, I am in as much in shock for its recovery as I was in its original theft.

Lessons Learned

• Kevlar cables can be cut with a serrated knife (homeless person's tip). A kryptonite U-Lock offers the best security to lock your bike.
• Police Pawn unit shares a database of serial numbers between Nebraska and Iowa.
• Pawn shops typically take two weeks to process new inventory serial numbers with police
• Pawn shops thumb print and ID all sellers of merchandise. Thefts over $500 are felonies.
• Sols pawn shop was very helpful throughout the ordeal. From the first visit to the shop, to when the bike was identified by store rep Mike, they were very professional and courteous to assist recovery.

What happens next is that the Omaha Police pawn unit releases the bike in the form of letters mailed to me and the pawn shop holding the bike. That and the $20 processing fee will bring Old Yeller back in my possession soon.

Whew! What an adventure!

Old Yeller's back, baby! Look for the patented sprint lead-outs from that guy on the Neutral Service bike again soon!