W00t! got a free 18 speed bike!

So I was on my way home from school and was passing my apartment complex and this bike was laying in the middle of the road sitting on the median. So I went home, got changed, and went back out there and it was still there. So I ran out there and grabbed it and walked it back to the apartment. In really good shape, just needs a new seat and a new front innnertube.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v7...=101_59601.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v7...=101_59611.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v7...=101_59621.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v7...=101_59631.jpg

Not bad for being 100% free. :D :D

I bought a new water bottle for it, a chain to lock it up, and one of those pumps that attaches to the bike. Sprayed the gears and chain with some WD-40 as they were looking like crap, all I got left to get is a new seat. :rockon:

Be aware. If the owner reports it stolen, you get charged when they catch you with it riding. Despite the fact that it was 'abandened', it can' be reported stolen.
Legally I think you have to report it as found.
I'd probably just keep it anyway too, but officially, I don't want you to get into trouble for picking up a bike that probably fell off someone's vehicle and won't ever be looked for.
Nice pics!
Wolfy

All my friend's are telling me to scratch off the serial numbers.../shrug

ya know those bait cars?...where people steal them and then the cops chase them down....?

Yeh..i've seen videos of cops doing the same thing with bikes. I'd report it.

haha, those bait cars crack me up. Normally I would be a little concerned, but the a fact A cop car drive right by it and then saw me walk off with it and not say anything leads me to believe I'm fine. Where would I report a found bike too? The police office would laugh their ass off if I called it in?

Well there could be some poor person whose bike got stolen, sitting home now, and you found their bike. I think that posessing stolen property is just as bad as stealing it; you did not pay for it. I would have left it where it was and called the police over.. sorry, but I have seen Cops way too many times with thieves saying "oh, it was just laying there so I took it!" A police officer is not going to buy that line. And I have no desire to go to jail.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Well there could be some poor person whose bike got stolen, sitting home now, and you found their bike. I think that posessing stolen property is just as bad as stealing it; you did not pay for it. I would have left it where it was and called the police over.. sorry, but I have seen Cops way too many times with thieves saying "oh, it was just laying there so I took it!" A police officer is not going to buy that line. And I have no desire to go to jail.

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See, I got that covered, cause instead of going to Daytona I'm gonna go knocking door-to-door and show them the bike and ask them if they lost it and just do so till I find someone that says its theirs. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

ya know those bait cars?...where people steal them and then the cops chase them down....?

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I was actually just watching a show about that. :cool:

That bike obviously cost a lot; it is not a cheap ten-speed from walmart. Would you do the same if a car was parked in the street for a few days? Just assume that it was yours and take it?
Whatever; do what you want. :) But posession of stolen property is just as bad as stealing it.

A car parked and a bike laying on the curb in the middle of a highway are two completely different topics. Do cars parked on the highway for a few days get ticketed and later towed? You bet they do. Is it ok for the police to assume the vehicle is abandoned and to tow it away?

The difference is, the police don't take the car home and use it. It's put into a place so the owner can find it. You're not the cops.

Legally... possessing stolen property is prosecutable. Car, bike, purse.. doesn't matter. If the bike fell off a car, they might assume someone lifted it off, instead of it falling.
If I park my car somewhere and you took it, it's stealing. When something isn't yours.. it's stealing if you don't return it. Shrug.

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Originally Posted by sw204me

All my friend's are telling me to scratch off the serial numbers.../shrug

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I believe it's against site rules to encourage illegal activity. Scratching off the serial numbers is exactly the same as if you stole it.:colbert:

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Originally Posted by Blu Mongoose

I believe it's against site rules to encourage illegal activity. Scratching off the serial numbers is exactly the same as if you stole it.:colbert:

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How is that "encouraging" illegal activity?

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

How is that "encouraging" illegal activity?

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Whether he found the bike or not, doing away with the serial number so it can't be claimed or identified by the owner?

Correct. but, "my friends told me to" is encouraging HIM. He is not encouraging anyone to do it.

wow, just wow. So I assume all you people that are attacking me for picking up the bike never once found money laying on the ground and kept it, cause after all, that is stealing. Am I correct to assume you wondered around asking if anyone dropped some money on the ground? Or did you say you found it, its yours, and you kept it? You don't have to answer me on here, you know what you did in that case. Even if it was like $2, its still stealing...

Generic money is different to find than a stolen bike. I do not write the serial numbers of my dollar bills down and store them. People who buy expensive bikes do. People whose bikes get stolen call the police and see if any that were returned to them have that serial number.
Whatever; obviously you've made up your mind and are keeping the bike. So do what you want; it is a free country. I might not follow any organized religion, and I am definately not proclaiming myself to be a moral compass. Enjoy your stolen bike.

I find it amusing that you have different levels of "stealing", and some are totally ok and other not, when they are all weighed the same. One is actually gov't property, an more likely to lead to felony charges then simple pety theft, yet you seem to have no issue with that. I also find it amusing that you are 100% positive the bike was stolen, you should be a psychic, you could make a fortune! Also, since you seem to know all, can you please send me the address of the owner, will save me time from knocking door-to-door trying to find someone willing to claim it, and will allow me to attend Daytona this weekend...http://otug.net/forums/Smileys/default/rolleyes2.gif

Either way, I getting plenty of use out of it and getting some really nice exercise. http://otug.net/forums/Smileys/default/Thumbsup.gif

I gotta say, I've found money, and yeah, I asked around. I once ran out and flagged down a car to return an envelope full of cash to a woman.. who was rude to me when I handed it back. I'm just that way. I might kick myself afterwards, and say I'm a moron for being overly-honest, but I do return it if at all possible.

I'm just glad I haven't lost anything of mine recently. I have a bike in my front yard, and no one has walked off with it yet. Just because I rarely use it, and I'm not home often... still wouldn't make it right for someone to take it.

Not reporting it as found, not making any effort.. that's what makes the slight difference. A "found" ad in the local paper.. btw, most time it's free to place.. or any real effort would have made me feel better about keeping something valuable that I found. But then that's me, not you. At least you're getting exercise and fresh air.

My point: someone could have reported THEIR bike stolen, knowing THEIR stolen bike's serial numbers, to the local police. YOU have that bike, you are not returning it. Any schmuck on earth could say "oh I lost $10, it is mine" lol..
Here's one for you. I was at a local supermarket a few years back; my fiancee found a huge diamond in the frozen section. It was probably worth about $10k judging by the size. We were about to go turn it in at the desk when we see this lady sobbing; holding her daughter and crying. Turns out, she had lost the rock out of her ring that her husband had given her shortly before he died. She went completely ecstatic with joy when we stopped and let her know that we had found it.
Again, whatever dude. I have a life to live and I am leaving this at that. I myself like to at least make an effort to make things right. I have had things stolen by thieves after I worked hard to earn them, and I have no respect whatsoever for a thief of any kind. If the person turned in the serial numbers and filed a claim like they probably did with a bike of that caliber, you have the power to get that bike back to them, and you are not. That's my take on it.

Look it's up to you what you do with this bike that obviously does or did at some point belong to someone else. Your friends advising you to scratch off the serial number are giving you poor advice and acting like punks. A simple phone call to report this bike as found to your local police department will settle the matter. Either they'll thank you and basically ignore it and you can keep the bike with a clear conscience or they'll tell you to turn it over to them in case the owner reports it stolen/lost. Some police departments will allow you to receive it back if it is not reclaimed by it's owner in a certain number of days (ask about this policy). Some keep bikes and sell them in bike auctions for charity once a year.

In the end it's up to you and what you feel is the morally correct action to take. Do think however if this was your bike, that you'd saved up for and it fell off your car, wouldn't you want some decent person to help you get it back?