Missing a bike? Maybe we can help.

    Forget the Twitter cop. Philadelphia police are using YouTube to match stolen bikes with their rightful owners. So how do you get reunited with your wheels? (Ahd will any leftovers be available to buy?) We have answers.

    Forget about tweeting cop Joseph Murray. Philadelphia police are on YouTube, too.

    The Feed reported on Tuesday that the Philadelphia Police Department has posted a photo gallery on their YouTube page to display a collection of stolen bikes recovered in North Philadelphia in March. 

    So what do you do if you recognize your wheels and you want them back? A reader named Jerry wrote in to ask us: “What happens if you don’t have the serial number, and will any of these bikes be for sale?”

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    Feed blogger Shannon McDonald followed up with Detective Ted Lister at the Philadelphia Police Department, and came back with this:

    To reclaim a bike, you’ll need the police report from when it was stolen and the bike’s serial number. As far as a sale, Lister said he has no idea what the next step is for the unclaimed bikes. None of the bikes has been reclaimed so far, which Lister acknowledges could be the result of people not writing down their serial numbers. One other thing he mentioned is that, contrary to earlier media reports about many of the bikes being high-end, only about 15 are worth fixing up. Most are worn out and in bad shape from being stored in a basement for so long.

    The lesson in all this: If you think your bike will be stolen (because it might), write down your serial number! Or at least take a picture and keep it on your phone.

    We hope this helps!

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