FRAME CONDITION - LEGAL CONCERNS?

QUESTION:   "What is the serial number and why you are selling the bicycle?"

More bicycles are stolen each year than you can shake a stick at.  How do you ensure that the bicycle you found at the Dump or at a local Yard Sale was not stolen?  Simply put, it is often times impossible to determine if a bicycle has been stolen, or not.  It is possible to refer the bicycle's serial number to the local police force, asking if the bike had been reported stolen.  Chances are pretty good that the police will not have record of the bike's status and there will be no way to tell where the bicycle came from, through this venue.

In addition to helping to determine the legal status of a bicycle, knowing the serial number can be helpful in determining vintage.  Often times, armed with a serial number, information can be found on-line that will help to determine how old the bicycle is.  If there is no serial number, this does not necessarily suggest a problem.  Peugeot bicycles, during the seventies, had serial number alloy tags attached to the bicycle's underside of the bottom bracket housing.  Not all of these fragile alloy tags survived the years and it is often difficult to date a seventies something Peugeot accurately.

In days gone by, lots of people experimented with their own anti theft mechanisms, frequently scratching their names and/or telephone numbers into painted and/or chromed surfaces.  It is a simple matter to call the number and ask the person if their bicycle was stolen.  There is, of course, an inherent risk associated with this action.  The person, who's bicycle just might have been a target of theft, could well report you to the police for being in possession of their stolen bicycle.  This could present serious problems, since you really are in possession of a stolen bicycle.  What to do???

If I stumble across a bicycle or frame set that has personal information documentation, I pursue the information, finding more often than not that the trail leads nowhere.  If the search does produce results, I explain the situation honestly and hope for the best.  Simple as that.  I have never experience grief with this aspect of bicycle hunting and I do feel good about having made an honest effort to do the right thing.

It is also nice to know why a bicycle or frame set is up for sale.  Is there a problem with the item that needs to be disclosed?  Is the person the original owner? Why is he or she selling the bicycle?  The focus of these questions, of course, is to ensure that there is no apparent structural damage to the bicycle's frame set, to help determine if the bicycle is stolen or not and to get a feel for the seller's integrity.

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