Mile End family's stolen e-bike traced through Adelaide pawnshops

An Adelaide mother who had two bikes stolen from her home tracked one of them down within hours by ringing pawnbrokers herself, and a man has since been arrested and charged, ABC News reported on Thursday 8 October.

Koral Chandler, of Mile End in Adelaide's inner west, told ABC Radio Adelaide that she left home at about 9:15am on Wednesday 7 October with the roller door closed. When she returned about four hours later, it was open, and two bikes were gone from the backyard: a Giant OCR2 road bike and an Aventon Abound, the compact cargo e-bike she used for the school run.

She said the e-bike was bought second hand earlier this year, when fuel prices spiked, for about $2,500.

How the bike was found

Ms Chandler started calling pawnbrokers and, within hours, found her road bike at a Cash Converters outlet. She said staff there called police straight away. Some independent second hand dealers were less willing to help, she said, with one explaining that dealers lose their money if they accept stolen goods and then have to hand them back.

• SA Police said they received information that one of the bikes had been presented to a second hand dealer at Torrensville
• A 44 year old Mile End man was arrested and charged with theft and other unrelated matters, and is due to appear in court in November
• After the ABC's first report, Ms Chandler said a stolen bike had been returned to her front porch with a mysterious note

Police reminded second hand dealers that they must keep detailed records of every transaction and notify police if they suspect goods are stolen. They also asked victims who find their property for sale to call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 and let police investigate, rather than trying to recover it themselves.

The case came a day before a separate attempted e-bike theft at a Hackney caravan park, a few kilometres away, in which the owner was hit in the head with an angle grinder.

What it means for owners

Cargo and family e-bikes make tempting targets: they cost thousands, hold their value second hand, and are often stored in garages, carports and backyards rather than inside.

• Record your frame serial number and keep the receipt and photos now, before anything happens. It is what lets a pawnbroker, marketplace or police officer match a bike to you
• Lock the bike to something fixed even inside a garage or behind a roller door, and keep the battery and display in the house
• If your bike is stolen, report it to police straight away, then check pawnbrokers, second hand dealers and online marketplaces, and pass anything you find to police instead of confronting a seller
• Buying second hand? Ask for the serial number, the original receipt and the charger, and walk away from a cheap, rushed sale with no paperwork
• Check your home and contents policy: many cap bicycles at a low amount unless they are specified, and some exclude e-bikes