How Mikael saved his son’s birthday gift with quick thinking and a powerful tracking tool
When Mikael purchased a high-end bike along with a BikeFinder GPS tracker for his son’s birthday, he never imagined it would be put to the test so quickly. Just one day after receiving the bike, it was stolen in Oslo’s city center. What followed was an unexpected pursuit on a scooter through the streets of Oslo using the BikeFinder app, proving just how effective this bike tracker can be in real-world situations. Read on for the full story and see how BikeFinder helped save the day.
This is Mikael’s story:
We bought a GT Force Sport, which cost around 32,000 NOK as a birthday present when our son turned 14 years old to support his huge interest in downhill biking. This bike was to be the sturdier alternative to his hardtail bike, which was starting to cost more and more due to all the repairs it needed 😀 I figured a bike at that price needed extra protection and had seen Bikefinder at our local bike shop, so I grabbed one with the bike purchase.
Bike tracker pays off after just one day
Lo and behold, the BikeFinder purchase paid off after just one day. My son went out biking with his friend in Oslo city center on a beautiful June summer day. They were thirsty and figured one minute inside the store without locking their bikes should be good. Not so much, as a thief saw the opportunity to race away right after they entered the store. I was sitting and enjoying a cold beer with colleagues in the sun after work on this eventful Friday when my son called me up and told me his bike had been stolen.
I quickly fired up the BikeFinder app and jumped on an electric scooter to start chasing where the thief was heading. I directed my son and his friend to the location of the bike as it was moving, while I was racing up from where I was at. We met up at an address, but the bike was nowhere to be found. We rang some doorbells and were let into the building, and a friendly neighbor let us check the basement as well. To no avail, the bike was not to be found, even though the location was stationary in the app. We also checked another building’s backyard. The bike was still nowhere to be seen. Could it be inside an apartment? We called the police, who helped knock on some doors, but without a specific apartment, they could not help much. And then the signal moved again! Back on the electric scooter, we raced after it, and 5 minutes later, we saw the bike locked together with another expensive bike at a university campus. We quickly called the police back, who were at the scene shortly after our call. The thief did not reveal himself or herself, and with an angle grinder, the police cut the lock of both bikes, returned ours, and took the other one with them, which turned out to also be stolen.
So I would say that purchasing Bikefinder was indeed the best investment I made for this bike, and I have put one into another bike we have as well. Together with the included bike insurance, it’s a steal, I mean a deal 🙂
One last note from the Bikefinder team
Our job is to create the best bike-tracking device on the market and offer unparalleled customer service. If your bike is stolen, our support team is ready to be the hero in your story.
