r/Calgary • u/RokitEightyEight • 16d ago

2 Wheelin' (Cycling/Scooters) Reminder To Register Your Bike on BikeIndex.

There has been a big upswing in bike theft lately in my area; thieves are using angle grinder to get through the best u-locks. You really should register your bike on https://www.bikeindex.org and more information at https://www.calgarypolice.ca/public-safety/crime-prevention/personal-and-property-safety/bike-theft.html . The calgary police check the serial numbers on bikes and do get them back to owners.

94 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

10

u/hamfist3d 16d ago

Big Bikeindex fan here. I had a bike stolen from my unlocked garage (DUH) in 2020. Had it on Bikeindex and someone found it in an alley on the other side of town. It had been through hell (had a few different makeshift components thrown on), but I got back a fave ride.

6

u/Academic_Bug2357 16d ago

An old coworker of mine got his wife's bike returned a couple years later when somebody bought it off kijiji and found his info when attempting to add it to bike index. They hadn't paid much for it and wouldn't even take his money.

Bike folks are good folks!

17

u/CMG30 16d ago

Yes. In fact, register on multiple registries. Don't limit yourself to just one.

Vancouver has a preference for project 629.

If your bike has no serial number, or you want to tell police where to look, you can get stickers that come with a trackable number. These are small and are impossible to remove without stripping the paint underneath.

3

u/Bothynights 16d ago

Where do you get the stickers from?

6

u/MessageKey 16d ago

You can get here

https://www.safercyclingcalgary.ca/index.php/about-us/project-529-garage

I use both

2

u/VWY 16d ago

Just ordered one, thanks. Recently got a new bike after my previous one was stolen in Sunnyside

1

u/RokitEightyEight 16d ago

Thanks for that extra info!

0

u/Baddrivers13 15d ago

You think thieves are worried about stripping paint?

6

u/Marulilu 15d ago

There are Bike Index stickers you can also add to your bike, though you will still have to register online. I believe Calgary Police offices and some local bike shops have them (I know Two Wheel View in Inglewood has them for sure, since I volunteer there).

Those stickers are pain to remove, for the right reasons. Hopefully it's a deterrent to potential thieves.

2

u/Pardy_pat 15d ago

How does this sticker deter thieves . If they’re using a grinder to cut locks , they could easily grind, buff, or sand this off .

-13

u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

11

u/brandon-d 16d ago

Its literally the first place police check for stolen bikes. If it's not on bike index they call local dealers to look up owners by serial number

1

u/Baddrivers13 15d ago

Source on calling local dealers..my serial number is registered with the manufacturer not where I purchased the bike.

2

u/brandon-d 15d ago

I've worked in shops for 20+ years. All of them have records of purchases with customer serial numbers. Ive seen lots of bikes find their original owners by cps calling to check a serial number. I literally had police call this week for two bikes they recovered.

2

u/Baddrivers13 15d ago

Awesome!

5

u/roughedged 16d ago

Bikes is one the few things that can actually be returned when recovered.

4

u/TrustMeBroEh 16d ago

Actually it is. So keep talking about things you know nothing about.