Calgary bike riders beware of thieves as weather improves

It’s that time of year again when cyclists hop on their bikes and pedal through Calgary’s pathways, but there’s also big business in stealing those rides.

Bike Index is a website where you can register your bike, upload a photo, and enter a serial number. It helps keep a catalogue of Calgary’s bikes, and it could help you find yours if it’s been stolen.

Bryan Hance, co-founder of Bike Index, says cyclists in Calgary have already reported hundreds more thefts in 2022 compared to previous years, adding up to over $100,000 worth of bikes — and we haven’t yet hit the summer months.

Hance says Bike Index is a great tool, because it can up your chances of finding your stolen bike.

“You can write a police report, and that’s great,” Hance said. “But odds are, the person that is going to encounter your bike is not a police officer. The person that’s going to encounter your bike is somebody like me who is going to go buy a bike, or somebody who thinks they are getting a great deal on Kijiji and just wants to double-check and make sure.”

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Hance says to prevent your bike from getting stolen, try your best not to let it out of your sight.

“A lot of people get a false sense of security, like ‘I’m going to put my bike in my apartment’s bicycle room’ or ‘my business has a room in the basement, you’re supposed to put all your bikes down there,'” Hance said. “Those things are candy to bike thieves.”

Police say more than 1,100 bikes were stolen in Calgary in 2021, a total value of about $500,000. Only a couple hundred were returned. While a nice lock is a great investment, Hance says thieves are getting better at cracking them. He also says expensive road and mountain bicycles, as well as pricey e-bikes, are attractive to thieves.

“You steal a $5,000 bike, and you can sell it online, even if you’re taking 50 per cent off of it because you want it gone. That’s a pretty good profit margin,” Hance said.

Selling bikes is also much easier now, so double-check before buying one online to ensure you aren’t making off with someone else’s wheels.