Love Your Bike? Protect it Before it Gets Stolen

The sun is out, bursts of color emerge from trees and flower beds, a fresh breeze tickles your skin—chances are you and your neighbors are spending more time on bikes. This year, fun events like bicycle rodeos, Bike-To-School and Bike-to-Work Days are likely to display how drastically the pandemic has increased bicycle use and ownership. At this time of year, bicycle thefts may increase as well.

It is easy to register your bicycle right now with the City of Denver. Registration can assist in the recovery and return of stolen bicycles. After taking a few fashion shots of your bike just for fun, find the bicycle’s serial number and take a selfie with it, saving it somewhere you can find it. Use that serial number on your registration form now and reference it later if your bike gets stolen. 

You’ll also answer some identifying questions about the bicycle like color, brand, type, wheel size, and whether it is an adult or child bicycle. If you aren’t sure how to answer all of the questions, don’t worry; you can edit the registration later. Be sure to click all the way through until you see the dialog box that reads: “Your information has been submitted!” You’ll receive an email with an official registration number from the Denver Police Department.

If you are purchasing a new bicycle or tricycle, ask your neighborhood shop if they can register your cycle for you! Campus Cycles registered our newest bike as a courtesy with Bike Index, which boasts pawn shop databases and social media alerts in addition to law enforcement connections. Bike Index is a free, non-profit bike registry and stolen bike recovery program, and a great compliment or alternative to registering with the City.

Now that you’ve registered your bike, it is time to take it out and lock it up (using a hefty U-lock, of course) around town! Visit Denver’s Bicycle Resources page to download a Denver bike map and ride to a park or local business. Noticed a problem on your ride? Report potholes or other issues using pocketgov. Want to attract more customers to your business and free up car parking? Consider applying for bike parking. 

These quick and easy steps can ensure you make the most of springtime bicycling in Denver—and that you won’t have to go shopping for a replacement if your bike gets stolen.