The Auraria Campus police say there have been 28 bicycle thefts reported on the Auraria Campus in 2003. These are only a fraction of the $1.5 million in bike thefts that occur annually in Denver.

“That’s not too bad, considering that Auraria Campus sits in the precinct that has had the third highest numbers in bike thefts in the city,” said Mike Zimmer, a Denver Bicycle Recovery Unit detective.

During a typical week on Auraria Campus, the bike racks are full. Many students choose to ride bikes as an alternative form of transportation so they don’t have to fight crowded roadways or deal with parking costs or congestion. “I like riding a bike to class because campus is so accessible by bicycle,” said Alexa Johnson, a Metro student who rides her bike for 20 minutes to campus.

Auraria Campus bike racks are crammed with bikes of all types: mountain bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, and road bikes. The cost of the bikes range from $2,200 to around $150 per bike, and statistics show that thieves don’t discriminate. They target all types and values of bikes, especially if they are not properly protected.

The most common lock used by bicycle riders on Auraria Campus is the cable lock. According to Auraria Campus police reports, of the six bicycles stolen on Auraria Campus this semester, all had cable locks.

Proper protection of a bike includes three things, according to Zimmer: Using the correct type of lock, securing the bike properly with the lock and registering the bicycle before it gets stolen.
There are several types of locks available, ranging in price as well as level of security, but some are simply less effective.

“Cable locks are easily cut, and the longer U-type locks, regardless of brand, are more secure than the cables,” said Mike Schrock, an REI bike sales associate and bicycle enthusiast.
More secure than the U-locks are the new “handcuff” style locks that have recently come out. “We can’t keep them on the shelf because they are so popular,” said Schrock.

The handcuff locks are more secure because there are two loops joined by a hinge. One loop attaches to the bike and the other attaches to the bike rack, so there is no cable to cut.

The U-locks cost about $30 and the handcuff locks cost about $50 at local bicycle shops.
When locking a bike to a rack, the method is as important as the lock. According to Schrock, the proper method begins with releasing the front wheel and securing it to the back of the frame and rear wheel. This prevents parts thieves from stealing the front wheel. The lock should pass through the frame and both wheels and then should be secured to a post or bike rack.

Despite more complex locks and proper securing procedures, bicycles can still be stolen. Registration, not required in Denver, but an option for bike owners, is an important step in recovering a stolen bike.

According to the National Bike Registry, millions of bicycles are stolen each year and only half of them are recovered by police. Fewer than five percent of the recovered bikes are returned to their owners because there is no way to link a bike to its owner.

Bike serial number registration is the tool that links a bike to its owner.

A local option for bicycle registration is the Denver Police Bicycle Recovery Unit. A bike can be registered, at no charge, by accessing the bicycle registration page at

www.denvergov.org/bikeregistration.asp or by calling (303) 295-4390.

Detective Zimmer said the bike recovery rate in Denver is around nine percent.

Many of the bikes that are recovered end up at the City and County of Denver Bike Auction because they are not registered.

The bike auctions are held three to four times a year and, according to Zimmer, one-third to one-half of the bikes at the auction are stolen property.

Bikes are held for 60 days to give the owners a chance to claim them; after that they are sent to auction.

There are also national bike registration programs available to bike owners, such as the National Bike Registry. The NBR sells a bicycle registration kit at bike shops for $10. The kit entitles the owner to 10 years of membership in the NBR.

Bikes are an important mode of transportation for many students, regardless of the monetary value of the bike. Bike owners can help decrease their exposure to bike theft by using more secure locks, securing the bike properly and by registering the bike with a local or national bike registration program.