Posted on by HSCPC

How to Keep Your Bike – or Get it Back!  –

For too many people, your unlocked and unattended bicycle will look like an opportunity to get something for nothing.

Reduce your risk of having a bicycle stolen! Here are a few tips on bicycle theft prevention and an online ‘tool’ called Project 529 (P529) to increase the odds of a stolen bicycle recovery.

  • Lock your bicycle with a quality ($$$) lock – especially in your garage!
  • Etch or engrave your BC driver’s license number on expensive components
  • Lock your bicycle near a busy walkway; or well-lit area if at night
  • Check online for nearby bike racks or bike locker rentals
  • Record bicycle details, take pictures, record serial number and…
  • Register with P529 at our HSCPC office or online

Project 529 is a FREE online global bicycle Identification database. It takes 15 minutes to register at our HSCPC office, available Saturdays 10am till 4pm. “As long as you bring your bike, we take care of the registration,” says Nathan, our P529 volunteer.

Every P529 registrant will receive a shield (a difficult to remove ID sticker) that is applied to the bicycle to serve as a deterrent. “That shield number as well as pictures of the bike, a picture of the shield, pictures of the owner with the bike and pictures of the serial number get uploaded to the account and linked to that bike,” says Nathan. “Each of these items serve as ways to identify the bike during the recovery process so that it can be linked back to the owner.”

A side note: Hundreds of recovered bicycles are sold annually at the VPD property auction – all because bicycles couldn’t be traced back to their owners. P529 helps the recovery process without the limitations of municipal, provincial or international borders. Any police department can look up a P529 registered bicycle! Any prospective buyer of a used bicycle can check with P529 to ensure the bicycle they want is not stolen.

Learn about P529 or register your bicycle at https://project529.com/garage

Or allow us to register your bicycle at 2620 E Hastings Street – always FREE, always Saturdays!