CHICAGO (BRAIN) — Registration and recovery nonprofit Bike Index surpassed 800,000 registrants and recovered more than 10,500 stolen bikes as of Friday.
Entering its ninth year, Bike Index, with a staff of five and a volunteer ambassador program, has recovered bikes worth an estimated $18.3 million.
"We are thrilled to surpass 800,000 bicycles registered on the Bike Index platform," said Bike Index Executive Director Craig Dalton. "The number represents a global community of cyclists who are proactively fighting bicycle crime. We've found time and time again that the simple act of bicycle registration starts a snowball effect that puts criminals on notice. Our community partners and bike shops are a powerful activator in these registrations that lead to real change in the community."
Going forward, Bike Index said it wants to focus more on replicating effectiveness and building community partnerships. That includes getting more shops to take advantage of the free registration that uses the Bike Index API (Advanced Programming Interface).
The platform is built so that brands also could register inventory at the manufacturing level. Bikes being boxed at the factory could be registered to the manufacturer, transferred to the retailer, and then to the consumer, all accomplished seamlessly in the background.
Bike Index made headlines late last year when it investigated a Facebook Marketplace dealer in Mexico selling stolen bikes from Colorado, validating a long-held cycling community belief that many stolen bikes wind up south of the border.
If you are a retailer or manufacturer, Bike Index is looking to connect with you.
