Our goal is to reduce the negative impacts of bicycle theft by better understanding patterns in bicycle theft and recovery. We analyzed data from 1823 responses to a North American survey on bicycle theft conditions, recovery circumstances, and demographics. Survey recruitment was done in partnership with BikeIndex, a non-profit bicycling registration service. Most bikes were stolen from inside a shed or garage (28%) or from outdoor bicycle racks (18%) and most thefts occur overnight (41%). 15% of stolen bicycles were recovered. Key factors in recovery include police involvement, bike registration, and reporting the theft through multiple channels.
