Like any university campus, CU Boulder students are not immune to the crime of bike theft. Neither are the residents of Boulder, a college town. And when bike theft hits home, it can be tough for students, especially, to recover.

“For some students, this is their only mode of transportation,” said Trish Emser, team lead with Bike BOLDER, an advocacy group that works closely with Community Cycles and Full Cycle on bike theft prevention events. “It just makes me sad to hear stories of bike theft. Our aim is to educate the community by sharing theft prevention tips,” she added.

Theft prevention tips

• Position the U-shaped lock around the bike rack, bike frame and wheel to afford the greatest protection (as pictured). Angle-grinder resistant locks are recommended, and you may want to use an additional cable or U-lock to secure your second wheel. 
• Understand that the best way to properly secure locks depends on your bike geometry, you may need to back your bike into the rack and experiment to find the best method. Nothing is worse than finding one lonely wheel locked to a bike rack.
• Park at bike racks in high-traffic and well-lit areas. Try not to leave your bike parked unattended for too long and try to vary your parking routine. 
• Remove accessories from your bike, such as pumps and lights.
• Bring a less expensive bike to school, as expensive bikes provide a more attractive target for thieves.
• At a recent event, Community Cycles demonstrated how thieves use tools to cut locks.

Register your bike

Registering your bike with Bike Index, a nonprofit registration system shared by CU Boulder and the city of Boulder, is highly recommended. All bikes parked regularly on campus need to be registered. Skateboards, e-scooters and other non-bicycle mobility devices can be registered by using the same form.

An added tip shared by CU Boulder Police Officer Jonathan Fennick, who shared theft prevention advice at the start of fall semester: “After registration, keep your bike’s serial number and registration information handy, as you may be asked to provide these to police to verify ownership, if your bike is stolen and recovered,” he said. 

Both the city and the university share bike theft information on separate data dashboards. If your bike is stolen on campus, report the theft to CUPD.