It’s pretty likely that if you’re reading this intro, either you or someone you know has had a bicycle stolen. In fact, besides enjoying vehicles with two wheels, it’s one of the biggest things that unites cyclists: they’ve suffered theft.

At times, this just feels like the way things are; like waiting ages for a bus only to have two arrive. Cyclists have to accept that their bikes will get stolen. It’s a rite of passage.

The question is how valid this opinion is, and whether there’s anything we can do to stop it. The only thing to do is to try and find out.

The cold, hard data

First, let’s see how much of an issue bike theft is. And, for that, we need facts and figures. Before we get too into that though, a quick note: it’s incredibly tough to find accurate data on bike theft — especially globally.

Not only are differing rates of thefts actually reported in markets, there are also huge discrepancies between how much people cycle. For example, in the Netherlands it’s reported that 500,000 bikes are stolen every year. Yet the same research finds there are only 1.3 million bicycles reported stolen each year inside the EU as a whole.

If you look at these figures alone, it would appear that the Netherlands is some sort of crime-ridden haven for bike haters, yet it’s somewhat misleading. Every Dutch person, on average, cycles about 3km per day. In 2019 the Dutch made 4.8 billion bicycle trips. Because the country is bicycle-focused, it means it’s skewed when it comes to theft figures. There are more bikes stolen because there are more bikes to be stolen.

Effectively, these numbers are guidelines around the problem of bike theft, not the absolute truth.

With that out of the way, let’s dig a bit deeper into the problem. In the U.S., it’s estimated there are around 2.4 million bikes stolen every year, although the same research points out there were only 150,000 bikes reported lost or stolen in that period. We’ll return to this problem a bit later.

While in Europe, Germany has around 260,000 bike thefts annually and the UK just under 70,000.

Interestingly, there’s a seasonal difference with the crime too, with more being stolen in summer:

Although, this seasonal difference is probably down to the fact that more people cycle when the weather is nice, so there’s more opportunity for bikes to be stolen.

What we can see from all this information though is broadly simple: even though the specifics are hard to find, there are millions and millions of bikes stolen globally. It turns out that it’s not just a fable that cyclists have their two-wheelers stolen, it’s a cold, hard fact.

A startling increase and the causes behind it

According to researchers, the problem is only getting worse. For example, the 2025 Bike Index Annual Bike Theft Report found that bike thefts increased 15% in 2024. 

Researchers believe this is down to several factors. One is the rise of organised crime, with both gangs and the technology they use becoming more sophisticated and able to operate at scale.

Another big issue is a systemic one.

‍A report tracking stolen bikes in Amsterdam claims that bike theft is typically seen as a low police priority, and the crime itself as “incidental,” meaning it doesn’t receive much official focus — despite the stolen bike market in the Netherlands alone estimated at around 600 million euros a year. 

This is the real crux of the matter: although bike theft adds up, each case is small enough that government enforcement agencies don’t really spend much time dealing with it. From the police perspective, there are bigger fish to fry. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a problem.

How can we solve it?

It's unfair to say that nothing is being done by governments. The EU trialled a scheme in the Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz called the "Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR)" programme. In particular, this initiative attempted to combat bicycle theft through tracking methodology combined with the city's bicycle registration system.

Another official attempt to stop bike theft is the Benelux and North Rhine-Westphalia coalition, which aims to improve data-exchange among police forces in different countries and regions, and also linking the national bike registration systems.

These are well-intentioned, but, honestly, the scope needs to be wider.

When it comes to theft, one of the surprise success stories comes from Apple. The consumer tech company managed to cut down on London iPhone thefts by 50% after the introduction of a “kill switch.” Effectively, the company was able to remotely brick phones after they were reported stolen.

There’s a lot the bike industry can learn from this — especially when we see the impact location monitoring can have. For example, according to BikeFinder Theft Report 2025, 80% of stolen bikes with an active BikeFinder tracker were recovered.

The success of Apple and the BikeFinder tracker point towards an important idea: broad action across multiple brands.

Bike theft needs to be viewed as something that will fail, that’s not going to be worth it. Like Apple devices; you can’t sell a broken phone. Currently, only e-bikes could be “bricked” in this way, but there’s no reason there’s not another alternative. Like, say, placing a low-power tracking device inside the frames of most bikes.

This technology is currently cheap and available everywhere, and if this is then connected to a police force that can easily go and recover these vehicles, the rewards from stealing them plummet and bike theft can be dealt with.

Of course, this is easier said than done. This scheme would require a collective effort between users, brands, and governments — but the key point is it can be done. And, if it happens, we could make bike theft a niche concern, not a story that every cyclist has.

Cover image credits: Freepik