As many of you know, one of our own riders, Eric Mold, recently had his coveted eProdigy Jasper stolen from his underground parking, as reported by CTV. At 92 years old and a daily eBike rider around Stanley Park, Eric was devastated with the loss of his favorite bike.

Bees Knees jumped in to help Eric get a replacement bike, and we learned a few new skills along the way, thanks to support from the Vancouver Police Department’s bike theft crew, and them introducing us to 529 Garage: Register. Report. Recover!

What is 529 Garage? Well essentially it’s community watch for your bike, and VPD are claiming that since they launched the program, bike thefts are down across Vancouver. This is amazing, given that bike purchases and the amount of bikes out and about has increased dramatically in the last few years.

What we learned about 529 Garage is it’s a fast and effective way of registering your bike via a phone app to make it less of a desirable target for thieves. The following information is from 529 Garage website

Register your bike

Quickly capture all the important information about your bike from your computer or your smartphone. It’s free!

Shield your bike

Our tamper resistant 529 Shield acts as a deterrent, warning would-be thieves to keep their paws off your bike, and making it easier to find you if your bike is recovered.

Start your alert

Make the most of the 529 community to find your stolen bike. Our community includes over 400 law enforcement agencies, universities, bike clubs, and bike shops around the world, as well as 529 users like you.

Get community help

Thousands of bikes are recovered by law enforcement and the community. If your bike is registered, it’s easy to get back to you!

Help #endbiketheft

Be sure to search our registry to make sure that a bike you are considering buying wasn’t reported stolen. And, if you find a bike, or see something suspicious, post it with us to help get it back to its owner.

How can we at Bees Knees Bike Rentals and Repairs help?

We are open 7 days a week, and can supply you with the information and 529 Garage tamper proof shield sticker so that you can quickly register your bike against bike theft! It only takes about 5 minutes. While you are at our shop, let us know if you need a spring tune-up for your bike! We offer a spring safety check for as low at $49.99. So, one-stop will help keep your bike safe in more ways than one. 🙂