Recovery stories
Every one of these bikes found its way home.
Behind each photo is a rider who thought it was gone for good, and someone who cared enough to check. A shop mechanic. A police officer. A stranger who remembered an alert. This is what a free, open registry makes possible, and it's kept free by people like you.
- bikes registered, free
- 1.8M+
- stolen bikes recovered
- 18,587
- value returned to owners
- $39M+
- partner shops, police departments, and cities
- 1,800+
In their own words
Every story here is shared by the person who got their bike back.
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The serial number was searched from a bike shop in Henderson Nevada and shipped back to me. Swanys Cycles is a phenomenal bike shop and Bike Index led them to me!
Malik Recovered 2026-02-14T01:00:00-0600 translated from English
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A person bought it on facebook market place and looked at the Serial number on this website and called me.
Julian Recovered 2026-02-10T03:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Someone left my bike on a Seattle Metro bus so it was collected by Seattle Metro. They eventually gave it to Bike Works, in Seattle, who contacted Bike Index with my Serial Number. Bike Works confirmed my ownership and I went to their shop and picked it up. Thanks everyone!!
Richard Recovered 2026-02-06T05:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Thanks to the watchful Bike Index community and local police, I got my bike back from marketplace!
Ming Recovered 2026-02-03T21:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Police detective worked with me to get the bike back!
ZachB Recovered 2026-02-03T02:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Bought it from someone who saw the frame for sale in Washington, being parted out, knew it was a custom frame and contacted me with information found on Bike Index.
david Recovered 2026-01-31T00:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Someone bought my bike off of Facebook and checked the serial number on Bike Index to see if it was stolen! They sent me a text, we met up, and I got my bike back! I was even able to get back all my add-ons!
Elijah Recovered 2026-01-30T21:00:00-0600 translated from English
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Found on Facebook Marketplace 4 years after being stolen. Called non-emergency and gave full details including sticker placement. Cst. called 40 minutes after my initial call to get more info. He called again 45 minutes later to ask if I was home to receive the bike
Kimberley Recovered 2026-01-17T00:00:00-0600 translated from English
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A bike recovery person reached out to say they’d seen it on FB Marketplace and we tried to set up a visit with the person who posted it. We didn’t get there fast enough BUT a guy bought it and reached out to his bike community thinking it might be stolen.
Laurel Recovered 2026-01-16T16:00:00-0600 translated from English
Somewhere tonight, a bike is being stolen. Help it come home.
Bike Index doesn't charge riders, sell data, or run ads. Every recovery on this page was powered by donors who keep registration, search, and stolen alerts free for everyone.
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What membership includes501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 81-4296194. Tax-deductible in the US. Bike Index is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 81-4296194. Your donation is tax-deductible in the US. Cancel a monthly gift any time.
Every story here started with a registration.
Takes about two minutes. It's free, forever.