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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Someone brought it to the police station and with the help of bike index they were able to find me as the owner.
Mark Recovered 2026-10-02T19:00:00-0500 translated from English
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It was sold by the thieves on Facebook Marketplace and the person who purchased the bike returned it to me. There was a digital lock on the e-bike controls and the individual who purchased the stolen bike couldn't unlock it without the associated app. And only the owner of the bike can unlock it. So he capitulated and called the cycle shop to connect to the original owner. Somewhat of a miracle!
David Recovered 2026-10-02T15:00:00-0500 translated from English
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Someone reached out to me via BikeIndex after he bought it on Facebook marketplace!
Liz Recovered 2026-10-01T08:00:00-0500 translated from English
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a good samaritan nearby spotted the bike and had the insight to look on bike index where my phone number was listed. he called me and i was able to recover it from where it was being kept. thanks bikeindex!!
Recovered 2026-09-30T14:00:00-0500 translated from English
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All thanks to bikeindex.org, their passion and love of bikes and particularly that last field to optionally leave your phone № just in case. I owe you guys several thousand thanks!
Thomas Recovered 2026-09-29T19:00:00-0500 translated from English
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Found on facebook marketplace. The seller (not the thief) did the right thing and returned the bike to me. I'm very happy to have this bike back!
Colby Recovered 2026-09-29T18:00:00-0500 translated from English
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Thanks to Bike Index and the BVT bike recovery group! Thanks everyone!
Sydney Recovered 2026-09-29T05:00:00-0500 translated from English
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Thanks to Bike Index and the BVT bike recovery group! Thanks everyone!
Kimmy Recovered 2026-09-29T05:00:00-0500 translated from English
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Thanks to Bike Index and the BVT bike recovery group! Thanks everyone!
Katie Recovered 2026-09-29T05:00:00-0500 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.
Fund the next recovery
Monthly support makes you a Bike Index member: marketplace listings, a member badge, and perks that grow as we build them. Tiers are $5, $15, and $50 a month.
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.