Illicit bike ring discovered in Mexico peddling Denver bikes

Bryan Hance, a software engineer from Portland, spent years tracking down an illegal bike ring that resold bikes in Mexico from cities in the West, including Denver.

Yes, but: The ringleader is still in operation, Axios Portland's Joseph Gallivan reports, but the man Hance believes is responsible for the illicit ring denies wrongdoing.

The big picture: Hance, who cofounded bike registration and theft tracking website Bike Index , is the subject of a recent Wired magazine story about the $2 million bike ring.

• The rise in thefts coincides with a pandemic-era surge in the popularity of biking .
• More than 14,000 bikes worth over $25 million have been recovered using Bike Index, according to a counter on the website.

Catch up quick: In 2020, Hance found an $8,000 bike, registered on Bike Index as stolen from an apartment in California, for sale at a steep discount in central Mexico, Wired reported.

• That led Hance to discover a network of bike thefts in the western U.S., with hundreds of bikes listed for sale by a company that he traced to someone in La Barca, near Guadalajara.

By the numbers: Bike thefts are common in Denver — and recovering them is nearly impossible — though reported thefts are declining. Bike thefts are down 30% in 2024 compared to the same time last year, 9News reported .

• 2,519 bikes were reported stolen last year, down from 3,024 in 2022, per data from Denver police.
• However, most thefts don't result in arrests, while recovery rates are equally low.

The intrigue: Police are reporting some success following the launch last spring of a bike registration program.

• The 529 Garage initiative allows people to register their bikes with police for free, which can make it easier to report it as stolen and helps in investigations.
• More than 22,000 bikes are now registered with the program, per 9News.

Worthy of your time: 529 Garage offers a decal police say can serve as a deterrent for potential thieves. These "shield" stickers cost about $11.

• Police on Wednesday, which was Bike to Work Day, encouraged cyclists to register with the program.