University of Colorado at Boulder officials are urging students to register their bikes with campus authorities after 21 bikes were reported stolen in the first few weeks of the fall 2004 semester.
Officials estimated the total value of the stolen property at nearly $14,000, adding that most of the 21 stolen bikes were not registered with the CU Police Department. Thieves cut through cable locks to take 16 of the bikes.
"I feel strongly that 80 percent of the bike thefts on campus are easily preventable," said CU-Boulder Transportation Outreach Coordinator Mark Stevens. The university averages between 200 and 250 bicycle thefts per school year, according to Stevens.
"If we could get everyone to register and properly lock their bikes, we would take an enormous step in the right direction," Stevens said. "Bicycle registration works as a theft deterrent and is often a person's only hope for getting a stolen bicycle recovered."
CU-Boulder Police Department Lt. Tim McGraw agreed. "Not only does registering a bike discourage thieves, it also helps locate owners of recovered stolen bikes," McGraw said.
Bikes can be registered at the CU Bicycle Station, located in the bike rack area east of the University Memorial Center, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Registration costs $10 and is good for the life of the bike. In addition to theft prevention benefits, registered bike owners can go to the CU Bike Station when they have a flat and to get a free tire patch or tube.
Stevens also encouraged bicycle owners to use a good quality "U-Lock" style lock and secure their bike frame to a rack. Cable locks should only be used as secondary locks to secure tires and accessories, he said.
"It doesn't matter how strong your cable lock is advertised to be. The simple truth is that they are significantly easier to cut or break than a good U-Lock," Stevens said. Only two of the bikes stolen this year were locked with U-Locks, and both were locked improperly with only a tire secured to the rack, according to officials.
For more information on bicycle registration visit or call (303) 735-2705.