529 Detective will disrupt the bike theft sales chain by making it difficult for criminals to list stolen bikes on marketplaces.

529 Detective targets an important disposal channel for stolen bikes, making it more difficult to sell stolen goods. Detective is like having your own personal officer working on your behalf.”
— Rob Brunt, Project 529 Chief Outreach Officer

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, November 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- PROJECT 529, THE WORLD’S LEADING BIKE REGISTRATION PLATFORM, SETS OUT TO DISRUPT THE ONLINE STOLEN BIKE MARKET BY LAUNCHING 529 DETECTIVE.

Backed by law-enforcement, schools, cities and cyclists, Project 529 launches 529 Detective - a powerful new tool designed to dramatically improve the chances of recovering a stolen bike from online marketplaces.
529 Detective will disrupt the bike theft sales chain by making it difficult for criminals to list stolen bikes on marketplaces, and make it easier for cyclists to find their stolen bikes.

529 Detective will help to fight a large-scale problem impacting cyclists and communities across the US - bike theft and the re-sale of stolen goods. FBI data shows that nearly 150,000 bicycles were reported stolen in America in 2023, with losses totaling over $148 million. However, academic studies report the true number > 2.4 million thefts annually, with a value of $1.4 billion when unreported thefts are included.

When a bike is stolen and a rider cannot recover it, many stop riding, sometimes for good. That knock-on effect is what 529 Detective is here to end. Since 2013, Project 529 has helped riders and police work together to prevent bike theft. But once a bike is stolen, recovery can be difficult. That’s why 529 Detective was developed; to make it easier to find and identify stolen bikes on marketplaces - making the lives of bike theft victims easier, and the lives of bike thieves more difficult.

Lara Ferroni, Project 529 Founder / CEO says “We believe in tech for good. The Project 529 mission has always been to fight bike crime, now with 529 Detective, we can take the fight against bike crime a big step further by dramatically weakening criminals' ability to easily sell stolen bikes on online marketplaces.”

Online marketplaces provide an attractive clearing channel for bike thieves as stolen bikes can quickly and easily be uploaded onto online marketplaces, often across states, reducing the risk of being identified locally. Thieves can use pseudonyms or move from one account to another, and some platforms lack basic anti-theft controls like proof of ownership or serial number checks - making it easy for thieves to dispose of bikes online.
That’s why 529 Detective gives bike owners actionable intelligence, rather than relying on them finding the listing themselves, which may take weeks of searching. Detective bolsters recovery chances and reduces the ‘time to detection’ window, which is critical because once a bike is listed and purchased the chances of return diminish.

529 Detective is already tracking down stolen bikes online. Mackenzie Becker’s cargo e-bike was stolen in Washington, it wasn’t just a bike that vanished— it was daily transport for him, his partner, their young child, and the family pug. Mackenzie says “I used the Detective feature from 529 and FOUND MY BIKE!!! It was being sold in a different town with some of the components removed — they took our Thule Yepp seat, the deckpad, and our front basket. The police were able to assist us!!”

“Spotting and tracking these listings not only helps reunite riders with their bikes, it gives us the hard data we need to evidence the large-scale issue of criminals utilising marketplaces as a successful sales channel” says Ferroni. To help marketplaces join the fight to end bike theft and create a safer secondhand bike channel, Project 529 are offering free access to their software. Let’s end bike theft together.

529 Detective is currently available in the USA and Canada. If your bicycle has been stolen, set Detective to work at: project529.com/garage/memberships/detective


-Ends-
About Project 529 & 529 Detective
Founded in 2013, Project 529 has become a cornerstone in the fight against the global bike theft epidemic. Its flagship service, 529 Garage offers cyclists, law enforcement, bike shops, universities and organizations the ability to consolidate bike information through a universal, searchable bike database of > 3 million searchable bikes – making it the world’s largest tool for aiding in the recovery and return of stolen bicycles. 529 Detective is a tool that searches online marketplaces for stolen bikes, providing the rightful owners with matches of listings that closely match the stolen bike in a daily simplified view. 529 Detective provides smarter detection

Kelly Barnes
Project 529
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. Frankly and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact [email protected]