Stolen bike recovered 10 days after Kelowna garage theft

Tip leads to bike recovery

Photo: Allyson Dyck

A Kelowna woman says her stolen bike was returned to her thanks to a tip submitted through the Project 529 registry.

A bicycle stolen from a Kelowna apartment building earlier this month has been recovered, thanks to an online tip and quick action by police.

Allyson Dyck says her bike was located in Rutland on Monday, Jan. 13 — 10 days after it was taken from an underground parking garage near Pandosy Street and West Avenue.

Dyck says she received a tip through Project 529, a bike registration and recovery website, identifying the bike at a specific street corner in Rutland.

“Someone submitted a tip this morning saying they saw my bike on a specific street corner with some unhoused individuals,” Dyck said. “We drove down there and visually identified it, but we didn’t approach them.”

Instead, Dyck contacted police. She says RCMP officers arrived and were able to confirm the bike belonged to her by matching the serial number. The bike was then returned.

While the bike had been altered, missing its seat and accessories, Dyck says it otherwise appears to be in decent condition.

“It’s dirty and a few things are gone, but overall it’s in okay shape,” she said.

The bike was one of several reported stolen on Jan. 3 after thieves broke into the underground parking garage of an apartment building at 468 West Ave. Dyck previously told Castanet that multiple locks had been cut and at least two of her bikes were taken. Surveillance footage of the incident was turned over to Kelowna RCMP.

Dyck says the recovery highlights the importance of bike registration.

“The moral of the story is to make sure you have your serial number written down,” she said. “That’s essential for verifying that a stolen bike is yours. Registering it with something like Project 529 is what got my bike back.”

Kelowna RCMP continue to investigate the theft.

Photo: Allyson Dyck

Allyson Dyck and her bike