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Cyclists use social media to #findmybike

Cyclists use social media to #findmybike

After Carolyn McGroarty’s beloved bike was stolen in April, she decided to take her efforts to find it in cyberspace.

The Torontonian figured she’d take advantage of social media’s wide reach and started an Instagram, Twitter and Facebook account devoted to finding lost bikes.

Her efforts led to a police investigation of her condo building, where an in-house bike theft operation was allegedly taking place. As a result, one bike and three bike frames were retrieved.

From there, McGroarty started finding listings for lost bikes on Craigslist and Kijiji, which she’d then post to her social media pages.

“A lot of people thought it was amazing and needed in the city,” she tells Yahoo Canada News, adding that city councillors and the Toronto police have started following the accounts as well.

Each post lists the bike’s description, as well as the owner’s social media information and a photo. Similar FindMyBike accounts have since been started in Calgary and the United Kingdom.

To date, three bikes have been found, thanks in part to McGroarty’s social media accounts. Of all the accounts, she says Twitter is most active.

“That just means it touches so many more people, which is awesome,” she says.

Toronto police encourage bikers to register their rides on the Toronto Police Service Bike Registry Database. That way, the serial number is kept permanently on record and easily retrievable if a stolen bike is found. The Canadian Police Information Centre also has a website where lost property, including bikes, can be searched using serial numbers.