15 Comments
User's avatar
Maeve's avatar

Fantastic initiative! Thanks for creating it

Yannick Read's avatar

Hi Maeve

In many ways it was long overdue. For too long, online marketplaces have been a Wild West for stolen bikes, with few, or no effective checks in place to stop them. Detective is a powerful tool that all of us in the cycling community

can use to disrupt a criminal trade that’s grown far too easy for thieves. Thank you for supporting Project 529.

Brian Rosen's avatar

Good work! The cost adds up if you haven’t insured your bike though.

Yannick Read's avatar

Hi, Brian

You’re, right, unexpected costs really add up if you don’t have insurance. That’s why Project 529 partners with Sundays; a good policy today covers far more than just theft, so it can be a valuable safety net in a variety of different situations. That said, our goal for 529 Detective goes beyond insurance. Most riders don’t have a policy, and stolen bikes shouldn’t become someone else’s profit. Detective exists to help disrupt that criminal trade and give every rider—insured or not—a real shot at getting their bike back.

Thanks for supporting Project 529. Enjoy your cycling.

John Butler's avatar

Thanks for all you do to recover bikes, as these are transportation for many across this globe.

Yannick Read's avatar

Hi John

You’re absolutely right. For many of us, a bike is far from a luxury item; it’s how we get to work, school, or buy groceries. Beyond that, cycling is part of the solution to major challenges like congestion, air pollution, public health, and transport affordability. Bike theft shouldn’t be the thing that gets in the way of that potential, so we’re glad to play our part in making cycling a more practical option for everyone. Thanks for being part of the Project 529 community.

Officer Hall's avatar

Hi I’m in Law Enforcement and often recover stolen bikes. Is there a way to talk to someone about this program further?

Project 529, Inc.'s avatar

Hi Officer Hall - Sure! Can you just email us at info@project529.com and someone can help you out.

Edward Pilbrow's avatar

It isn't clear if this is international or not. It mostly says it just searches US and Canada (why, we have ebay and facebook marketplace everywhere else and Project 529 is international?) but in one place says international without giving details.

Project 529, Inc.'s avatar

Hi Edward,

We've only rolled out 529 Detective in the US and Canada now, but we will be opening up to more regions. Different regions have different online marketplaces and we want to be sure that we support the relevant ones in each area, and we have to make sure that we are compliant with the region's regulations and are properly registered to accept payment in those areas. But you should see more regions soon!

Byron E. Riginos's avatar

@Project 529, Inc.

It’s an exhilarating project 🇺🇸😅

Joshua's avatar

Entire article is AI-written 😬

Why waste our time?

Project 529, Inc.'s avatar

Hi Joshua,

Thanks for the feedback and sorry you didn't find the article helpful. However, Yannick is a human writer, not AI, that we work with and has been writing about bikes and the cycling industry for a long time.

Joshua's avatar

The whole article contains writing patterns and language similar to AI. I am incredibly confident this is entirely AI writing. I would re-check with Yannick.

Yannick Read's avatar

Hello, Yannick here. I’ve been writing about cycling for almost 25 years – 18 of which for the UK’s Environmental Transport Association (eta.co.uk). To clarify, the article above is a team effort by us here at Project 529. We always try and keep our writing as clear as possible, so the focus stays on the issue: in this case the stolen bikes being resold online, and the thousands of riders who asked for a tool to help. The real work here is the data, recovery stories, and insights from riders and police departments. That’s all human.

Thank you for supporting Project 529 and our fight against bike theft. Enjoy your cycling.