Mountainbiker Davide Conti was inspired to set up a community Facebook page for stolen bike listings after noticing a spike in the number of bike thefts around the city.

Sick of seeing their expensive wheels stolen, victims are gaining momentum on social media to counter a growing wave of bicycle theft around Wellington.

While police say they are aware of the crime wave, and appealing to bike owners to ensure their property is secured properly, many cyclists in the city say locking their cycles is doing little to deter thieves.

In response to the concerns of his peers, keen mountain biker Davide Conti has set up a Facebook page to give those with stolen bikes a forum to share the information and hopefully recover their property.

ELESHA EDMONDS/FAIRFAX NZ Police suggest all bike owners record and photograph the serial number of their bikes.

In less than a fortnight, the page had attracted more than 200 members and dozens of posts.

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"As a biking community we can and should work together to keep an eye on streets and tell one another when we see something suspicious."

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wellington city councillor Sarah Free said council was working on installing more bike stands around the city.

He estimated that over the past few months, there had been at least two high-end bikes stolen every week in Wellington - some valued at more than $5000.

"Most of the bikes are being stolen in and around the Newtown and Island Bay areas," Conti said.

"A while ago I would have said to people, 'simply lock up your bike' but now garages and properties are being broken into."

Conti, who works at Wellington Hospital in Newtown, said he had also been made aware of an overnight theft from a locked bike cage on site.

"Someone managed to climb over and steal a bike from inside the cage. This is not just someone who sees a bike on the street and nicks it.

"It's someone who comes specifically for certain bikes using specific tools to steal bikes"

Conti hoped that information provided on the social media page could then be shared with police and a specific prevention plan put into place.

Inspector Clint Walker said police were aware of "a spike in the theft of performance mountain bikes in the Wellington area during December" but said the person believed to be responsible had been arrested and charged in relation to the thefts.



However, high-end mountain bikes remained an attractive commodity for thieves.

Wellington City neighbourhood policing team constable Matt Barraclough said he was working with local government on a solution.

"This is still very much in the planning stage but it will likely focus on interacting with cyclists and making them aware of the problem and the importance of good quality bike locks that are difficult to cut," he said.

Wellington city councillor Sarah Free said Wellington City Council were working on installing more bike stands around the city.

While she would happily work with police to counteract theft, she also feared there was only so much one could do. "If someone is really determined to break a bike lock then they will do that."