Ian McGillivray recalls the moment he became a bike statistic.

He'd just come home two weeks ago.

"And I came home from work and my girlfriend was asking me, 'Well, hey, were you out in the alley doing some work or something? The back gate is open, and the shed is open.' Immediately it clicked on me, my bike is gone. First thing that came to my head."

- Ian McGillivray

​McGillivray said he accidentally left his shed open. His bike, with the lock and helmet on it, got stolen.

​McGillivray has lots of company. Bike store owners in Saskatoon say thefts are up this year.

Police don't specifically track the number of bicycle thefts. Rather, they fall under the general category of thefts under $5,000.

But the owners say more and more customers are coming in to buy a new bike – because their old one was stolen.

Greg McKee is co-owner of The Bike Doctor on Broadway.

"I think it's safe to say that in the past year, or year and a half, thefts have spiked. Thefts have come into the domain of the professional thief, as far as I can see," he said.

- Greg McKee

McKee is basing this on how high-end bikes appear to be targeted, and then vanish. He says many of the bikes are distinctive and would be noticed were they stolen and then driven around the city.

Ted Mainhart manages Bike Universe on 20th Street.

One yardstick for him is the number of people who come into the store with photos of their stolen wheels. The store has a bulletin board where the photos can be posted.

Mainhart also posts the pictures on social media.

"We'll always have sales to people who've had their bikes stolen. And it's not just high-end bikes," he said.

McKee and Mainhart offered some tips to keep your bike safe.

Don't leave your bike locked up too long in one place.

Always lock your bike, even if it's in your garage.

Invest money in a good lock. A $20 bolt cutter will easily go through just about any cable lock.

Take a photograph of your bicycle and keep a record of the serial number.

If the bike is stolen, report it to the city police.

Police do have a lost and found for bicycles.

Not all are stolen, but all are separated from their owners.

This year to date, police have 299 bikes in their storage. In 2014, they collected 769. In 2013, they recovered 608.

The unclaimed bikes are sold at auction every three months.