Bicycle crime has hit a five-year high in Victoria as opportunistic thieves active in inner-city hipster hotspots disappear with hundreds of cycles every year.

In the past financial year more than 5000 stolen bikes – or almost 100 every week – were reported to Victoria Police, data obtained by The Age show.

In some postcodes the numbers of stolen bicycles now outstrip stolen cars. These areas include the central Melbourne suburbs of Carlton, Fitzroy and Parkville, and the Victorian towns of Wangaratta, Sale and Horsham.

With some high-end bikes now valued at as much as a car, victims can be left significantly out of pocket. A Ballarat Scenic Cyclists Group member recently had his $5000 racing road bike pinched during a home burglary.