With some high-end bicycles now worth more than some beater cars, thieves are stealing more of them every year.

From May 1 to Aug. 10 this year, a total of 478 bikes were reported stolen in Winnipeg, police said. That's up from 268 for the same time period last year. In 2015, a total of 1,113 bicycles were reported stolen. That was up from 816 in 2014.

"(New) bicycles can range from $250 to $6,000-plus, so the mindset is changing," Const. Rejeanne Caron, the downtown safety co-ordinator for Winnipeg police, said during a media briefing at the Mountain Equipment Co-op on Monday. "It's almost like their bicycle is replacing their vehicle, so they're investing a little more in their bicycle."

That has made them more attractive to thieves.

"What was stealing a $150 item some years ago is now an $800 item, or a $1,000 item, or more," said police spokesman Const. Rob Carver. "As the value of bikes increase, thieves are getting way more inventive and way more aggressive in how they're attempting to steal the bikes."

So, police suggested ways to both prevent thefts and what owners can do to make it easier to get them back if they are swiped.

"We're recommending that it be secured in an actual bike-parking facility, whether it's a secured compound within a business or a residence," Carver said. "Other good choices include monitored biking facilities and locations, and high-visibility racks along storefronts ... This type of crime is deterred by visibility, so the more people walking by an area, the more pedestrian traffic, the safer your bike is going to be in that rack.

"Lock it well. We're recommending not only a good lock but two good locks. We're recommending both a U-bracket type of lock as well as a cable lock. One just isn't the deterrent it used to be."

The most effective way to track a bike once stolen is to have had its serial number registered, Carver said. People should also report stolen bikes to police ASAP.

Owners should also post pictures of their stolen cycles on social media, then look for them being sold on the Internet. Police have had success recovering them this way, Carver said.

If anyone spots someone tampering with a locked bike, they should call 911, but don't intervene, Carver said.

More bicycles are being stolen from downtown, but that is mainly because that is where they are more visible, Caron said.

BIKE THEFTS

Number of bikes stolen: