CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland and some of its suburbs have invested considerable money and space to promote cycling over the last decade or so with both promising and troubling results.

On the plus side, greater numbers of people in places such as Lakewood are using bicycles for recreation and commuting, improving their fitness and the quality of the air. On the down side, bicycle thefts are on the rise.

Today, Northeast Ohio Media Group launches a three-day series that explores the region's growing passion for cycling and all that that entails - bicycle "boxes," bicycle sharing, bicycle insurance and cycling groups.

This story looks at thefts, including whether thieves target any particularly brands or styles of bicycles, whether they favor any locations and whether they are routinely caught.

Reporters reviewed reports on bicycle thefts in Cleveland and 12 suburbs during June and July 2013.

A searchable database of the thefts is available below.

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The suburbs reported a total of 90 bicycle thefts during the months of June and July 2013. The thefts were nearly equal in each month, with 46 happening in June and 44 happening in July.

The city of Cleveland reported eight thefts between two periods: June 10 to June 24, 2013, and July 11 to July 16, 2013.

One-third of the suburban thefts happened in Cleveland Heights. The city reported that 30 thefts during the two-month period. Lakewood reported 13 thefts during the same timeframe, while Parma and South Euclid each reported 10.

Beachwood, Berea, Solon and Strongsville reported just one bike theft each during the two months.

Several area departments speculated that that a significant percentage of bike thefts aren't reported to police.

"I'd estimate that about half of bike thefts aren't reported," Parma Sgt. Kevin Riley said.

Westlake Capt. Guy Turner also believes bike thefts are underreported, noting that many of the abandoned bikes his department collects each year are never reported stolen.

The values of many stolen bicycles are unknown or not reported by police. Of the bicycles with a value reported, the most expensive was an $800 Cannondale F7 stolen in Berea June 26, 2013. The bike was pried off a bike rack mounted on the roof of a truck. The rack itself, worth $700, was also stolen.

Parma reported two incidents where some bikes were taken but others were left behind. They happened within two days and involved bikes being taken from Woodrow Avenue garages. On June 20, two $400 LandRider bikes were taken and an Iguana bike was left behind. On June 22, a $350 Diamondback bike was taken and a Crestview bike was left behind.

Eighty-three suburban theft reports included information about when the bikes were taken. Of those, 78 thefts were reported within two days of the bike going missing.

The most common color among stolen bicycles bike reported stolen was black; overall, 18 bicycles were described as being at least partly black. Another 16 stolen bicycles were described as being at least partly red, while 12 were described as being at least partly blue.

Eight bicycles were described as being made by Mongoose, the most common manufacturer mentioned in reports.

Nine bicycles were stolen from garages, the most common theft location identified in reports.

Only four reports included descriptions of suspected thieves, and only two reports out of Bedford involved suspects being arrested in connection with thefts.

NEOMG community engagement specialist Amanda Harnocz contributed the video to this report.