PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — The online bike registry platform Project 529 has acquired the National Bike Registry and is integrating the two programs, which have nearly 400,000 bikes in their combined registries.
The company said the merger will give law enforcement, universities, cyclists and independent bicycle dealers tools to recover and return stolen bikes.
The National Bike Registry was launched in 1984 and later pioneered the concept of an online bicycle registration database that is accessible by law enforcement agencies across North America. The Registry has been used by more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies.
"We're very happy to pass the baton to the team at Project 529 to attack the bicycle theft epidemic," said Eddie Orton, who has sponsored the NBR effort for over two decades. "The passion and capabilities of the team at 529 will be able to take our work to the next level and better serve our customers and partners."
J Allard, the CEO of Project 529, said, "Bicycle theft has been an under-served problem for decades that has grown to epidemic proportions. After losing a bike to theft four years ago, I was moved to build better tools for law enforcement and the cycling community to attack this problem. After combining the National Bike Registry and 529 Garage, our partners now have access to nearly 400,000 bicycle records to help combat bike theft."
The 529 Garage is a free bicycle registration, reporting and recovery service that allows cyclists to capture detailed information about their bicycles quickly and secure the information in the cloud. If an owner's bike goes missing, a few taps on any mobile device allows the victim to alert the local cycling community, their social networks and law enforcement agencies with real-time notifications.
All NBR customers have been upgraded to lifetime registration status for no charge and have been invited to download the app and enhance their registrations with additional details and photographs. All registrations from the National Bike Registry are now searchable by 529 Garage and NBR law enforcement partners. Registration with Project 529 is free to all cyclists at www.project529.com or using the mobile phone app.
