Toronto Police Services have finally gotten with the 21st century and launched an online bike registry to help stolen and lost bicycles find their way home.

Over 4,000 bikes are stolen in the city every year. Of the 900 plus bikes turned over to police, less than 5% are reunited with their rightful owners because they weren't registered and end up on the auction block or on ebay.

Registering is easy, it took me longer to clean the grease and dirt off my bottom bracket to read the serial number than it did to fill out the form. I don't think that adding my bike to the 50,000 already registered will protect it from the evil bike thieves, but if it is stolen I now have a better chance of getting it back.

To prevent your bike from being stolen in the first place, don't buy a cheap lock, and always lock your bike to an immovable object that can't be broken. If some jerk does steal your bike, call the Toronto Police Services at 416-808-2222 to report it.

I hope I never have to use that number.

UPDATE: NEW PHOTO: "River Bike" by blogTO Flickr pooler Marty Pinker.