Our Mission & Impact Vision
a.bike was born from a simple yet powerful insight: bike theft is one of the greatest deterrents to cycling adoption in urban environments. The vision is a world where cyclists can park their bikes without fear.
Our mission is two-fold: to drastically reduce bike theft rates in European cities and to empower more people to choose cycling as their primary mode of transportation. By tackling this specific problem, we contribute to broader goals of sustainable mobility, reduced use of cars and urban congestion, improved air quality, and better public health.
The Problem We're Solving
Bicycle theft remains an underaddressed urban challenge despite its significant impact on sustainable mobility goals:
- An estimated 20% of bike theft victims stop cycling altogether.
- The risk of theft discourages potential cyclists from starting to cycle.
- Bike theft forces the use alternative, often less sustainable transportation.
- A stolen bike creates personal distress and a financial burdens, particularly for those who rely on bikes for affordable mobility.
- Bike theft undermines city initiatives to increase cycling infrastructure utilization
Our Approach
City Partnerships
We primarily partner with municipalities to implement city-wide bike theft prevention strategies. Best practice examples and our data-driven tools help cities understand theft patterns, optimize resource allocation, and measure the effectiveness of various interventions. Our team of experts works closely with local bike theft teams, understands their unique challenges and proposes tailored proven solutions adapted to the available resources . The templates and visuals we provide can be adapted and customised with your city logo in minutes. In addition to free tools, cities get more done on bike theft for an almost symbolic cost.
Cyclists and other stakeholders
Knowledge is power in theft prevention. We're developing accessible resources to help cyclists protect their bikes through improved locking techniques, strategic parking choices, and proper bike registration. Our approach focuses on practical, actionable advice that makes a real difference.
We recognize that solving bike theft requires a united effort. That's why we actively collaborate with:
- Academic institutions to research effective anti-theft measures
- Schools to educate the next generation of theft-aware cyclists
- Bike shops to include theft prevention at the purchase
- Bicycle manufacturers
- Employers to motivate staff with interest in cycling
Data and evidence
For an evidence based approach and mesurable results, we curate and collect statistics, data and research on bike theft, wordwide.
Our Team & Values
a.bike is powered by a small but passionate team based in Brussels, the heart of Europe. We bring together expertise in urban mobility, technology, data analysis, and community engagement. What unites us is a shared commitment to making cycling more accessible and sustainable for all. Our work is guided by core values of:
- Unbeatable value proposition. Hundreds of hours of work at cities’ fingertips for less than 1€/day.
- Partnership. We’re there to support the local anti-bike theft team, that’s what we do.
- Innovation: Finding and sharing new solutions to prevent theft.
- Sharing best practices and avoiding to reinvention of the wheel
- Collaboration: Working across sectors to maximize impact
- Transparency: Being open about our challenges and successes
- Measurability: Using data to track and improve our effectiveness
Launch & Future Vision
a.bike will officially launch in May 2025, initially focusing on French, Dutch, and German-speaking countries in Europe. This strategic focus allows us to make a meaningful impact in regions with high cycling potential while building a foundation for future expansion.
We envision a Europe where bike theft is no longer a significant barrier to cycling adoption—where secure parking is readily available, theft rates are drastically reduced, and more people choose bikes for their daily transportation needs.design features offer a range of tools to create visually stunning websites.