Stolen Bike Rescued by Online Geeks

When Agata Slota’s bicycle disappeared from a spot near Union Squareone day in September, the odds were that she would never see it again.About 60,000 bikes are stolen in New York City each year, and only 2percent of them are recovered by their owners. Because the bike wasdistinctive –- her brother had built it himself –- Ms. Slota, 27,posted an ad and photograph on Craigslist in the hopes that someonewould notice it.

That is where it would have ended, except that a friend of Ms. Slota’shad also posted a notice about the theft on an online chat room forfixed-gear bike enthusiasts. Such postings are common on the chat room,which serves mainly as a place for, in the words of one regular user,“geeking out over fancy bike parts.” Weeks later, someone posted aresponse after spotting Ms. Slota’s bicycle locked up outside aQuizno’s in Midtown. This set off a flurry of messages that continuedfor weeks and, eventually, led to Ms. Slota getting her bike back.