A theft, a sting and an apology: How these Toronto cyclists got their stolen bikes back

The thief who cut a hole into Noah Rosen and Suzanne Carlsen's fence to steal their bikes probably didn't expect what happened next.

Rosen and Carlsen run VéloColour, a Toronto shop known for painting high-end bikes.

The couple says the stolen bikes, which they lovingly modified, have a combined value of more than $5,000. They weren't planning to let them go without a chase. 

"There is sentimental value, but also just a straight cost. And we weren't prepared to lose that much money and then have to replace them," said Rosen. 

The thief messed with the wrong cyclists  — who set up a sting operation to get their bikes back — a solution police don't recommend, but some Torontonians resort to as bicycle thefts remain a widespread issue. 

The heist 

It all began last Friday, when the couple was working at their shop. Outside, a security camera captured the culprit cutting through their fence, where the bikes were locked, and riding away with them.

"I just started to cry because it was like my baby," said Carlsen, whose bike carries memories from a recent trek through Kyrgyzstan's mountains.   

The couple shared the ordeal with their large social media following in the hopes other cyclists and shops would recognize their unique bikes if resold. 

The first clue of the bikes' whereabouts came on Sunday, when Carlsen spotted an ad on Facebook Marketplace for a Surly Bridge Club that looked familiar. 

"I clicked on it and it was my exact bike," she says. 

The couple reported the theft to Toronto police, who they say wouldn't help without proof the bike in the ad was one of the ones stolen. That's when they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Toronto police were unable to confirm the couple's account prior to publication.

The sting

With the help of friends, the couple says they set up a meeting with the seller and hid in an alley until they had a chance to confront him.

"I went straight into his face and I said, 'You stole our bikes,'" said Rosen.

The couple says they retrieved the bike and quickly snapped a photo of the seller as he ran away. 

Then they messaged the seller, saying they had his photo and phone number as leverage to get the second stolen bike back. 

The couple says the seller sent a "heartfelt" response.

"I'm truly sorry. I don't want any violence….I left the bike up the street and the key is under the front tire," Carlsen says the seller replied.

Carlsen says she is still shocked they managed to bring their stolen bikes home in just 48 hours. 

More than a thousand bicycles have been stolen in Toronto so far this year, police data shows. The number of bike thefts has gone down gradually over the years but spikes over the summer months, according to the data. 

Toronto police say they advised the couple against the sting out of concern for their safety as the interaction could become aggressive or violent.

"Not everybody wants to meet the person that has taken their stuff. You have to decide where your comfort level is," said Rosen. 

If your bike is stolen, police recommend reporting it and including the serial number, a unique number usually engraved on the frame that can identify a bike even if it's modified. 

That's the big takeaway for Carlsen, who didn't have her serial number and couldn't prove to police the bike being sold online was hers since she had no up-to-date photo showing how she modified it. 

"I feel incredibly lucky because there's so many people out there who don't get stolen bikes back."