A rash of bicycle thefts were reported in the Meadows area of Steinbach last weekend. Lisa Rogal says one of them belonged to her son.

"We had gone out for Mother's Day, came back and it was here in the evening and then the next day it was gone. It was actually right by our front door so (the theft) is a little unnerving."

Rogal says her son had received the bike as a birthday gift in April. She adds they know of at least five other bikes that were also stolen in the neighbourhood last weekend. Some have since been found but not her son's new bike.

"My husband was driving around and he saw two bikes that had been abandoned. My son went out to look at them and he recognized one of them as his friend's bike, so that one was returned. Another one he returned to our neighbour across the street and she was just floored, she figured she would never get it back."

Rogal says her son was happy to make other people happy but would sure like to get his bike back.

Steinbach RCMP Corporal Mike Martens has some tips about reporting a stolen bike to police.

"Keep a record of the serial number. Any markings, dents or scratches or something that could be identifiable, especially if they don't have the serial number available, or even photos of their bike, those are things that will all be useful."

Martens says, when RCMP receive a report of a stolen bike, they open up a file. He notes bikes that are found by police are kept at the detachment for 30 days. If they can't find the owner, it's turned over to the city for storage and eventually for auction.