How professional thieves stole $1 million worth of unreleased e-bikes in seven minutes
When my high-end electric bike was stolen last year, the intense combination of feelings ranging from violation to anger was hard to describe. But that is nothing compared to what one innovative electric bike maker is going through after $1M worth of unreleased new e-bikes was stolen in one fell swoop.
Biktrix, the Canadian e-bike maker behind several impressively designed, high-power models, shared the devastating news that a container of new Juggernaut FS ST e-bikes was stolen from the company’s Delta, BC warehouse. There were also several prototype models Biktrix is developing for release next year in the container.
It’s a huge setback for Biktrix, which has grown from humble beginnings a decade ago as a garage startup into a major e-bike maker with a 20,000-strong customer base.
The new Juggernaut FS ST e-bike model was recently announced, with Biktrix preparing to begin shipments to fulfill pre-orders. This was the first batch of these new e-bikes produced.
Unlike many white-labeled electric bikes that use a combination of à la carte components and frames chosen from a catalog of OEM parts, the Juggernaut FS ST is Biktrix’s own in-house design. It also features a unique frame with a hidden rear shock assembly, making it easy to identify.
The bike includes a powerful mid-drive motor that puts out 1,200 watts of power, as well as an industry-leading 1,300 Wh battery. That’s roughly twice the size of the average e-bike battery on most models these days.
With a combination cadence and torque sensor for pedal assist as well as throttle control, it’s quite unique among today’s high-powered full-suspension e-bikes, especially for an easy-to-mount step-through e-bike.
Its eye-catching design should make the bike easily identifiable. To further help identify the bikes, should they make it onto the secondary market, Biktrix shared that they include serial numbers in the range from BK2CE30001 to BK2CE30140.
Biktrix also shared security footage showing the suspected thieves arriving at the warehouse with a Ryder semi-truck used to pull the container. The container appears to have been mounted on a container chassis, likely from its recent delivery at the warehouse. The thieves broke the lock securing the container chassis, connected it to the semi-truck, and drove off into the night with one million dollars worth of unreleased new e-bikes in tow. They were on site for just seven minutes.
What likely would have been a fairly simple case for the police in a country with stronger public surveillance turned out to be a nightmare for Biktrix. The company discovered after talking to police that traffic cameras in Canada don’t actually record video unless a car is speeding or runs a red light. The company also provided the license plate number of the thieves, but the police could legally only surveil them for two days. As the company’s CEO explained, the vehicle didn’t go near the bikes in those two days, and so the police had to end the surveillance and effectively release the thieves.
“This container wasn’t just metal and contents, this container was like a treasure chest of our dreams, our entire team’s hard work, and considerable market value worth $1M—comprising all of our savings,” explained Biktrix Founder and CEO Roshan Thomas.
The container was insured with a standard ship to shore policy, commonplace in the ocean freight industry. However, the container had already reached Biktrix’s receiving warehouse, meaning it would typically no longer be covered under the policy.
While it is looking increasingly unlikely, the company hopes that the Canadian police will be able to locate the container before the bikes are lost. They also urge anyone who sees the container or the Juggernaut FS ST bikes to contact their local authorities. These are the only Juggernaut FS ST bikes in North America.
In the meantime, Thomas and the rest of the company are trying to keep their spirits up, explaining “We’re determined not to let this set us back. Instead, we’re using it as fuel to push harder, innovate more, and keep believing in what we do.”
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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