NORMAN — On a college campus, bike theft is almost as cliché as all-nighters.

“It’s something we try to curtail as much as possible, but it does happen,” said Lt. Bruce Chan, spokesperson for the University of Oklahoma Police Department.

And as schools like OU vie to become more biker friendly, drafting campus bike plans that include proposals to widen bike lanes, increase bike parking and add traffic control signs, the number of students opting for two-wheel transport has increased, along with missing bike reports.

For where the riders roll, the thieves may follow.

In the last couple years, Chan said bike theft on campus has been on the rise, noting an increase in reports of stolen bikes from 2008 to 2009 on the department’s record management system.

He said total reports of larcenies on campus rose from 231 to 305 from last year to this year. Bike thefts, which are included in this category, rose about 23 percent.

Chan credited the bike theft increase to higher student enrollment numbers. He also said many of the bikes reported stolen are found later at a different bike rack.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, bike thefts nationwide totaled 188,698 in 2008, a slight increase from previous years.

“It’s going to be a problem on any campus. You do hear about it and it’s definitely a growing problem,” said Alex Schneider, president of Oklahoma Cycling Club.

Schneider, an incoming senior at OU, said his Campus Cruiser bike was stolen his freshman year when he left it parked at the Physical Sciences Center for several weeks.

“It was just laziness on my part,” Schneider said, adding that he had ridden the bike to class and walked back, leaving the bike locked to a rack for several weeks until he went back to get it and realized it was gone.

Unlike some, Schneider’s bike was recovered when one of his friends noticed a bike that resembled his parked outside Dale Hall.

“It’s a pretty distinctive bike,” he said, adding that he waited outside to confront the person when he or she went to pedal away on the bike.

Schneider said the person left and he reclaimed his bike.

No legal action was pursued.

“It’s a growing problem, especially on a campus where biking is prevalent,” Schneider said of bike theft. “I can walk by bikes on campus and can tell you which ones are going to be stolen because they aren’t locked.”

Schneider and Chan recommend riders invest in a U-lock, which is more difficult to cut through than a cable lock, which can be snapped with tree trimmers.

Michael Brandt, a mechanic at Al’s Bicycles, 562 W. Main St., said U-locks run about $30 to $80 at the bike store.

When looking for a lock, Brandt suggested buying one with the tightest fit around the bike and rack; otherwise, a lever can be wrapped around to break the lock.

Brandt said some lock companies, like OnGuard’s Bulldog, will insure a bike for up to $1,500 if the customer registers the bike with the company and presents the broken lock.

As a response to theft, the campus police department has been involved in an electronic game of cat and mouse, selectively planting bait bikes in flagged areas to catch two-wheel hijackers red-handed.

“We’ve had some success with that,” said Chan, who also didn’t have the exact number of thieves caught with the bait bikes, adding that the department has used the bait bikes off and on for several years.

“It’s not like it’s something we started in 2010 or 2009,” Chan said.

Chan said he could not give too many details about how the bait bike works without thwarting police efforts.

He did say, however, that the bike is planted and kept under observation. If the bike is taken, the person then can be caught and reprimanded.

Chan said if the bike is worth more than $500, a person could be charged with grand larceny, which is a felony.

Some avid campus bikers have taken prevention into their own hands, parking their bikes in their dorm rooms and unscrewing their bike seats to carry with them into class.

Chan said while there have been reports of stolen bike parts, like seats, this isn’t as common as theft of the entire bike.

Besides locking bikes, Chan recommends riders register their bike with the OU Police Department. He said riders do not have to be students to register their bikes.

Chan said having the bike’s serial number filed can help police identify one Trek mountain bike from another and recover the missing bike.

While rumors have circulated that the bike snatching is worked by a theft ring on campus, Chan said this can’t be confirmed.

“I can’t say bikes are stolen by a ring. Yes, there are several times where one or more persons are working together,” Chan said. “I’d say it’s a combination.”

Chan also said there isn’t a particular area of campus in Norman where bike theft is more prevalent, and generally thieves don’t discriminate against the type of bike taken.

“To be honest, we’ve had cheap bikes stolen, along with expensive ones,” Chan said.

Nanette Light 366-3541 nlight@normantranscript.com