Photos courtesy of Visit Aurora

Bicycles get stolen all the time. This theft is different. The stolen electric bicycle is a $20,000 bike specially designed for Visit Aurora. It was stolen from Hardt Family Cyclery in NW Aurora, and store owner MacKenzie Hardt just wants it back.

The bicycle was taken on a July afternoon while the finishing touches were being put on the custom construction at Denver Custom Boat Builders in the same complex at 10255 E 25th Ave. That work was being done outside and Hardt says the thief waited for the right moment to take it, when the woodworker briefly stepped away.

Visit Aurora has already paid for the bicycle, so if it’s not recovered, Hardt and the woodworking shop are out a lot of money. And while that price tag for a bicycle seems high, this one is one-of-a-kind.

It was set to debut July 20 as “a mobile hub for visitors, providing valuable information and enhancing the community experience,” says Bruce Dalton, president and CEO of Visit Aurora. He adds the organization is “deeply saddened” by the theft of a bike “created in collaboration with Aurora businesses.”

Hardt and Visit Aurora are asking the community for help. He has already spent time driving every alley and street near the shop and riding his own bicycle checking everywhere he can. Aurora Police officers are also looking for the custom bike.

“We’ve got some faith it’ll be recovered because it is so niche that you can’t sell it. You bring it to any pawn shop or any bike shop in the country and we’ll recover it. Everyone knows what it is,” Hardt says.

Anyone who has information or finds the bicycle is asked to call the shop at (720) 255-1603