Bicycle theft is trending: According to crime statistics, the theft of bicycles increased by a whopping 14 percent in 2022. According to this, a total of 266,000 bicycle thefts were reported to the police, but the number of unreported cases is probably higher. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as 100% protection because every lock can be cracked. The crucial question is how long it takes a thief to do this.
For additional protection, you can secure your bike with an Airtag. Using the Find My feature on iPhone, iPad or Mac, the Bluetooth tracker shows exactly where your bike is. If it has been stolen, it will help the police catch the thief. The only tricky thing is the hidden installation of the Airtag on the bike. That’s why there are special Airtag holders for the bike.
Although hiding might not make all that much sense. A thief who sees the Airtag attached to the bike and cannot get it removed would have to think carefully about whether he wants to steal the bike anyway. Accordingly, the most important criterion for the Airtag holder is that the Bluetooth tracker cannot be easily removed. Of course, to be on the safe side, pair a visible airtag with a hidden airtag. One serves as a deterrent and the other for retrieval. By the way, the button battery of the Airtag lasts a maximum of one year.
Enough theory, let’s take a closer look at the brackets. One model is the Airbell bell. It looks like a normal bike bell, but offers the option of hiding an Airtag underneath. To do this, the bell hammer is removed using the included tool, so that the bell of the bell can be removed with a twisting movement in order to place the air tag in a compartment underneath.
To remove the bell, thieves would either have to unscrew it or open the bell hammer mechanism. To do this you either need a suitable screwdriver or a flat, pointed object such as a knife for the mechanism of the bell hammer. In the event of a theft, there is a high probability that the doorbell will be overlooked or that an Airtag will not be expected.
You can take a slightly different approach with the Airtag bike holder. This is a small bracket that you can attach to the frame of the bike, exactly to the brackets where you mount top tube bags or cup holders. Of course you can mount the bike holder under a cup holder. The Airtag is opaquely closed, but potential thieves can see that a foreign body is hidden under the cup holder. If the perpetrator discovers the Airtag holder, he will need the appropriate wrench to remove it. And that costs valuable time when stolen.
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The Airtag holder from Nicedack offers an even better hiding place. This is an Airtag holder for the fork of the bike. Unfortunately it doesn’t fit in every bike. If your bike is one of the compatible ones, you can be happy. There is probably no better and more inconspicuous hiding place than in the fork. According to the manufacturer, the holder protects against splash water. That’s nice, but it’s a double whammy because the Airtag itself offers IP 67 protection certification and is therefore protected against splash water and dust.
Alternatively, you can also accommodate the Airtag in the handlebar head using the Supmega AirTag bike mount. Here too, it should be noted that not every bike is compatible with the mount. So before you buy, check whether this is the case for you. As with the Airtag holder for the fork, the hiding place in the handlebar head is particularly inconspicuous.
Another option is to attach the Airtag to the bike using an adhesive cover. This can be achieved, among other things, with these adhesive and, according to the manufacturer, waterproof Airtag cases. A suitable position would be under the saddle, for example. Of course, you can also position the airtag visibly as a deterrent. By the way: According to the manufacturer, the adhesive used is 3M VHB adhesive. Once attached, the Airtag should not be easy to tear off. This also costs the thief valuable time.
BeeMyBox became famous through “The Lion’s Den”. This is a lockable bicycle box that you attach to the holding devices on your bike. The box impressed in the star test because it is attached and screwed in such a way that thieves find it very difficult to crack or dismantle. And that’s exactly what makes them the perfect place to store a small Airtag. At a price of 30 euros, it is around ten euros more expensive than other Airtag holders, but it offers significantly more space to store sunglasses or a small bike tool. The box is also interesting for Android users who rely on one of the numerous Airtag alternatives. Because you can of course also put GPS trackers from Chipolo or Samsung in the BeeMyBox.
Sources: gdv.de
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