Apple AirTag holders on bikes are an increasingly popular way to track your bike’s whereabouts. They’re provided by many brands and come in multiple different designs. You can attach a stealthy AirTag on your bottle cage or cargo mounts, in your handlebars or even inside your tyres.
Having some sort of bike security/peace of mind is something that all cyclists want, and the first thing is to lock it and put it somewhere safe where it’s unlikely to get pinched in the first place.
But, if your bike does get stolen, without some sort of tracking it’s extremely unlikely you’re ever going to see it again. AirTags are of course not the only – or the absolute best – way to track your bike, but they are compact in size and affordable.
AirTags are also an Apple-only product, so only work with iOS devices. AirTag uses other Apple devices to detect the location, which means that the proximity of an iOS device is necessary for the AirTag to work. So, if you drop one in the middle of the forest, and no one is passing it with an iPhone, you won’t see its location. Most AirTag holders won’t come with the actual AirTag either, so you should factor that in when making your purchase.
Apple AirTags – Can you use them to track your bike?
Other bike trackers use GPS instead, such as the BikeFinder GPS Bicycle Tracker featured below. That could be a better option for you if you don’t want to rely on Apple devices.
We’ve got five new on-the-bike safety tags (three of them from Lezyne) in to test, so let’s see what each of them offers…
Lezyne Matrix Saddle Tagger – £18
The Matrix Saddle Tagger is built from lightweight, super durable Composite Matrix material, and discreetly attaches underneath the saddle by clamping onto its rails.
To attach the tagger, you insert your AirTag in the IP67 waterproof-rated twist-lock, which then tightens on to the rails with the included TR25 security bolt.
The Saddle Tagger weighs 26g without the AirTag.
Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger – £20
If you’d rather save your saddle rails for a saddle bag, another spot Lezyne has made a thing to put your AirTag in is at your bottle cage mounting points. This Matrix Bike Tagger houses an AirTag inside it and attaches to any standard bottle cage mount, or a cargo mount with a similar bolt distance.
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This holder is also made of Lezyne’s composite Matrix material, is IP67 waterproof and attaches with TR25 security bolts. The weight of the Bike Tagger is 28g.
Lezyne Matrix Air Cage – £30
The Matrix Air Cage basically integrates Lezyne’s above product, the Bike Tagger, with a bottle cage. The cage is a revamp of Lezyne’s Matrix Team Cage and features the same minimalist, dual-side-loading design but as an additional feature, hides the AirTag between the bottle cage and bike frame for an added level of security.
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Again, this AirTag-holder is made with Composite Matrix material and has IP67 waterproof rating to keep the AirTag dry. It comes with a set of stainless steel TR25 security bolts, complete with an included tool bit.
The total weight of this secure bottle cage is 44g.
BikeFinder GPS Bicycle Tracker – £170
BikeFinder differs from the mostly AirTag-focused taggers, in that it is primarily designed to be used as a subscription. It comes as a combination of the product with bike insurance, and subscription prices starting from £9.99 after you’ve bought the tracking device which sets you back £170.
The device uses GPS, GSM, and Bluetooth technologies, and a corresponding app that should know your bike’s whereabouts at all times. The BikeFinder should fit all types of bikes, as it slots into your handlebars and expands when in place. The expanding mechanism also means that the device should be virtually impossible to remove without the special tools included with the tracker.
Bike locks: how to choose and use the best lock to protect your bike
The app that connects to the tracker allows you not only to see the location (and alarm you if your bike has moved) of your bike, but also report a possible theft.
The subscription packages offer you tracking and insurance from Sundays Bicycle Insurance, and the price-per-month depends on the value of your bike.
Topeak Cage Mount For Airtag – £9
Topeak’s Cage Mount is a very lightweight and slim AirTag holder made of engineering-grade polymer, and works with any bottle cage or, alternatively, mounted on your bike’s cargo mounts. It attaches with two anti-theft stainless steel bolts for additional safety and an Allen wrench is included, and it weighs just 8g.
Has Topeak nailed the AirTag holder, with a design that definitely won’t lead to any sort of long-winded legal battle? Our reviewer George Hill most likely will not be exploring the latter, but stay tuned for his thoughts on the former in the coming weeks…
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