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Never Go Biking Without an AirTag. This Is Why

Discreetly stashed, Apple’s handy tracker is a borderline indispensable accessory for cyclists.

pdw tracker keeperPortland Design Works

By Steve Mazzucchi

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So you got yourself a shiny new bike lock, perfect for securing your ride in urban situations. Congrats! 

Thieves are not above getting clever if they really want your goods. We’ve heard stories of people finding their foolproof locks untouched around a rack, meaning the perp opted for a quicker method: cutting through the bike’s frame to remove it. 

But you know what might be even more critical to protecting your bike than a pocket full of Kryptonite? Apple’s pint-sized tracking product, the AirTag. Here’s why.

Found in 60 seconds

You know that classic Mike Tyson quote? “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” A corollary for bike owners might be: “Everyone’s bike is safe until their lock gets picked.” 

The reality is, even the best locks can be cracked or broken, especially if your bike is out of our sight for an extended period, and thieves are not above getting clever if they really want your goods. We’ve heard stories of people finding their foolproof locks untouched around a rack, meaning the perp opted for a quicker method: cutting through the bike’s frame to remove it. 

pdw tracker keeper
There’s really not much to PDW’s new Tracker Keeper — that’s kind of the beauty of it.
Portland Design Works

However, if your bike is equipped with a (discreetly attached) AirTag, you’ve at least got a shot at getting it back before it gets Frankensteined in some underground chop shop. As you probably know — especially if you’re a GP regular — AirTags work through Apple’s Find My network, meaning as long as the unit is in Bluetooth range of anyone’s Apple device, you can use your iPhone to locate it. 

This feature can come in handy in other scenarios too. If, say, hypothetically, you party a little too hard, catch a ride home and forget where the heck you left your bike. Or, perhaps more likely, you temporarily misplace your fancy helmet or forget your favorite bike bag at a friend’s place. Slap an AirTag on that sucker and you’ll be able to retrieve it in a flash.

Securing the Tag

When it comes to attaching your AirTag to your bike, you’ve got a few options. Lots of brands offer accessories that store the product into a keychain or a sticker. However, in order for it to do its job in this context, it has to go unnoticed (or unremovable) by the bike thief. 

Pelican makes a fun little sticker-based holder, but it might not fully escape notice. GP’s own director of video and platforms/avid mountain biker Mykim Dang swears by Muc-Off’s Secure AirTag Holder, which firmly attaches to your bottle cage mounting holes with security bolts and a security key for top-notch protection.

Looking to save a little scratch? Consider the brand-new Tracker Keeper from Portland Design Works, which employs a simple hook-and-loop closure to sneakily store your AirTag or similar tracking product beneath your seat.

Eco-friendly bonus: The $15 sleeve is made from waterproof, recycled ballistic EcoPak fabric scraps left over from PDW’s Loot Bags. Strap a little tool pack underneath and it’ll be even more hidden.

Alternatively, you can attach the unit to your top tube with a bit of electrical tape — maybe wrap the whole tube so it looks like a style choice — or if you truly want it to be invisible, pull out your seatpost and tape it inside the seat tube.

Just remember to remove the AirTag and replace the battery when it’s low. That will ensure your quest for vengeance bike recovery journey can commence in the first place.

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