Putting an AirTag on your bike is one of the cheapest ways to improve your odds of getting it back. But a tracker only helps if the thief does not find it first. Here is where to hide one, where not to, and the one AirTag feature that works against you.

Where thieves look first

Anyone who steals bikes regularly knows about AirTags. The first things they check are under the saddle, the seat rails, zip-tied to the frame, and inside the handlebar ends. A bolt-on AirTag holder that looks like an AirTag holder is easy to spot and quick to cut off.

The best hiding spots on a bike

The best spot is one that looks like a normal part of the bike and needs a tool to remove:

  • Under the stem top cap. Every threadless headset has one, it sits at the centre of the bike, and nobody looks twice at it. Our Stem Cap Tracker replaces your top cap with one that holds the tracker.
  • In the bottle cage. A cage is so ordinary it is invisible. The Bottle Cage Tracker hides the tracker in the base, behind your bidon.
  • Behind the rear reflector. Every bike needs a red rear reflector to be road legal at night. The Rear Reflector Tracker is one, with the tracker hidden behind the lens.

All three lock on with anti-theft Torx security bolts, so even a thief who suspects something cannot remove it with an Allen key.

The problem with a bare AirTag: the beep

AirTags have anti-stalking features built in. When an AirTag is separated from its owner for a while, it starts playing a sound, and nearby iPhones and Android phones can get an alert that an unknown tracker is travelling with them. That is great for personal safety, but it also tells a bike thief exactly where to look.

Track My Bike trackers ship with the audible anti-stalking alert disabled, and use delayed anti-stalker notifications, so there is no beep leading a thief to the tracker. They still use Apple's Find My network, which means your bike can be located by any nearby Apple device, worldwide.

What about Android?

An AirTag only works with an iPhone. Every Track My Bike tracker works with both iPhone (Apple Find My) and Android (Google Find Hub) — one tracker, not two separate products. See our iPhone and Android pairing guides.

Quick comparison

Bare AirTag Track My Bike
Hidden bike mount included No, buy separately Yes, in the box
Audible anti-stalker alert Yes, can give it away Disabled
Works with Android No Yes
Looks like an AirTag Yes No
Battery life About 1 year About 1 year

Ready to hide one properly? Shop hidden bike trackers.

AirTag, Find My and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android and Find Hub are trademarks of Google LLC.