At last, a proper secret place to stash an Apple Air Tag!

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There has been a fair amount of debate as to where to hide an Apple Air Tag on a bike so that it’s not immediately discovered and removed by thieves. Muc Off might just have produced just the right solution: a valve with Air Tag holder, so you can keep your Air Tag inside your tyres.

This seems like a genius solution. It’s not immediately visible, and any thief trying to remove it in a hurry is going to end up with a flat tyre and a bike they can’t just ride away. Plus they’ll probably have tired thumbs and be covered in sealant juice. Every silver lining and all that.

It doesn’t seem to be compatible with tubeless inserts, but can you imagine the torture of trying to install an insert plus an Air Tag? You might find yourself wishing for someone to take your bike after that.

Which sealant for maximum sticky thief deterrent? Perhaps the next product release should be some sort of DNA traceable sealant that glows under UV light? Just top the sealant bottle off with a spot of your own pee to create a totally unique sealant fingerprint so you can definitely claim that bike is yours?

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Anyhow, while the MucOff bods get working on that indispensable idea, have yourself a press release with all the official details.

After the success of the brand’s Secure Tag Holder earlier this year, Muc-Off’s Product Team have designed a unique version that allows for an Apple AirTag® to be stowed inside the tyre and rim of a tubeless-compatible mountain or gravel bike. This makes for the ultimate covert tracking solution, completely hidden from bike thieves.

Designed for use with an Apple AirTag® (not included), which is housed in a protective, 3-part silicone and rubber tubeless valve mount and supplied with a range of tubeless valve bases, so you can ensure an airtight seal is achieved against the rim when installing inside a tubeless tyre.

Also built-in to protect the rim and the AirTag® from high-impacts is a sacrificial stem which compresses and rebounds under extreme loads. Although the holder will absorb impacts, it is secure to the valve with a durable stem mount which allows sealant and air to flow through the valve as usual and will not rattle inside the rim and tyre. 

The Apple AirTag® itself works by allowing users to track any item from their phone, using the Find My® app. Once activated, any item to which the tag is connected appears on the radar within the app, so tracking the bike down is as simple as looking on the map.

According to a study from Direct Line Insurance*, between April and August 2020, UK bicycle thefts exceeded 110k, whilst bike registration specialists 529 Garage** reported that the US experiences over 2m bike thefts every year, that’s one every 30 seconds!  With aggregated data from Worldometers*** suggesting that the number of new bikes produced in 2021 will exceed 150m by year end, there really has never been a more important time for riders to equip themselves with the added security this technology provides.

“Technologies like the Apple Airtag® can be a great defense against would-be bike thieves. This is what led us to develop our Tag Holders, we wanted to give riders secure and thief-proof ways of fixing the tracker to their bikes. The newest offering – the Stealth Tubeless Tag Holder – is a completely unique undercover solution unlike anything we have seen on the market so far. We will continue to embrace emerging technologies to enhance every rider experience, as we continue our exciting program of innovation in the future.” 

– Alex Trimnell, CEO at Muc-Off.

The Stealth Tubeless Tag Holder and Secure Tag Holder follows on from Muc-Off’s recent launch of their new Bike Insurance product, provided by NextGen. With several innovative benefits including a multi-bike discount, free upgrade cover and no renewal price rises, Muc-Off’s ambition to continue improving riders’ experiences shows no sign of abating. The launch of the Secure Tag Holder means riders now have an epic combo of Muc-Off offerings to keep their bikes safer than ever.

The Stealth Tubeless Tag Holder retails via Muc-Off distribution network and at muc-off.com for £14.99/€19.99/$19.99 and as part of a kit which includes a set of black Muc-Off 44mm Tubeless Valves for £34.99/€42.99/$44.99.

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/how-to-stop-your-bike-being-stolen/
https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/how-to-buy-a-second-hand-mountain-bike/

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Hannah Dobson

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I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Home Forums At last, a proper secret place to stash an Apple Air Tag!

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • At last, a proper secret place to stash an Apple Air Tag!
  • footflaps
    Full Member

    Wonder how long the tag will last being spun around and bashed on rocks…

    AndrewL
    Full Member

    Or forces the whole valve assembly through the spoke bed on hitting a rock!

    tthew
    Full Member

    Think I preferred the fork bung version that a user off here invented. I stuck with an Android phone when I got my last one, so didn’t purchase, but it didn’t seem to have many drawbacks.

    chrismac
    Full Member

    But will the police bother to do sing when you tag them where it is?

    ossify
    Full Member

    Or forces the whole valve assembly through the spoke bed on hitting a rock!

    This was my first thought! But they’ve thought of that, it’s mentioned in the article. Sacrificial squishy bit between the tag and the rim/valve.

    Think I preferred the fork bung version that a user off here invented.

    +1

    pedlad
    Full Member

    I though this was moot anyway as AirTags flag up to other iPhone users (thief) that there’s a tag in their vicinity. Be better off with something like a Tile tag?

    fahzure
    Full Member

    Lots of stems have a cavity.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Be better off with something like a Tile tag?

    That nobody except the owner can find?

    Bindun, both equally as useless for opposite reasons (too easily detected vs not easily detected).

    Actually Airtags are more like Schroedingers tracker, both far too easily detectable and not detectable enough in equal measures. Great for stalking anyone with an Android device but easy to detect if you deliberately look for them (but not necessarily easy to remove from wherever they’re hiding).

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    Great for stalking anyone with an Android device

    For the time being. Apple have made an Android app for spotting tags and Google are looking to bake an auto-search into Android.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    It’s not secret now is it?

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    For the time being. Apple have made an Android app for spotting tags and Google are looking to bake an auto-search into Android.

    Yeah, both of which require user intervention as I said (assuming the auto search will only be on new releases, I dunno how many versions behind my phone is and I doubt I’m unique in that aspect) so nothing is going to change any time soon.

    whatgoesup
    Full Member

    It might have a sacrificial squishy bit, but a flat tyre with one of these installed will quite likely cause major rim damage. Nice idea though.

    desperatebicycle
    Full Member

    Seriously considered this for my eBike (which my son has been borrowing to go to the gym!!!) and just thought wheels are so easily removed… but then again, you’d need to track a bike down quick, so they probably are a good idea. Muc-Off’s alternative is one that attaches under the bottle cage, which is pretty good. But yeah, the fork bung one is probably the best idea

    burko73
    Full Member

    Would the fact that its stuffed up a metal fork steerer mean it wasn’t as effective?

    thegeneralist
    Free Member

    How long does the battery last?

    tthew
    Full Member

    Would the fact that its stuffed up a metal fork steerer mean it wasn’t as effective?

    I’ll go back and try to find the thread and bump it up/link here, but apparently it was tested as being still quite visible.

    Found it quite quickly.

    Thieving scumbag defeating device: I’ve made something you might like.

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    I’ve got the fork bung ones on my MTB and they work great to stash the airtag. Let’s face its just a “maybe” device that can be fairly easily defeated but at least it’s a slight deterrent and feels like I’m doing something that might help in the case of a theft.

    ampthill
    Full Member

    Apparently the battery lasts about a year

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

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