Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, with any of the bike tagging/identification options around?

so far I’ve found DataTag, Immobilize and bike register?

Anyone?

Immobilise is what I use, and not just for bikes.
It’s free and if you are happy with recording your frame number then you don’t even need to buy the datatag thing, (though I have for a couple of mine)

Never had to use it to report a stolen bike luckily.

Was discussing tagging with the copper who lives over the road. From his “WTF are you talking about” look I’m guessing the local station might be lucky to have a scanner, let alone anyone actually using it.

That’s what I was worried about breatheeasy

They sold one brand or other in Halfords last time I went in. If it included some insurance for the bike not being recovered I suppose it might be worthwhile, but I’ve not bothered – nice bikes don’t stay anywhere they could get nicked, ever. If I’m in doubt I take the hack and a lock.

I was at a race event at Cannock a couple of weeks back. Staffordshire police were selling Imobilise tags for £6 they certainly had scanning kit and keen to get folks bikes tagged. A very positive approach I thought.

Immobilise is what I use, and not just for bikes.
It’s free and if you are happy with recording your frame number then you don’t even need to buy the datatag thing

Same here – it’s linked to the police national property register and it is what our local force register you with when they do bike marking days etc (so hopefully they actually use it).

I’ve uploaded my bike details plus a few good clear pics showing the full bike, close ups of the frame number and identifying features etc.

No bothered with a tag thing though – I think if they go to the effort of filing off a frame number then they’ll also look for datatags.

Last I heard very few coppers carry the scanner and I think the scanner needs insetting into the seatpost which makes it a bit pants.

No bothered with a tag thing though – I think if they go to the effort of filing off a frame number then they’ll also look for datatags.

The tags are in a plug that pushes down the seat tube, so all but impossible to get out again. Neither insecure or

a bit pants

If you have a frame that has a formed seat tube or pivot point that stops it, then it’s a grain of rice size thing, (same as a pet chip really) that you can glue inside the BB or drop inside an accessible tube followed by a blob of superglue.

Well it is a bit pants if coppers need to remove a seatpost before they can scan a bike….that is, unless coppers now carry a multi-tool on their batman belts?

very few coppers carry the scanner

Surely the main idea is that they use this to help get recovered stolen property back to their rightful owners (e.g. back at the station) – not that coppers walk around with handheld scanners and checking random bikes in the street in case they are nicked?

The tags are in a plug that pushes down the seat tube, so all but impossible to get out again.

…unless they own a long drill bit.

I use immobilise – I have a couple of tags I’ve picked up free when the police do events and have also listed my untagged bikes so they’re all in the same place.

You can also use immobilise to list other high-value nickable stuff like phones, GPS etc

The chip works like a pet tag . You don’t need to remove anything to scan it.