We spent a couple of days in New York this winter, more specifically Brooklyn, mostly in Park Slope. I checked out every bike that we walked by (as one does) and thought about how different riding a cycle is in New York compared to in California. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXLorSvKziQ Winters in the Bay Area are much milder, as it rarely gets below freezing during the winter months. We get winter rain, but rarely any snow or ice. In contrast, it’s much colder in New York, there’s more snow, slush, road salt, and other stuff that’s tougher to ride a bike in, and tougher to store a bike in. Some had a lot of rust As you can see on this “Goffa bike”, the rims, brakes, kickstand, stem, spokes, chain, nuts are all rusted. This bike has been left out for a long […]
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A tale of stolen bike recovery
Having a bike stolen can be frustrating and heartbreaking. We don’t always have success stories, but here’s one about a stolen bike that was recovered: The bike theft One of our bike bus friends had their bike stolen. It was a custom build that they had spent a lot of time and money on, and they rode it with their child with our Bike Bus. Their garage door was left open by mistake one day, and within a short amount of time, two of their bikes had been stolen. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a hidden AirTag Mount (I make them in here in Oakland) or some other type of holder or tracker for locating their bike. They emailed our Bike Bus and Bike Parade groups, telling us what had happened and asking us to keep an eye out for their […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat you’ll probably use your AirTag on your bike for the most
The sun was probably setting as I was helping park (and un-park) bikes in San Francisco, but I couldn’t tell because of the tall buildings surrounding me. A friendly-looking man approached with a slight look of concern on his face. He needed to retrieve his bike because he knew our event was ending, but he also needed to stay for a couple of extra hours. In search of a solution, he had done some research – there were BikeLink lockers nearby, so he rode off to park his bike in one of their storage lockers. Unfortunately, he came back a few minutes later. He didn’t have a BikeLink card, and couldn’t purchase one (and load funds onto it) until the next morening. Some BikeLink lockers accept Clipper cards (our local transit cards), so I quickly checked my phone to see […]
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Hiding my AirTag on my bike: 6 months in with the AirTag bike mount
(can you see the AirTag above? It’s hidden under the water bottle.) 6 months in: How’s the bike AirTag holder? The Bike Sight AirTag mount has been working great. It’s been through 2 or 3 atmospheric rivers so far (so a ton of rain) and I haven’t had to touch it. Physically, how is the AirTag bike mount doing? I haven’t had to touch it it at all, but visually it looks great. I’m confident that there’s been no water ingress due to the weatherproofing gasket. I forget that it’s there most of the time. I also don’t really notice it because it’s hidden under the water bottle cage. When do I use the AirTag with my bike? I find myself using the AirTag when I have left my bike parked somewhere for a while and just want to make […]
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BikeIndex: the best place to report your bike stolen online
Bike theft sucks. A couple friends reported having their bikes stolen in the last 2 months, and it got me to thinking about how worthwhile it is to list your bikes on BikeIndex. If you’re worrying about your bike being stolen, or if your bike has been stolen and you need help getting it back, BikeIndex can be a really helpful resource. BikeIndex is the best place to report your stolen bike online BikeIndex is a free, online, non-profit, database where people can list their bikes and report their stolen bikes. It’s the biggest database that I know of, so if your bike is stolen, you have a better chance of searchers finding you. BikeIndex sends out alerts when bikes are marked stolen to broaden potential group people who can find your bike. As of this writing, nearly 12,000 bikes […]
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Which 3 settings should you use for AirTag (anti-theft bike GPS tracker)
Recommended iPhone settings for an AirTag bike mount If you’ve bought our weatherproof AirTag bike mount (style: under water bottle holder), Apple’s FindMy app is what you will use to locate your bike. It functions as a bike GPS tracker by harnessing Apple’s network of hundreds of millions of devices. Here are the settings that I recommend and why I think they’re important. Notify when found: usually Disabled, Enabled if you bike has been stolen. If this setting is disabled, you will need to visit the FindMy app to determine whether your bike can be located. You probably want to keep this setting disabled so you don’t get false positive notifications if your bike is in a known location. You cannot enable this setting if the FindMy network has located your bike. Notify when left behind: Enabled, except for at […]
Continue readingMore TagHow are bikes usually stolen? 12+ Helpful tips about bike theft.
How are bikes usually stolen? Bikes are great. They are a convenient, eco-friendly way to get around, and help you get healthy physical activity. They also allow kids to independently transport themselves. Bike theft is a huge issue especially in the Bay Area. When I first moved here, I bought a “beater bike” for errands and commuting, because I didn’t want to risk having my nice bike be stolen. Reading Craigslist “stolen bike” posts over the years I’ve read and gathered some data from Craigslist post over the years. I’ve been casually studying and observing bike theft for more than a decade. Bikes are stolen in several ways, but some are much more common. Bikes are often stolen during a home break-in Perhaps surprisingly many are stolen during a home break-in. People often store their bikes in their garage, and […]
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JUST RELEASED: The Bike Sight, An AirTag bike mount hidden from view
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Bike Sight is now released and ready for sale. This AirTag bike mount helps keep your Bike Safe and Secure Place an AirTag (sold separately) inside, attach the Bike Sight to your bike, and you will be able to track the location of your bike in real-time. Use Apple’s FindMy app to know where your bike is whether you are at home or on the go. You can set up notifications in the FindMy app to alert you if your bike is no longer detected near you. If you live in an area with a high rate of bike theft, adding an AirTag to your bicycle with the Bike Sight can help you recover your bike if it’s stolen. When you lock your bike while at work, school, shopping, or dining, you can […]
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Our Better AirTag Bike Mount Kickstarter is now live for 30 days
An AirTag Bike Mount that helps you track your bike’s location We’ve just launched our mini-Kickstarter project for the Bike Sight, an AirTag bike mount that hides under your water bottle cage. You can place your AirTag (sold separately) inside, and then be able to track the location of your bike using Apple’s vast FindMy network. This works on Apple iOS devices only. Your iPhone can detect the AirTag in your bike up to 33 feet away. If you are farther away from your bike (like when locking up for example) any adjacent Apple iOS devices (there are at least 113 million in the USA) can confirm its location for you and update it in the FindMy app accordingly. If your bike somehow moves without you, you can opt to receive a notification in the FindMy app if your bike […]
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Innovative bike tracking: Deter theft with an AirTag bike mount?
Bike theft sucks. Your bike is probably really special to you, and your financial investment is worth protecting. A bike AirTag mount can help. When I first moved to the area, I was so worried about theft, that I bought a second “beater” bike to get around town. I bought a good U-lock to lock my frame and a cable to deter a theft from stealing the wheels. I even bought a smaller cable to keep the seatpost in place. To prevent theft when locking: Use a good lock Ideally the lock will be strong and thick enough to resist bending or cutting with a saw or angle grinder. The key and shackle mechanism should also be resistant to tampering. The lock should go through a part of your frame (not just the wheel!) so that, assuming the lock is […]
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