Innovative bike security solutions: from underground storage to high-tech tracking

We’ve covered loads of innovative solutions to combating bike theft over the years, some of them using groundbreaking tech, some of them downright strange. Here are the most interesting, along with details of how they’ve stood the test of time.

You need to invest in a very good lock to protect your bike – that pretty much goes without saying – and we’ve recently spent a lot of time attacking a whole range of them with both bolt cutters and an angle grinder to find out how they perform. Check out the road.cc Reviews section for our verdicts. 

Beyond that, though, there are various other ways to try to outfox the bad guys and keep your bike safe or, if the worst happens and it is stolen, to get it back…

Going underground: Outbox’s subterranean solution for bike storage

2024 Outbox – 1 (1) (credit: road.cc)

Storing bikes underground could save space and also keep them safe – that’s the idea behind the Outbox Underground Cycle Garage, which we reported on last year.

> Is this mini underground garage the best way to keep your bike safe at home? 

Harry Jarman, the road.cc reader behind the project, told us, “The Outbox Underground Cycle Garage is the premium solution for urban cyclists seeking ultimate security and convenience. Store up to two e-bikes, a medium cargo bike, or a mobility scooter safely underground, away from thieves and weather. With remote door and lift operation, charging capabilities, and a discreet design that preserves your garden space, Outbox revolutionises cycle storage for modern urban homes.”

It would also have minimal visual impact and keep lithium batteries out of your home.

Assuming you have enough ground space to install an Outbox, is this really a viable way to house bikes? And could it ultimately encourage people short of conventional storage space to own and use bikes?

“The design team at Outbox has focused on providing an innovative product that provides multiple layers of security and convenience to the urban cyclist,” says Harry.

“This exclusive cycle storage will be accessed and controlled electronically through a security system. Outbox will be exploring remote app-based access and monitoring, giving urban cyclists peace of mind, wherever they are.

“We have worked with Innovate UK and London South Bank University to help progress the project. We recently engaged a senior product engineer with experience at McLaren, Dyson and Ruroc. He is overseeing a team who are building our first MVP [minimum viable product] due to be tested in the ground this summer.

Today: Outbox has a new design team that is progressing quickly to achieve a first prototype. It is looking for cyclists willing to take part in its beta programme to help test the product and provide feedback. It is also seeking investment to take the Cycle Garage to market.

Harry says, “We’re excited about the progress but aren’t quite ready for a full launch just yet” – so watch this space. If you’re interested, go to outbox.co.uk and add your email address to a waitlist for when the Cycle Garage becomes available.

VanMoof’s Bike Hunters will track down your stolen bike

VanMoof Electrified X passing by (credit: VanMoof)

VanMoof launched its first e-bike with a GPS tracker back in 2014. Then in 2017, we told you about the VanMoof Electrified X ebike that packed in several interesting features designed to defend it against theft.

What was most unusual of all, though, was that if your bike went missing, VanMoof committed to tracking it down for you within a fortnight or replacing it at no charge. The service was free for the first year after purchase, then available on subscription.

The lights flashed when the location tracking mode was activated, functions were disabled, and the bike’s location was automatically sent to VanMoof Bike Hunters, who got to work tracking it down. 

Vanmoof initially offered this tracking service on its X and S bikes, and their e-bike equivalents

Today: VanMoof was declared bankrupt in 2023 and was acquired by Lavoie, an e-mobility brand created by British automotive tech company McLaren Applied.

VanMoof still exists, offering what it calls its Theft Proof service on both of the models currently available: S5 and A5. Although Theft Proof is currently available only in the Netherlands, France, and Germany, VanMoof says it’ll be offered to UK consumers soon.

VanMoof says that it uses “a combination of GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications] cell-tower triangulation,  connected smartphone GPS location services and Bluetooth signal strength to pinpoint your stolen bike’s location”.

If your bike goes missing, you report it in the VanMoof app and to the police within 48 hours. Then, you’ll get a tracking link so you and VanMoof’s Bike Hunters can start searching. If there’s no joy in a fortnight, VanMoof will provide a replacement bike in a similar condition to the one you’ve had stolen.

VanMoof’s Theft Proof costs £150 a year or £280 for two years. 

CactUs: the bike lock that stinks

CactUs bike lock (credit: CactUs)

The idea of CactUs is pretty simple: it’s a D-lock (or a U-lock, if you prefer that term) that releases “an ultra-nauseating gas” if it is cut, the idea being to deter theft.

This one is so new that it’s not actually out there yet (at the time of writing), although CactUs is available to pre-order at a price of €179.99 (which converts to about £151).

Back to the concept… CactUs is a French design that gives off a foul smell if attacked by a thief. It’s made from a high-strength alloy with an anti-angle grinder coating, but the unique feature is that it contains pressurised putrescine gas that will be released if cut.

CactUs says that the gas has “a corpse-like smell”. Putrescine is partly responsible for the foul odour of putrefying flesh. If that doesn’t sound good, it’s not supposed to. CactUs says there is no risk of injury or harm from putrescine at this concentration and volume, but that it is unpleasant and can cause eye irritation and shortness of breath.

The aim, of course, is to get the would-be thief to give up and go away. In fact, the lock is labelled to say that it contains pressurised putrescine, and the hope is to deter thieves from attacking it in the first place.

US-based Skunklock already produces a lock that houses “vomit-inducing” chemicals that are released when it is cut. Skunklock says the chemicals are non-toxic and aren’t legally classed as ‘weaponised’, but it now produces a non-chemical version because it faced “difficulties in terms of selling the original lock in certain countries”.

Today: the CactUs lock is still in the prototype phase, although it is available to preorder at €179.99. Once it goes into full production, the full price of the lock will be €259.99 (which converts to around £219).

www.cactuslock.com

Smoke ’em out with an anti-theft fogging system

There are various smoke-fogging security systems out there that fill a room, garage or other indoor space with a thick fog to deter theft if its sensors detect movement. They’re most frequently used to protect business premises but can often be used in domestic situations too. 

The idea of SmokeCloak, for example, is that the ‘smoke’ reduces visibility to less than an arm’s length. Obviously, that would make it very difficult for a would-be thief to attack a bike lock. The hope is that they’ll turn tail and scarper.

SmokeCloak can initially activate for up to a minute. Then, if the density of the fog drops, the Cloak sensor (a vapour monitor) automatically reactivates. The fog will typically remain for around 45 minutes if the room is unventilated.

Will SmokeCloak damage your bike or anything else in the vicinity? Nope, it’s a harmless glycol vapour, it’s just visibility that’s affected.

Today: SmokeCloak is very much still on the scene. DB Security Services quotes a price of £1,095 for an installed SmokeCloak System Easy 600, for example, which is designed to fill 210m³ in 30 seconds. Okay, that’s not cheap, but if you’re protecting two or three bikes, say…

AirTag it! Apple’s tracking tech takes over the bike world

Apple AirTag – 4 pack (credit: Apple)

Pretty much everyone has heard of Apple’s AirTag over recent years, and many companies have incorporated the tech into bike-specific security systems.

Just in case you’re not up to speed, an AirTag is a small (31.9mm diameter) tracking device that uses Apple’s Find My network to detect and report Bluetooth signals. In a nutshell, AirTags are shown on a map in the Find My app by using Bluetooth signals from other iOS and iPadOS devices.

Lezyne Matrix Airtag bottle cage (credit: Lezyne)

Today: Lezyne is one of many brands that offer devices for holding an AirTag on your bike discreetly  so that a thief doesn’t spot and remove it. The Lezyne Matrix Air Cage (£30), for example, has a concealed compartment for an AirTag.

> Check out or review of the Lezyne Matrix Air Cage 

2024 Raceware Apple Airtag Holder installed on bike.JPG (credit: road.cc)

Raceware also makes several AirTag holders, often integrated into mounts for other accessories, and Muc-Off provides various AirTag holders, including ones that fit inside tubeless tyres.

GRUNDIG-bell_tracker-1_2048x2048 (credit: Grundig)

We recently reported on a new bell from Grundig with a built-in AirTag. Again, a thief is unlikely to suspect it’s there so they probably won’t try to remove or disable it. Although it has a regular price of £89, Grundig’s Bike Bell Findmy Tracker was £44 the last time we checked. We currently have one of these out with a reviewer.

Grundig also offers a bottle cage and even a reflector with the same tracking capability.

Track your stolen bike with Knog’s Scout

2022 Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder – with cover on.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Perhaps the best-known bike-specific tracker is the Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder. The idea is that it serves as a deterrent to theft in the first place, and then, if your bike is taken, it helps you track it down.

First up, then, the Knog Scout attaches to your bike under the bottle cage with tamper-proof screws and emits an 85-decibel alarm if it’s moved. That’s way too loud to be ignored. It’ll also send an automatic notification to your iPhone (it’s compatible with iOS only) when in Bluetooth range.

In terms of tracking, it works in the same way as an Apple AirTag, essentially using other people’s phones to reveal its position. The Scout sends out Bluetooth signals and then uses any device on the Find My network of Apple devices to relay that information to iCloud, which then sends the location to your Find My app, giving you a relatively accurate location on a map. Once the map shows you’re close, you can set off the alarm from your phone to locate it precisely.

Critics might say that integrating the tracker and the alarm might encourage a thief to remove the device by force before you’ve had a chance to find your bike, but we reviewed the Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder here on road.cc back in 2022 and described it as “an impressive device, with good battery life, a loud alarm, and accurate tracking”.

> Read our review of the Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder 

Today: the Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder is still in the range, priced at £49.99 – the same price it was when we reviewed it back in 2022.