Someone has just told me another theft story about a bike that was stolen from outside a bakery in Zurich. Thanks to the AirTag hidden inside, the owner found his bike half an hour later in a stairwell, presumably next to the thief's front door, and took it back without further ado.

But it's not always that easy with the trackers on the bike, as this story shows.

The first hurdle is for the thief to discover the AirTag on the bike and immediately remove it. Another is the battery, which in the unfortunate event runs out just when it is most needed. This happened to one of the developers at ElevationLab with a photo bag that contained equipment worth 10,000 dollars.

TimeCapsule: ten years of battery life for the AirTAg

To counter this risk, ElevationLab has developed a device that allows an AirTag to run for no less than ten years. This is achieved with two AA batteries that keep the tracking pill on air. They also replace the usual button cell. Another advantage is that the box does not show that it is transmitting location data. In contrast to the AirTag, whose appearance should be familiar to experienced bike thieves by now.

However, the Time Capsule is not as easy to hide in the frame as the coin-sized AirTag. And finally, the Apple tracker only reveals its position if there is a switched-on iPhone in the vicinity that receives and transmits its signal.

Nevertheless, an AirTag on a bike is better than nothing and may be the last hope, especially for individually designed favorite pieces. The insurance sum may cover the damage financially. It cannot bring back the "one and only" bike.