GPS Bike trackers - any good?

[captain nemo1701]

After suffering yet another theft (thieving scroats smashed their way into locked bike shed at work), I was thinking of getting one of these new bike trackers on the market, the sort that hide in the headset etc. What are peoples experience of these?. At £100 a shot, I'd appreciate any advice etc before purchase. Thanks

 

[ianrauk]

Lose a bike
Lose £100 on top.

OK, so it tracks the bike to a scrotes house. What then?
You think the police will be bothered to chase it up? Will you go round the house ready to accost a scrote?

The tracker. How long do the batteries last?

I would rather pay £100 for a couple of heavy duty locks myself.
If you have a shed at work you can leave them there rather then lugging them around.
Scrotes look for the easiest option. If your bike is locked up better then the others, they will go for those.

 

[ufkacbln]

The Police in San Franciso had a novel way of using these

They have GPS tracked "bait bikes" that they allow to be stolen and then track



When caught the culprits are not only dealt with in the normal fashion, but exposed on social media (Twitter is #thankYou4TakingOurBaitBike)

Also effective is a bike sticker with "Is this a bait bike?" on it..... deterrence by making the bike less attractive


PS I am not sure that the "Death to bike thieves" sticker on his light is official policy

 

[cyberknight]

Lose a bike
Lose £100 on top.

OK, so it tracks the bike to a scrotes house. What then?
You think the police will be bothered to chase it up? Will you go round the house ready to accost a scrote?

The tracker. How long do the batteries last?

I would rather pay £100 for a couple of heavy duty locks myself.
If you have a shed at work you can leave them there rather then lugging them around.
Scrotes look for the easiest option. If your bike is locked up better then the others, they will go for those.

Thats my plan at work , plenty of other bikes left about worth more with locks you can chew with your teeth .