Imobitag, anyone got one?

[Browser]

I got a spam fom Maxxraxx today, 'cos my car-mounted bike carrier came from them, about a product called an Imobitag which is used to identify a recovered stolen bike. By the looks of things you push a widget down the frame tube under the seatpost which contains a passive chip which the fuzz can interrogate using a hand-held gizmo. You register said product to you so they should be able to trace it back to you and return your bike. It's only £13.99 so I though it might be worth a shot when I get my new bike in June. Anyone got one/used one?

 

[summerdays]

I've got tag's of some variety in at least 3 of our bikes - I've got them put in for free at cycling events by the police. Its just an additional form of ID.

 

[Rezillo]

The ones that go down the seat tube in a kind of "one way" plastic bracket can be spotted and be removed or damaged, although I've only heard this anecdotally.

Immobitag also do one that is the size of a grain of rice. You can coat this in epoxy and stick it through one of the front bottle bosses, where it can't be seen or removed without cutting up the frame.

http://www.immobitag.com/uk/view.php?stage=product&category=1&product=3

I wish I could use these on something other than bikes - they'd be great for tagging hifi, TVs and PCs. I guess the makers wouldn't be that keen on encouraging us to take the covers off consumer electronic goods.

You can sometimes get the tags free or discounted via crime reduction promotions - worth checking your local police website. It's also a good place to check your police force is actively using the scanners.

John

 

[HJ]

I just registered the frame number on the immobilise.com, it's bit like a free version of the tagging...

 

[jann71]

I got an Imotag for Christmas, not used it yet as can't decide which bike to put it in!
It's one of the "push in frame" type.

 

[PatrickPending]

Ive put one in the frame of a bike I'll be building up in March, will probably get another for the Bob Jackson I built up last year

 

[John the Monkey]

I have one, but then I got it free at a crime reduction event last year.

Greater Manchester Police don't think much of them - the scanners are expensive, and they're not routinely carried by the officers who might stop a person pedalling off with your bike. They advise UV marking (most officers carry a portable UV light, at least in the city centre), registering your details on immobilise.com (it can be checked by an officer stopping someone on a bike they believe to be stolen) and crucially, buying and using THE BEST LOCK YOU CAN AFFORD.

 

[HJ]

I think that advice should be on a sticky in the Stolen Bikes forum...