Finding the Right Bike GPS Tracker

The Spy Tec STI is being advertised as one of the best bike trackers, but we do have our sincere doubts about how much a tracker this big would survive in the hands of a bike thief. The black box is pretty big and visible and would probably be taken down in an instant if the thief is smart enough to figure out what it is (for the sake of argument, let's assume they do). But if you manage to hide the tracker, everything else about it is pretty neat.

With a simple AA battery, you can get about 2 weeks of runtime to always find the exact position of your bike. And it doesn't stop there. You can hide it inside your kid's backpack, in your car, or place it in or on whatever object you wish to track. The bike's location (or whatever else you're following) is updated every 5 seconds, so the information you get is very accurate. In addition, it features a waterproof case to withstand rain, making it suitable for placement even on the lower side of your bike.

However, you will pay a monthly subscription fee of $25 if you want to use this service. Since the tracker conveniently syncs with Google Maps, you will have the exact location of your tracker and whatever it's attached to at all times. You can also download your tracking history and save it on your bike computer.

Let's talk about the Garmin Edge 820 bundle. The 820 was not designed as an anti-theft device but as a bike GPS tracker. It provides cyclists with lots of useful information and allows them to stay connected to their friends.

First, we need to mention that this is the most complete and expensive bike kit, but you can purchase the base model without all the fancy features. The package contains the bike tracking device bundle, as well as the remote control. But let's take one at a time.

The bundle itself contains both a speed sensor and a cadence sensor. As a bonus, you also have a heart rate monitor that features a chest strap. The internal 16 GB memory provides a decent amount of storage. 

But let's get to the more interesting parts of the 820. The Incident Alert feature will send notifications to your emergency contact and inform them of your current location. However, the feature is a bit tricky and gets triggered even when you're just riding over a bumpy road. You will receive a notification that the unit is about to alert your specified contact, and you have 20 seconds to cancel the action before it goes through. The GroupTrack feature allows you to keep in touch with the other cyclists, which is useful when you stray from the pack. On top of that, the battery life promises to keep the bike tracking device running for about 15 continuous hours.

The battery-powered remote control is here for laps marking and scrolling forward. You can program the third button to control a series of preset functions. The LED buttons offer good visual cues for button responsiveness or sleep mode activation.

While we are not particularly fond of the XCSOURCE TKSTAR TK906 bike tracker, we wanted to show you what a hidden unit can do and how well it can perform. This GPS tracker doubles as a taillight, so it stays hidden enough for the bike thief not to notice it. The device works based on the existing GPS and GSM networks and GPS satellites. It will track your bike using the internet and promises the integration of advanced technology given by AGPS and GPS dual positioning.

The device updates the location of your bike every 5 seconds, (within a 5-meter accuracy). You can use your smartphone and the designated cycling app to get the information needed. The platform will provide you with a 1-year history of tracking information. There is an SOS button that you can press in case of emergencies. When pressed, the button sends a help SMS to the phone numbers you've previously authorized. Thanks to the geofencing option, you can set up a designated area where the tracker cannot leave. If the bike is moved outside the given limits, the tracker will notify the authorized phone numbers, just like it does with the SOS alert feature.

Upon ordering the TK906, you will also receive a USB cable, a pin, and 2 screws, as well as the user manual.

The GL300W is another convenient vehicle tracker that may or may not be compatible with your bike. Attach it under the bike's seat using Velcro straps for concealment. While there are many things that we like about the unit, not everyone is willing to pay the $25 subscription plan, so it may not be the ideal purchase for everyone looking for a bike tracker. But let's see how this baby performs.

It features a very generous number of alerts, keeping you informed in a multitude of situations. For example, you'll know when the bike is on the move and when it's parked, or even when the bike exceeds a certain speed limit. You can also establish location limits and get notified when the bike leaves the predetermined area. The device is delivered with an international SIM card, which is pretty cool considering that you can use it in almost every country of the world. You can configure the tracker to give you location updates as frequently as 10 seconds, as well as the tracking history of the past 12 months. The kit also contains a wall charger and instructions on how to activate it.

As long as you manage to conceal the Amcrest AM-GL300 V3 tracker under the bike's seat, you will have a very reliable and feature-packed unit that will always let you know where your bike is. Sadly, we have come across many good units that aren't designed for being mounted on bikes. Of course, you can mount them, but since they are hard to conceal, they are pretty easy to take apart and destroy. But if you manage to find your way around that with Velcro straps and zip ties, you can enjoy greater peace of mind.

The Amcrest cycling app is available in both Google Play and App Store, so it's compatible with Android and iOS-based smartphones. You will have to pay a monthly subscription plan of almost $20 to enjoy their service. But once you do, you can start enjoying the many features of this GPS tracker. With the possibility to establish zones of interest, you will receive notifications when your bike is taken out of a specific area. In addition, you can opt for SMS or e-mail notifications within seconds of potential theft.

To access the information stored, you can use anything from your smartphone to your PC and monitor the activity with great ease. The magnetic casing is IP67 certified, making it waterproof and completely protecting the unit. The battery can last up to 10 days on a full charge, which is pretty impressive when you think how fast your phone battery drains each time you have location information activated (not to mention Google Maps running). Inside the package, you will discover the tracking unit, a power adaptor for charging the device, SIM card information, a quick start guide, and the 1 year manufacturer's warranty.

Thanks to magnetic mounting brackets for allowing us to attach the Optimus 2.0 to a bike, although we face the same problem of having difficulty concealing the unit as we should. Leaving that out of the picture, we're pretty thrilled about what the 2.0 has to offer, although we've noticed that there aren't any considerable differences between these similarly-priced units. First and foremost, you need to know about the $20 subscription fee required to use the service.

The app is very intuitive and easy to use. It sends push notifications when the bike starts moving, when it's speeding, when it's low on battery, and when the geofence feature detects the bike leaving the designed perimeter. On a full charge, the battery of this tracker should last about 2 weeks. You can customize the frequency of position notifications to receive them as often as 10 seconds, but be aware that this option will drain the battery a lot faster.