Has anyone tried Immobibike or Bikeregister?

[The Silverfox]

I was thinking of registering both my wife’s and my bikes to help identify if stolen.

It seems the two main ones are Immobibike and Bikeregister, both of which have a database that the police use if they find any bikes.

Bikeregister uses a stencil system to mark the bike somewhere on the frame that contains a unique ID number that can be tracked back to the owner.

Immobibike uses a small device that is put inside the seat down tube and can be detected with a scanner, giving a unique ID that tracks back to the owner.

I don’t particularly want to mark the bike and would imagine the marking could be filed off or painted over so am leaning toward Immobibike.

I was wondering if anyone had used either of these or knew of anyone that had their bike returned due to having used one of these system.

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Edited as I got the two system the wrong way round. Thanks to @cyclebuddy for pointing it out.

 

[cyclebuddy]

Bikeregister uses a small device that is put inside the seat down tube and can be detected with a scanner, giving a unique ID that tracks back to the owner.

ImmobiBike is a similar chip system here - in both my e-bikes. You buy an RFID chip that you push into your seatpost downtube with a broom handle. Plod use scanners to read the chip and check against the database. Halfords sell them too (£12 last time I bought one). DataTag offer a similar one, which is in my old analogue bike, but still registered on immobilise.

 

[The Silverfox]

ImmobiBike is a similar chip system here - in both my e-bikes. You buy an RFID chip that you push into your seatpost downtube with a broom handle. Plod use scanners to read the chip and check against the database. Halfords sell them too (£12 last time I bought one). DataTag offer a similar one, which is in my old analogue bike, but still registered on immobilise.

Apologies and thanks for the correction, I got the two the wrong way round, Bikeregister uses the stencil system and Immobibike the chip system.

 

[cyclebuddy]

Who knows if Plod actually scan recovered bikes anyway, but on an e-bike of your value, I'd say it's a no-brainer. Having the bike tagged might just save the day.

 

[The Silverfox]

Who knows if Plod actually scan recovered bikes anyway, but on an e-bike of your value, I'd say it's a no-brainer. Having the bike tagged might just save the day.

Yes, I did think that. I can't image scanning bikes is top of their list. I prefer the stencil approach in as much as the ID is visible and obvious so more chance of going to a website and entering the code. Also, if somebody is buying off a marketplace it gives them something to check, although as I said any thief could just paint or put a sticker over it which makes it pointless. Both systems comes with 'tamper-proof' stickers whatever that means.

For a layout of £30 on over £6000 of bikes it's worth it I think. I was just interested to see if there was anyone that actually had a bike returned through one of these systems.

 

[matthewslack]

My leased bike is on Bike register, done by the bike shop or supplier before delivery, conspicuous but neat and tidy.

Might not works as well on red frames!

 

[cyclebuddy]

Also, if somebody is buying off a marketplace it gives them something to check, although as I said any thief could just paint or put a sticker over it which makes it pointless. Both systems comes with 'tamper-proof' stickers whatever that means.

The ImmobiBike stickers are a thin film with super-strong adhesive. One of mine accidentally went on squint. It looked naff, so with difficulty and mild solvent, I removed it without any paint damage.

There's nothing stopping you registering your bikes with Immobilise using your frame serial numbers; IIRC that's free. The RFID chip is IMHO a back-up. Every deterrent helps.