How we lost, tracked and located a bicycle in 10 minutes

Friday past, Enrico locked his bike in the centre of Stellenbosch. The bike was stolen.

As soon as the theft happened, Enrico got an instant WhatsApp notification. He escalated immediately to ABC Security’s control room, also via WhatsApp.

Within moments, response members were dispatched to attempt to intercept the crook.

What followed was an incredible show of coordinated response:
Almost 300 local security operatives — including ABC, municipal officers, SAPS, other private security groups, and community members of Stellenbosch Watch — began tracking the bike in real time, using only phone and on-screen internet browsers. No apps, no installs — just links and live data.

The bike moved quickly into a high-density area, so quickly that the stolen bike was indeed faster than any chasing car, and went into an area the security people, other than (SAPS) the police, will not go.

SAPS visited the property promptly but were only allowed – by the home owner – to enter four hours later.
By then, the bike was invisible, possibly hidden in an outhouse? The 3BO tracker kept pinging. It remained active and clearly located on the premises.

  • The tracker lasted 10 hours, pinging every 30 seconds
  • (Enrico did put it into sleep mode, via Whatsapp, but the bike did move around, on the premises, thus still eating away at the battery)
  • No extra app, just browser-based live tracking
  • Security response via WhatsApp escalation
  • Real-time multi-agency coordination
  • Still operational despite being in a tampered, hidden state
  • Did Enrico lose his bike? Yes. Did it confirm a few facts? Yes. Ask us what, in the public domain on Linkedin, if you wish.

Why This Matters

We’re not just building tech — we’re solving real problems.
The challenges of tracking bicycles (without onboard power) are more complex than scooters or cars. Yet, we’ve gone beyond MVP level with success in arguably the hardest vertical in micro-mobility.

Why work with us?

  • Remote configurability — tweak tracker behaviour on-the-fly
  • Deep mounting integrations — tamper-proof, thief-proof, weatherproof
  • Works on bikes, scooters, cars, trailers, you name it — with or without external power
  • We also offer panic button and man-down features, built on the same trusted hard- and software platforms as our bike trackers.