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review
Accessories - misc
Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger2023 Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger - 1.jpg

Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger

6
by John Stevenson
Thu, Nov 02, 2023 15:45
0
£20.00

VERDICT:

6
10
Well-designed AirTag holder, but a bit obviously a tracking device
Sealed
Fairly well concealed
Doesn't impair AirTag signals
Outside the bike
A bit pricey
Weight: 
28g
Contact: 
www.upgradebikes.co.uk
How we test

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The Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger works well as an AirTag cubby, but does its limited concealment reduce its usefulness as a security device?

Yet another Apple AirTag holder, the Matrix sits under your bottle cage and holds your AirTag inside a reinforced plastic case, with an o-ring to keep out the elements.

It mounts under your bottle cage with two T25 security screws, 25mm long to handle the extra depth of the Bike Tagger and your cage. That's enough extra length to handle even the thickest cage I tried; if you're using something like Topeak Alt-Position Cage Mounts to move your cage up or down, then you'll need to trim them.

The screws have a tiny protrusion in the middle so you need the right matching bit to turn them, and Lezyne includes one of those. These bits are freely available (it turned out I already had one in my Wera Zyklop set), but they're an extra level of inconvenience for a thief who suspects there might be an AirTag somewhere on your bike.

2023 Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger - security bit.jpg

Fitting your AirTag is simple. Take out the screws, twist the two halves one eighth of a turn, pop in AirTag and reverse the process to close.

2023 Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger - open.jpg

The Bike Tagger sits nicely under your bottle cage and the o-ring keeps out the wet. The reinforced plastic body doesn't significantly impede the radio signals that an AirTag needs to work its magic.

2023 Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger on bike.jpeg

My biggest misgiving about the Bike Tagger is that it's still fairly visible to a thief checking your bike for tracking devices. It's not as bad as some, because the bottle cage affords it a bit of concealment, but it's still fairly obvious that there's Something under the cage that's not part of cage or bike.

> Inside the mind of a bike thief — learn how to protect your bike

It's also on the pricey side at £20, thanks to the intricate moulding of the two interlocking halves and the o-ring. I think the extra money is worth it for the weather protection, but you could well achieve similar protection with a cheaper mount and a good slathering of silicone grease.

Rivals

Topeak has a range of AirTag holders that includes the £9.99 Cage Mount For AirTag. Like this Lezyne mount, it sits under your bottle cage, but the Lezyne has a seal and the Topeak doesn't.

Since we reviewed it, Muc-Off has fixed the radio-barrier problem with its £29.99 Tag Holder, now renamed the Secure AirTag Holder.

A mooch around eBay and Amazon turns up under-bottle AirTag holders for as little as four quid. The security bolts are chromed and not stainless and the sealing's apparently not great, but it's FOUR QUID. So I bought one and will report back when it arrives.

Conclusions

Lezyne has made a good fist of the under-bottle AirTag carrier notion here. Over the years I've learned to think like a (smarter) bike thief and if I were in the stolen bike business I think I'd find this easy to spot. Lezyne's own Matrix Air Cage is a better design when it comes to hiding an AirTag, but its seals and tidy construction make this the best under-cage AirTag mount I've seen.

Who should buy the Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger?

If you want a high-quality way of AirTagging your bike and are happy with its limited concealment, the Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger does the job.

Verdict

Well-designed AirTag holder, but a bit obviously a tracking device

road.cc test report

Make and model: Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger

Size tested: Width: 98mm. Length: 45.3mm. Height: 11.6mm.

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's a widget to attach an AirTag to your bike, using bottle cage mounts, either on its own or under your bottle cage.

Lezyne says:

"Our cleverly designed Matrix Bike Tagger conceals the readily available Apple AirTag* to any bike with standard bottle cage mounts. Whether fastened under a bottle cage or bolted to the variety of mounts offered on modern bike frames, anyone can discreetly keep their bike(s) more secure using Apple's 'FindMy' network. We built these from our proven lightweight and durable Composite Matrix materials and went even further to make them IPX7 waterproof. Using a simple twist-and-turn function to latch in the AirTag, and attaching to a bike frame with the provided TR25 security bolts, tracking a missing bike has never been easier or more discreet."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Includes TR25 security bolts and tool.

Ultra-wideband tested.

SPECS:

Weight:

28g

Dimensions:

45.3mm, 98mm, 11.6mm

Love the 0.1mm precision there!

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Tidily moulded.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Works really well as an AirTag holder, but perhaps not as well as a hiding place for a tracking device.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Lezyne's Matrix plastic is tough as old boots.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

It's a reasonable weight for what it does.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

There are much cheaper AirTag holders out there, though they're not usually as well sealed as this.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well: AirTag signals get through, the water stays out.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Sealing and tidy construction.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It's visibly a tracking device if you know what you're looking for.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Topeak has a range of AirTag holders that includes the £9.99 Cage Mount For AirTag. Like this Lezyne mount, it sits under your bottle cage, but the Lezyne has a seal and the Topeak doesn't.

Since we reviewed it, Muc-Off has fixed the radio-barrier problem with its £29.99 Tag Holder, now renamed the Secure AirTag Holder.

A mooch around eBay and Amazon turns up under-bottle AirTag holder for as little as four quid. The security bolts are chromed and not stainless and the sealing's apparently not great, but it's FOUR QUID.

Did you enjoy using the product? Insofar as one can enjoy using a tag holder, yes.

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Bike Tagger scores well as an AirTag holder, but loses marks for being a fairly obvious tracking device.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 56  Height: 5ft 11in  Weight: 100kg

I usually ride: Scapin Style  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb,

Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger 2023
Lezyne Matrix Bike Tagger
Lezyne 2023
Lezyne
John Stevenson

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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