Topeak Cage Mount For Airtag

The Topeak Cage Mount For AirTag is a decent mount that is easy to fit and doesn't appear to have any noticeable impact on the AirTag's signal. However, it doesn't completely seal the AirTag, which isn't the end of the world but it does mean there could be some water ingress.

When Apple released its AirTags a few years ago I remember getting a set and finding it annoyingly difficult to find any bike mounts for them. Today you can choose from a multitude of different suppliers, mount types, colours and places to mount them.

Topeak's cage mount is the latest one I have bolted to a bike to see how effective it is.

The most important element of any AirTag mount is how well it allows signal to be tracked. Different materials have different impacts on how well the signal can be picked up by an iPhone. For instance, an aluminium mount will still work but it has a Faraday cage effect that limits the signal strength. Topeak has used what it refers to as an 'Engineering grade polymer' (ie plastic) that has appeared to have had no detrimental impact on the AirTag's signal.

I tested this through both long-range tests and short-range tests and it performed more or less in the same way as a bare AirTag. The only difference I could notice was a difference of about one foot when using the 'Find Nearby' feature, which doesn't really make any odds when trying to find your bike – unless it's a very, very small bike! Further away I found that I could identify the position of the AirTag to the same accuracy as a bare version.

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You fit the mount to the bike using a couple of security Torx bolts, so you can't use a Torx key to remove them. They screw into the regular cage bolt holes on the frame easily and once there I didn't notice any movement or loosening during use.

Putting the AirTag into the mount is simple – you just take a sort of ring off the back of the mount, place the AirTag inside and replace the ring. This ring sits against the frame, and as it's not possible for the ring to come off, it doesn't need to be excessively secured.

This approach means that the slightly bulbous AirTag can protrude a little through the centre of the ring, which is probably why there's no discernible impact on the signal strength – but it does mean that it is more exposed to the elements than other mounts on the market. That said, the AirTag itself does have a very impressive IP67 rating, which means it's completely protected against airborne particles and water, including submersion in a metre of water. Unless you're taking your bike for a swim you should be okay...

For most of the review period I had this mounted on the underside of my gravel bike's down tube and tackled some extremely mucky trails. It still works today, which is perhaps as good of a demonstration as any that the mount is a) fine with this design and b) AirTags are fairly bombproof.

Value

The £9.99 RRP seems reasonable. For instance, the Muc-Off Secure Tag Holder that I reviewed last year comes in at £29.99 and is more secure, as it's made from aluminium, but that security impacts on the signal quality from the AirTag.

If you want to mount your AirTag inside your tyre you could also go for the Muc-Off Stealth Tubeless Tag Holder that Suvi rated highly, but the holder alone comes in at £15.99, and while it offers an invisible mounting, it doesn't give you the same kind of access if needed.

Conclusion

Overall, I was impressed by the AirTag mount, which doesn't noticeably impact signal, is easy to install and doesn't cost the earth. However, it does leave the AirTag more open to the elements than other options, which could theoretically lead to water ingress. Though given the AirTag's impressive imperviousness to both dust and water, this doesn't feel like a major concern.

Verdict

A simple and effective way to mount an AirTag without impacting signal strength