Bike insuranceStreatham recovery
Bike insurance with a covert GPS tracker built in.
Most bike insurance pays out after the bike's already gone. BackPedal fits a covert GSM, GPS and BLE tracker — included with your subscription — so when your bike is stolen we actually go and get it back. Insurance is the safety net, not the plan.
- +80%Recovery rate
- ~48hTypical recovery time
- 24/7In-house ops team
Recovery with no exclusions
Even if you forgot to lock up — we still recover your bike.
Full insurance backup included
Underwritten by Sundays Insurance, FCA regulated.
Tracking kit & professional installation
Covert GSM, GPS & BLE tracking kit — expertly installed, all part of your subscription.
Watch one of our recoveries
Trusted by thousands of families, commuters, racers and delivery riders because we do more than just insure… we recover.
What's in your tracking kit
We don't fit one tracker — we fit three technologies that cover each other's blind spots. Up to £149 of kit per bike, included with your subscription.
- GSM
Long-range network tracking
Uses the mobile network to report position across the UK, even when the bike's out of range of GPS satellites — underground car parks, dense buildings, indoor storage.
- GPS
Pinpoint outdoor accuracy
Standard GPS positioning gets us to within a few metres outdoors. Combined with our recovery team's experience, it's what powers most of our 80%+ recovery rate.
- BLE
Short-range proximity beacon
Bluetooth Low Energy lets us close the final distance when the bike's somewhere we can't reach by network alone — usually inside a building or vehicle.
Why a covert tracker beats an AirTag
The most common DIY bike tracker is an Apple AirTag taped under the saddle or hidden in the seatpost. They're cheap, easy to fit, and almost completely ineffective against professional bike theft. Three reasons:
- AirTags rely on a passing iPhone to relay position. Professional thieves know how to scan for them and disable them within minutes.
- Once a thief opens an iPhone's Find My to scan, the AirTag announces itself. They're findable.
- Finding the bike is only half the problem. Recovering it requires showing up, having credentials to engage with the holder, and (often) coordinating with the police. AirTag owners are stuck with a dot on a map.
We've written a full comparison of covert trackers vs proximity trackers in the best GPS tracker for bike guide. The short version: covert location-aware trackers backed by an actual recovery team are the only thing that consistently gets bikes back.
How BackPedal works
Three steps. Covert trackers go on your bike, you call us when it's stolen, and our agents go and get it back. We've recovered over 80% of bikes reported to us.
01
Install trackers
Our mechanics fit covert GSM, GPS & BLE trackers to your bike anywhere in London — at the time and place you choose, 8am to 8pm, every day.
UP TO £149 OF KIT8AM–8PM, DAILY
02
24/7 Recovery OpsReport a theft
When your bike goes, you call our 24/7 hotline. We deploy recovery agents the same hour and keep you updated until it's back.
24/7 HOTLINESAME-HOUR DEPLOY
03
RecoveredOn its way homeBike recovered
We track it down, check it for damage, return it to your door, and handle the police report and any insurance claim on your behalf.
+80% RECOVEREDCLAIM HANDLED
+80%
Recovery rate
~48h
Typical recovery time
24/7
In-house ops team
Real recovery footage · updated weekly
Watch us
get them back.
Every clip is real footage from a BackPedal recovery, filmed by our agents on the ground. New recoveries land every week.
Watch the recoveries
Streatham6 hours to recover1:19
Stratford22 hours to recover1:12
Brighton2 days to recover1:15
Twickenham13 hours to recover1:11
London9 days to recover1:06
Hounslow23 hours to recover1:11
Kensington10 days to recover1:03the wall
Traditional bike
insurance vs
BackPedal
A bike is stolen every 2 minutes in the UK. Fewer than 2% of thieves are ever caught. Traditional insurers don't care — they just price it into your premium. The thief profits. You start again. Nothing changes.
BackPedal is different. We track your bike, recover it, and return it to you — so the thief gets nothing. Insurance is our backup, not our business model.
What you get
RecommendedBackPedalRecovery + Insurance
Other Bike InsuranceTypical Policy
01Recovery & Protection
Get your actual bike back
Covert GPS tracking included
24/7 recovery team deployed
Bike stolen? One call and we take over
02No exclusions on recovery
Forgot to lock up? Still covered
Left outside your house? Still covered
Stolen whilst riding? Still covered
03Insurance
If we can't recover your bike, our backup insurance by Sundays kicks in — the same kind of cover you'd get from any other bike insurer. Standard terms apply and claims are subject to approval.
Financial cover for a replacement bike
Accessory cover
Theft damage cover
Excess
£50*
Varies
* No excess on recovery claims. £200 excess for battery-only insurance claims.
★ ★ ★ AS SEEN ON TV
On the hunt
with TV crews
Three film crews. Three networks. One question — what does it actually look like to recover a stolen bike? Press play and find out.
45 minFeatured · BBC One
Trace, Track, Get My Car Back
In London, bike recovery specialist Bilal hunts down an ebike's GPS signal to a block of flats — and is shocked to discover what looks like a bike chop shop inside.
Watch on BBC iPlayer Series 1 · Episode 15 · 45 min
Crime + Investigation · 60 min
Bike Theft: London's Recovery Crew
“A routine recovery spirals into public confrontations, police involvement and a chase across multiple thefts — showing how unpredictable stolen bike recoveries can be.”
Watch on YouTube
Channel 4 Dispatches · 30 min
Britain's Bike Theft Capital
“Dispatches secretly films suspected handlers and goes on the trail of stolen bikes with our team.”
Watch on YouTubeThe kit · £150 of trackers
Covert trackers,
disguised & hidden
Every bike we protect gets a covert tracking kit — hidden away within the bike itself, or tucked into one of 17 disguised casings, so no two bikes look alike and thieves never learn the hiding spots.
Depending on your bike, that's some mix of an always-on Live GPS, a no-wires Sleeper GPS that wakes the moment your bike's reported stolen, and a short-range Proximity Beacon that leads our agents to it indoors. Read more about the trackers.
Handlebar cable coverCovers any brake, gear and electrical cables whilst hiding the tracker
Browse the disguises · tap to preview
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Rated 4.7 · 35 reviews on Trustpilot
Our customers love us
July 2026
Not all heroes wear capes...
It was past midnight and I didn't have much hope of anything happening that night… Richard answered immediately… By 5pm, Edgar had delivered my bike to my home, in exactly the same condition as it was before.
I cannot recommend this service highly enough - if you care about your bike, it's a no brainer!
July 2026
Who are you gonna call?
My Canyon e-bike was stolen… they were professional, knowledgeable, reassuring and super responsive. They kept me informed throughout the process. Most importantly, they successfully recovered my bike within 10 hours of me contacting them.
…it was like a military operation and they won.
May 2026
I can't recommend backpedal enough
To my absolute amazement, they successfully recovered my bike within 2 hours. What really stood out was the customer service; they kept me updated the entire time, providing constant peace of mind during a chaotic situation.
They've earned a lifelong customer… Truly spectacular service!
November 2025
Game changer company!
Edgar from Backpedal got our bike back within an hour of reporting the theft. The whole process was caring, professional and fast - I'm so impressed. I'd highly recommend Backpedal - since police isn't going to do anything, these guys are absolute heroes! Thank you!
January 2026
A superb team. If you have a nice bike in London its a no brainer.
A superb team from start to finish. Everyone in the office was helpful, kind, and extremely supportive. Having people on your side who know what they're doing can completely change an otherwise frustrating and futile situation into a positive one. I called in the morning and had my bike back by the afternoon. Edgar is sharp, efficient, and exactly the person you want when it comes to recoveries.
June 2026
The BackPedal team is amazing
The BackPedal team is amazing! They retrieved my bike within hours of reporting it, and made the whole process look trivial and reassuring. The experience is really like their instagram videos.
These guys are clearly professionals that can be trusted and on top of that they are super nice!
See all 35 reviews on Trustpilot
Reviews shown verbatim from our public Trustpilot profile.
GPS tracker FAQs
Is the GPS tracker actually included in the bike insurance?
Yes — the tracking kit (up to £149 of hardware) and professional installation are both bundled into the BackPedal subscription. Year 1 is paid annually upfront — the annual fee covers the tracker, the install, 24/7 recovery service, and backup theft insurance. From year 2 you can switch to monthly billing or stay annual at a discount.
Where do you install the GPS tracker on a bike?
Our mechanics fit the tracker covertly inside the frame or another concealed spot, depending on the bike model. The location is deliberately hidden — if a thief can see and remove the tracker, it stops being useful. Installation takes about 30 minutes and happens at a time and place that suits you, 8am to 8pm, anywhere in London zones 1–4.
How long does the GPS tracker battery last?
Battery life depends on the tracker variant — our standard kit lasts months to over a year on a single charge with normal-use reporting intervals, and longer with low-frequency reporting. We monitor battery levels remotely and proactively reach out before a service is needed.
Is an AirTag a good bike tracker?
Apple AirTags work for finding bikes inside your home or office. For serious bike theft they're a weak option: they rely on a nearby iPhone to relay position (which professional thieves know to scan for and disable), they're easy to spot and remove, and they don't include a recovery team. We've written more on this in our covert vs proximity tracker guide.
What if the thief finds the tracker?
Most don't — that's the point of covert installation. If they do find one, our kit uses multiple tracking technologies (GSM, GPS, BLE) so a single point of failure doesn't end the recovery. And our 24/7 recovery team is monitoring in real time the moment you report a theft, so we usually have a fix on the bike before it reaches its first handover point.
Can I move the tracker to a new bike?
Yes — get in touch and we'll re-fit the tracker to your new bike. There's a small re-installation fee for the mechanic visit, but the hardware itself stays with you as long as you're subscribed.
Bike insurance + tracker, one subscription
Covert GSM + GPS + BLE tracker, professional installation, 24/7 recovery team, and backup theft insurance — all bundled. Year 1 is annual upfront; monthly billing available from year 2. See your price in 60 seconds.