South African bike security startup 3BO (which we covered a while ago here) is heading to the Tour de France.
The company's GPS tracker, designed specifically for bicycles, was tested at the Giro d'Italia by at least one men's WorldTour team, with no bikes lost over the course of the race.
The AIGCP, the trade body for professional cycling teams, has since recommended it to all men's and women's WorldTour squads. Founder Carinus Lemmer confirmed the news to Velo on 10 June 2026.
Interesting insights on the SA bike tracker in the Tour de France
The device measures 62 x 54 x 20mm, mounts under the saddle or on bottle-cage bosses, and runs for days to a week on a charge. Unlike consumer trackers like Apple AirTag, 3BO uses WhatsApp to push alerts when motion or tampering is detected, so owners do not need to install another app.
The escalation network can fan out to riding buddies, team mechanics, community groups or security responders within seconds.
Lemmer is no rookie either: He previously helped build the radar technology Garmin acquired for its Varia radar system. Pro cycling teams transport more than three dozen bikes worth up to $15,000 each per team, plus tools and spares, and only roughly 5% of stolen bikes are ever recovered globally.
Consumer sales open in September 2026 via Benelux bike retailers at around $100 plus a $50 to $100 annual subscription.
From a stolen bike in Spain to a Tour de France debut
Lemmer's own bike was stolen at a Spanish airport during a layover, and the whole company is downstream of that. Three years later, the AIGCP recommends it to every WorldTour team.
SA-built tech keeps finding global stages from improbable starting points, from the Cape Town agency that built Kickstarter's top four games campaigns ever to the Joburg fintech that sold to Mastercard.
The bike tracker is the latest in this run. The product also reads as deeply SA in its design choices: WhatsApp-first rather than another app to install, visible deterrent over hidden tracking and community escalation.
That is not what a Silicon Valley team would have built first.
You might also like our startup opportunities cycling deep dive, the rent-to-own bikes opportunity for SA, and ask can this AI finally curb SA crime?
Get more SA tech and business news and subscribe to The Open Letter.
