adamtki

Are there any locks out there that can be unlocked/locked remotely? Especially one that can lock the wheels in place? I think having something like that can save a lot of time over the long run.

CrosseyedCrickt

erm....
ummmm....
how will that save time?
You'd still have to manually run the cable or wot-not.

*confused*

Lossy

Like inside the hub so it wouldn't rotate?

rs_woods

Trek used to make locks like that on their T80 bikes. It wasn't remote controlled, but it was just as quick with a key (think "car door" easy). I don't know of any remote controlled ones, but I think it would be useful against theives. Obviously when locking the bike up and leaving it you would need to lock it to something stationary, but if you're riding by at night and assaulted for your bike, you can just flip on the remote lock and the thief goes nowhere & has no idea why they're going nowhere.

Frankenbiker

Imagine, if you will, a miscreant stops you and demands your bike. You calmly hand over your priceless ride and watch as he pedals away. You wait until he has picked up some speed, say about a block away and in traffic. Then… you reach into your pocket and press the remote control. Steel bolts spring out of their stored position on each wheel, passing through the spokes and immediately lock up both wheels. The miscreant does a face plant in heavy traffic. Bwahahaha. These bolts, of course, latch in their extended position and can not be pushed back in place without a reset command from the remote control and physically pushing the bolts back into position while pressing the remote control. Sounds so James Bond-ish. I love it.

deputyjones

When I was in the Netherlands a lot of newer bikes used a rear wheel lock that was permanently mounted to the seat stay cross bar (the thing above the rear tire. sorry, new to bikes and that part probably has a name that I am unaware of.) They were typically spring loaded and worked with a key, but I could see how that could be easily adapted via some solenoid type mechanism to work remotely.

Although that was effective in the Netherlands it would be worthless in the US as someone would just throw your whole bike in the back of their p/u and drive away.

Air

I was just thinking that - awesome! Even better if it had GPS capabilities so it didn't matter where you were!

Mchaz

The part that's even more funny...The unit mal****ions and sends you into a face-plant in hevy traffic.

CrosseyedCrickt

forego the remote part
if you have CPS disc brakes just tighten them down when you park it and remember how many clicks, then untighten them before you start going again

ax0n

GPS? Hopefully you mean satellite transponder (like LoJack, satellite phones, and OnStar use). GPS will only recieve orbit data and time information from satellites (it then calculates its location based on those signals, and puts you on a nifty map)

I think some solenoid-assisted ratcheting system that would remotely clamp the brakes with pretty good pressure (enough to lock up the wheels and keep you from removing them, not enough to damage the rim) would be a good first stage setup. It would require no electricity to maintain the clamping force, so disconnecting power would do no good for that. They would need to use brute force to un-do the ratcheting mechanism. Remote unlocking is a bad idea, and I believe that you should need a key to unlock it.

Often times, you get to talking to someone outside and you think "I should lock it" before going in. You might be kind of far away. Remote locking is a good idea. But how often would you want to unlock it without riding it? Kind of pointless.

For additional security against "grab it and go!" theives (the variety that will steal a bike locked to itself through the wheels and frame) a cheap, ultrasonic transducer-based proximity delta sensor could send a once-per-second pulse to an inductor coil whenever it sensed something getting closer to it. This would add a painful (but not lethal) high-voltage, low current bite to the bike's frame, to make holding onto the bike a "shocking" experience. This would be able to be armed, disarmed, or "actively pulsing" regardless of sensor -- remotely and independently of the bike locking system.

I personally think that one of the 1/4 mile range car alarm transciever systems would be the most logical and cost effective option. The technology exists at an affordable price-point. Solenoids are cheap, lead-acid batteries are cheap, and pretty much everything I suggested is cheap. The "shock" wouldn't work on carbon-fiber framed bikes.

JeffS

And a radio and power windows and electronic tire pressure sensors...

Frankenbiker

Yep, I just thought about the safety issue. It would be just my luck if the button on the remote control in my pocket got pressed while I was riding. Definitely a liability. It needs to be manually set some how. Hmmm. Think, think, think, think. Along the same lines of tightening down the brakes, what about a device that allows you to "set" the brakes so somebody doesn't ride off if there isn't something to chain it to. Perhaps a key-lock system on the front and/or back brake or brake lever that lets you pull-in the brakes and lock it so the wheels don't roll. It may not prevent the theft, but it will prevent opportunistic joy rides.

Edit: I want a remote controlled seat warmer for those cold winter commutes...

noisebeam

I waiting for remote start.

(There is a guy at the gym I change at every morning remote starts his truck when he gets out of the change area, but before he puts on his shoes. Then he drives 400yrds. to park it as close to the office building as possible, somtimes circling for the best spot. Our schedules are the same so its just about every day I walk past his running truck as I walk from the gym to the same office. I often beat him to the office door.)

Al

Air

Yup!

Good idea - but the handlebars and seat are pretty nonconductive.

Someone my friend knew rigged his Expedition to shock the driver through the steering wheel if he didn't flip a switch beneath the dashboard. One day he was on a date and forgot about the switch. Woke up in the hospital without the skin on his palms. A few years later he killed someone and buried them near campus (Hofstra). Had a few screws not tightened enough...

soccer.me

Breezer bikes have a quick lock system on them that you can lock and unlock quickly. It is a spring loaded bolt that is goes through the rear wheel. It is prety much so you can lock your wheel so somebody wont be able to roll off with your bike while you are not looking, dont think I would trust it much more than that though.

ax0n

Try picking up a bike on only the non-conductive parts.

A good zap would probably be enough to let them know you mean business. Why waste time on a bike that shocks you and won't roll when you could just go cut a few cable locks and have a truck bed full o' bikes for the same amount of effort? It's called the "Low-hanging fruit theory". Since evildoers are lazy blokes, they go for easy targets. So, unless you have a really high-end bike, it's probably going to keep most of them away.

2manybikes

My security system automatically arms itself when I walk away.

It also has a proximity alert. And teeth.

ax0n

No offense, but I'd be more afraid of the LEDs. That's a nice looking dog to go with a nice looking trike, though.

dobber

Neat. Now instead of a bicycle that could possibly be recovered intact and undamaged, I've got one with damaged wheels, if not a damaged frame/components.

Add to that the medical costs you'll be liable for, plus any additional costs associated with the accident you've caused.

saraflux

wow. that's kind of random and creepy.

Frankenbiker

However, if it were James Bond's bike, he wouldn't think twice about blowing it up, launching the rider into heavy traffic (or a tank full of sharks), wreaking havoc on the locals, then just walking away. After all, he rarely brings his transportation back in one piece.

CliftonGK1

Imagine, if you will, someone attempting to stop 141 Kg of speeding commuter armed with a U-lock and determined not to give up his bicycle. Short of clotheslining or shooting me, said miscreant has failed to think his cunning plan all the way through.

adamtki

Here's what I was thinking of ideally.

A remote lock that can lock/unlock the wheels and lock/unlock a cable (used to attach to something stationary) if used. Sometimes you don't need it locked to anything since you'll keep your bike in sight or you're not going to be away too long. You'll save a lot of time not having to fumble with keys or combinations and then wrapping it around stationary objects. And when you do need to lock it to something stationary, the remote can save you the hassle of keys and combinations as well.

And, of course, the wheel locking feature would only lock if the wheels aren't moving.

Well, I doubt anything like that is out there, but something that remotely locks and unlocks a cable would be an improvement.

deputyjones

I found a remote control padlock on gizmodo:


That is getting closer anyway.

adamtki

I like it! Tempted to get one. One step closer to ideal.