math is fun

Tonight I went to a meeting of The Open Organization of Lock-pickers (TOOOL) and a guy there saw that I rode my bike and asked if I would test his lock design out. His lock is made of titanium and uses a quality 6 disk tumbler lock. The whole thing weighs about 2/3 of what my Onguard bulldog mini u lock weighs and locks both wheels and the frame. He brought some sample pieces of the titanium that I tried to cut with a hack saw and bolt cutters but to no avail. The band is too wide for bolt cutters and the hacksaw blade just scuffed the surface. In the pictures I don't have it locked to anything but there is room for a post up to about 4-5 inches in diameter. More pictures will come tomorrow afternoon when I get back from class.

bt93

Awesome, I don't sense I'll be able to afford it myself as titanium is usually expensive. If I had a bike that was expensive though I'd definitly want it. I'll just have to wait for the Walmart version.

chandltp

I'm missing something.. how do you lock it to anything?

treebound 

Looks like bolt cutters could easily bite it, if it is 1"wide then it looks like 1/4"thick.

What do the ends look like where they insert into the lockhead? Does the lockhead come completely off when unlocked?

I'll wait for the youtube test to appear.

biketinker88

That lock looks great, I imagine it was easier to put on compared to a U, cable combination. Did the fellow tell you what his plans are for the design?

1nterceptor

Looks susceptible to bending,
please take shots of the other end.
May also be tricky carrying it on the bike.
Please ask the designer if this will be
immune to the freon freezing trick.

bt93

Hey guys it's titanium. It don't cut ,bend or break. Anyhow from what I know of titanium. What would be flimsy with steel or aluminum is super tough with titanium.

jeffpoulin

It looks thinner than that to me. Forget the bolt cutters, it looks like a pair of scissors could do the job.

math is fun

I rode to class and took some pictures of the lock in use. First some clarifications, the lock in the first post was the inventors first prototype and is thinner than the lock I am using. The tumbler portion of the lock is separate from the titanium band and is made from stainless steel. When you store the lock you use a pair of velcro strips to attach it to the top tube and the tumbler goes in your pocket or bag. Here is the website of the manufacturer https://www.stantonconcepts.us/bike%20lock.html I have also been told that the production version of these will be 1.125" wide which will not allow bolt cutters to cut the full width of the band.

Lock in use around a fence post (approx 1" square)



Lock stored on the bike



End of the band

colleen c

Regardless of how strong it is, just the appearance of it might invite theives to try cutting it and damaging the bike in the process.

Doohickie

Interesting concept. I think you would need to spray it with something anti-abrasive to keep it from rubbing the paint off the bike. There is also the limitation of what you can lock it to. Fencepost = yes; Telephone pole = no (then again, lots of locks don't work on telephone poles).

irwin7638

It would be nice to know what the retail price will be. I have one $100 lock in steel, I can't imagine spending more than that but the titanium would be nice because of the weight.

https://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com...ore-locks.html

Marc

exile

Thanks for posting math is fun. It definetly looks interesting and novel. Definitely something I would be interested in learning more about.

math is fun

Just got home from my first full day of use and I am Pleased with the performance so far. The only issue I have is when I would lock to something larger than about 3.5" in diameter the band would bend out making it more difficult to lock the bike, not hard, just not as easy as something smaller. Also after locking to a larger diameter object and while putting the lock back on the bike I had to pinch it with one hand while running the velcro around the band and top tube. This will likely become second nature very quickly but for today it was a little annoying.

I also need to get used to locating the object I am locking too differently. When using my U lock I would generally put the object I am locking to right between the rear tire and seat post on the non drive side so I could U lock those two and run a cable around the front wheel. With this lock, the Locking object should be on the non drive side just forward of the crank. Just a difference that was a bit embarrassing as the first time I locked the bike up with this I had to try 2 times to get the right position, but on my other 3 stops today there were no issues with getting it to lock.

The inside of the lock has a belt of woven kevlar to be soft and not scratch the paint. On the newer prototype I saw there was a conformal PVC coating around the entire band up to the locking notches to serve the same purpose.

I have no idea what the retail price will be but the inventor is going to put it up on kickstarter soon, with more info and I will post the link up here when he does.

Doohickie

Yeah, Kevlar is overkill, isn't it?

lbj

If it works, that could be a great lock for me - I have a folding bike, so the wheels are QR...not usually a big deal, since I can take the bike inside most places, but when I do have to lock it outside, it's a bit of a challenge. I've been folding the bike and using a larger u-lock, but something like this metal band lock would be awesome.

jr59

This idea has a chance. I would want to see it and it's cost may be a problem. But, it is a workable idea.

seeker333

How do you think they manage to build Ti bike frames? Hint:it involves cutting and bending.

You can cut and bend Ti. Ti actually bends easier than 4130 steel - that's why Ti bike frame tubing (the stays in particular) are larger diameter - to give those frame members adequate rigidity. It's harder to cut, but not enough to make much difference in the case of a bike lock and a determined thief.

I'm certain a grinder would cut right thru the OPs lock, in about a minute. The only advantage to a Ti lock is small weight savings, at probably much greater cost. I think Kryptonic would have already made one if it was a good idea.

However, I do like the novelty of the OPs lock, and I'd consider buying one if it were priced competitively.

bhop

That looks like an expensive bike to be using for lock testing..

badrad

some of the lock remains i have seen aren't cut, but just using a large pipe or bottlejack to literally rip the bar from the lock mechanism. looking at the ends that insert into the lock, there doesn't look to be a lot of flange to keep the strip from being pulled out of the lock itself. i could imagine a bike thief just pulling or torquing the strip until it just pulls out from the lock - using parts of the bike also for leverage. in the meantime making a real mess of the bike in the process.

JPprivate

just fyi: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...nium-bike-lock

531phile 

I'm glad someone out there is making the lock out of something other than steel, but it looks really limited as to what sort of fixture you can lock it to. You should have the creator look into that. Mounting looks pretty ghetto. looks like it could scratch up the paint easily on the end near the seatpost.

ScottStr

I'd like the lock better if it were about an inch longer, so it could be locked when carried wrapped around the top tube, head tube to seat tube.

jr59

God forbid, somebody might think up a better lock.

I would suggest you made a bunch of these and let some of the forum try them for an extended time!

And no, I'm not saying I want one for free!

SCI 

Thank you everyone for your interest and constructive comments on our new bike lock. The pictures above are of a prototype with Kevlar padding, production units will use some other kind of protective coating. The current design and dimensions (.125 thick x 48” long) are the most cost effective at this stage. We plan to launch the lock on Kickstarter.com in mid-April, some of the funds raised will go to production and tooling costs and some of the funds will be used to conduct 3rd party testing, most likely Sold Secure and/or ART.