TechBike: See How A Tech-Savvy Rider Locks His Bike

Imagine you’re biking to downtown, park your bike somewhere else with a regular lock and leave, are you sure your bike will be definitely secured? In fact, 350 million bicycles are stolen in the United States each year. Now is no longer the time of leaving it alone and hoping it will still be there intact; now is the time that technology allows you more options to monitor it while you step away.

That’s the idea of Lock8 – the World’s first smart bike lock.

The main Lock8 unit mounts on the frame adjacent to the left-side rear dropout, using a rubber-coated clamp to protect the bike’s paint.  (see image below)  An included rubber-sheathed braided steel cable is run through the frame and around a nearby immovable object, the two ends of that cable then inserted into the locking unit. Those ends are locked into the unit not with a key, but by using a Bluetooth app on the user’s smartphone.

What will happen if the cable are cut or burnt? Then Mr. Thief will be met with a very loud ear-piercing alarm, which should be enough to make him scamper. Even smashing it with a hammer won’t do much good. A built-in gyroscope will detect the vibrations, raising the alarm once again. And each time the Lock8 thinks your bike is at risk, it will alert you and selected friends via the app, ensuring a quick response time.

What if the bike is taken without the locking unit first being removed? A GPS chip in that unit will allow the user and selected friends to see where it’s being taken.

Another beautiful feature of Lock8 is you’ll never need to plug in anything or swap out batteries. Two special spoke reflectors with built-in magnets are provided, and they charge the Lock8 every time the wheel spins. The battery level can be tracked on the app and topped up via USB.

This video demonstrates how Lock8 works:

Now your bike has the ability to shriek at thieves and tell you where it’s been taken. Share your comments with us.