A student in Nottingham, England says he’s created the world’s first indestructible bicycle lock. It looks like the Sheriff’s job may have just gotten easier. 😉
Here’s why:
The most cut-proof and easily transportable bicycle lock ever made. You’ll want one.
Potentially the most secure bike lock ever created, the Hench lock completely resists attack from all hand and power tools tested so far. Its innovative carrying method looks great on any bike. Destructive testing of the Hench lock resulted in four broken cutting disks and one disabled angle grinder. Four foot long bolt cutters had little effect on the lock. So far it seems almost indestructible. Similar to chainsaw safety gear, strands of Kevlar are used to catch on any cutting blades used, and dampen the effects of bolt cutters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrY6SUBpHX
I’ve never had a secure bike lock that I can carry without needing a separate bag, and that doesn’t make my bike look terrible (e.g. D-lock frame mounts). That’s why I decided to design a bike lock for my final year major university project. It started out as an idea, but through months of testing, I have completed one prototype, which works to a usable standard.
I want to raise funds to perfect the design of this lock and let it accomplish its full potential. In the video, a padlock is used, however I want to incorporate the locking mechanism into the rest of the lock as one piece, so a separate padlock isn’t needed. Once this is done, this lock trumps every other lock on the market.
The money will be used to design and prototype the HENCH lock mk2, as well as starting the production process. The lock will be put on sale with an rrp of somewhere between £40-£80.
I have allocated £5k for designing and prototyping a new inbuilt locking mechanism. £2k will cover the testing and fees for SoldSecure to test and rate the lock. Of the remaining £18k, tooling costs for all of the separate parts will add up to a few thousand, and everything left will pay for an initial order from the manufacturer. As the lock will need to be sold in several sizes and colours, it is necessary to invest in a large amount of stock to meet the potentially large demand.
The stages of the project from here until reaching the market are:
-Perfect the arrangement of Kevlar inside the lock to best resist tools. This will be done
through prototyping and destructive testing. This stage is almost complete already.
-Design an effective locking mechanism which will be contained within the rest of the lock.
This will involve expensive prototyping and potential consultancy costs from lock
manufacturers and designers.
-Decide on initial colour and design options for the outside fabric layer of the lock.
-Decide on the correct sizes necessary to make the lock fit any bike.
-Create a completed design and part breakdown of the lock in all sizes and colours.
-Create several prototypes for testing with SoldSecure.
-After receiving quotes, pay for the initial order of Hench locks using all of the remaining
Kickstarter money.
-Throughout this entire period, find as many possible retailers who would trial the product in
their stores/websites, ready for receipt of the first order.
-THEN, use the Kevlar security mechanism to design other higher and lower budget locks, and
do the whole thing again!
Hopefully you like the design so far, and might be willing to put a few quid my way to see this product on the shelves later this year!
Here follows a selection of images showing my development process:
Risks and challenges
I will quit my job to focus all of my time on this design if I raise the £25k.
This lock design was my final year BSc Product Design project at Nottingham Trent University. I have spent a year of my life realising this idea into a physical object.
I will do whatever it takes to perfect the design and see it become a reality, because I genuinely believe this is the answer to the worldwide problem of bicycle theft.
There are always challenges with a project like this, but I’ve already overcome most of them to get to this stage, and I guarantee I can go all the way.
I have experience taking a product to market, and I have plenty of design experience to enable me to get the job done.
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