Bicycles

"Unstealable" Yerka concept bike heads for production

"Unstealable" Yerka concept bike heads for production
The Yerka
The Yerka
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The Yerka
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The Yerka
The designers are looking into adding Bluetooth functionality to the lock itself, allowing users to lock and unlock simply using their smartphone
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The designers are looking into adding Bluetooth functionality to the lock itself, allowing users to lock and unlock simply using their smartphone
With its down tube secured together, the Yerka is said to ride like a normal bike
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With its down tube secured together, the Yerka is said to ride like a normal bike
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Last September we first heard about the one-off Yerka Project bike, which was designed by three engineering students in Chile. Its clever feature was a frame that partially came apart to act as a lock. That way, any thief tempted to break its lock would be ruining the very bike they wanted, too. Now, its creators are attempting to bring it to market via an Indiegogo campaign.

To lock the Yerka, you first slide back a retaining sleeve on its two-piece down tube, and then swivel the two pieces out to the side. You then pull out its extra-long seatpost, and run it through the ends of those pieces. It locks into the piece at the bottom.

Oh yes, and you make sure to lock the whole affair around an immovable object, such as a signpost.

With its down tube secured together, the Yerka is said to ride like a normal bike
With its down tube secured together, the Yerka is said to ride like a normal bike

The chances of wheel theft are minimized by the use of special wheel nuts, that can only be removed with a tool specific to those nuts. The designers are also looking into adding Bluetooth functionality to the lock itself, allowing users to lock and unlock simply using their smartphone.

If you’re interested, you can currently get a Yerka for a pledge of US$399 – assuming it makes it to production. You can see a demo of its locking system in the video below.

For another example of a bike that’s its own lock, check out the Frameblock.

Sources: Indiegogo, Yerka

Yerka - "The Unstealable Bike"

View gallery - 3 images
5 comments
5 comments
kazeshindo
I am pretty sure that even if the bike is no longer usable after attempting to steal it, they can still sell pieces of the bike as repair parts.
OTG
No rear brake or derailleurs. Is this because the design doesn't accommodate these features?
Paul Gracey
As I found out more than 40 years ago, the only bike that is truly 'unstealable' is the one nobody wants to sell, even for parts. For this to work the frame must also incorporate locks on the wheels, pedals and the seat unless those are just trash too.
steveofthenw
Smaaaaallll problem: Here in Portland (where there are so many bicyclists you're just sick of 'em) thieves have taken to sawing through the bike racks themselves to get at the bikes. I've already thought of the means to deter such a practice, two words: Exploding Bicycles. Huh, huh?
unklmurray
I have been doing this[using bikes] for about 50 years and I have never had a bike stolen.........you lock it up in 2 ways......... 1..like you want to keep it 2.....with a big enough lock to make stealing it more work than the thief has time to go through I have used rope it was tied in such a way as to get caught trying to untie it would make the thief stand out............everybody knew there was a trick to it.......But if the thief wants the bike the best lock will only slow him down