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SubscribeWater bottle bike lock supplies security, not water
By Ben Coxworth
16:14 October 12, 2011
The Kuat Racks Bottle Lock is a bike lock that has the form of a water bottle
Image Gallery (3 images)Bike locks ... they're very necessary items, but are sometimes a hassle to carry when you're riding. U-locks can be clipped into a frame-mounted bracket, but not everyone wants a big plastic bracket permanently installed on their prized two-wheeler. They can also be stuffed in a backpack, although that can be a challenge if space in said backpack is already at a premium. Alternatives include a lock that you wear like a belt, and a lock that straps onto the bicycle's top tube. Now, there's another option - a lock that has the form of a water bottle, so it can sit in your bottle cage.
Called the Küat Racks Bottle Lock, the device at first glance looks like an ordinary water bottle. Inside of it, however, is five feet (1.5 meters) of plastic-coated 7.5 mm braided steel cable. This is reportedly enough to lock the frame and both wheels.
It is secured with a built-in lock, which comes with two keys. One of those can be kept in a storage compartment in the bottom of the bottle, although it probably wouldn't be a good idea to put your spare in there - particularly not if bicycle thieves in your area have read this article.
The Küat Racks Bottle Lock has apparently yet to find a distributor, but should sell for around US$34.
Source: Gizmodo
CBIslander, both pedals are in the bottle,
. . . with the key in the bottom.
Didn't you read the article?!?
This is a novel idea for cable and lock storage.
Living in a 'theft prone' city, I would opt
for a cheap 'thow-away' bike so the
potential for theft is diminished. :-)
BombR76
- October 13, 2011 @ 09:01 am PDT
@BombR76
A pedal is a sort of platform thing you operate with your feet. In defence of CBIslander, after reading the article very carefully, I can find no mention of these being stored in the bottle, Did YOU read it?
My comment would be "where do you store your water bottle?" This is not a go-er I'm afraid!
Terotech
- October 13, 2011 @ 09:58 am PDT
Sick!
Kirill Belousov
- October 13, 2011 @ 10:24 am PDT
Nearly useless. A 7.5mm cable can be cut in seconds with a small pair of bolt cutters. It would stop a grab-and-ride kind of joyrider, but not any real thief.
Gadgeteer
- October 13, 2011 @ 02:43 pm PDT
I live in a crime-free large city, but even these locks wouldn't keep your bike safe. Almost every bike on campus that was locked with these cable locks have been stolen. U-locks is the only way to go.
Sambath Pech
- October 13, 2011 @ 10:14 pm PDT
I'm waiting for the day when someone invents a cable lock that comes out of the seat post. This bottle lock idea is not that great as it takes up the water bottle space. For a temporary lock, there are other options, like a short length cable combination lock. It's sold for less than US$4 and is long enuf to hook around a lamp post. For more secure locks, there are U-shaped bolt locks that are not too heavy. As usual, it is where to place/mount these locks when not in use that is the question, perhaps a catch somewhere, than the type of the lock per se.
Lensgypsy
- October 14, 2011 @ 09:13 am PDT
The trouble with combination locks is the they're so easy to open. Once for a bet I removed a whole 20-man billet-full of 'LCO' locks as sold in the NAAFI in half an hour. When the guys refused to pay up, [half a crown each] I returned and swapped around every lock causing some confusion...sweet!
Terotech
- October 25, 2011 @ 02:54 pm PDT
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Who stole the left pedal on this bike?