If you are the kind of energetic person who relies on their bike to get around, you are well aware that bike theft is a massive problem.  Current locks on the market can be ineffective as theft deterrents, since bike thieves have found numerous ways to beat the particular device’s security features.

If you have been the victim of bike theft, then you will be fully aware of the impossibility of finding your bike once a thief gets his dirty hands on it. Now we have the technology to improve the chances of bike recovery, because we are now able to track a bike via GPS if a thief manages to take it.


The newly launched features of the Lock8 bike security product are designed to keep thieves from trying to take your bike in the first instance, but if they do manage to steal it, thanks to GPS, then you’ll know exactly where it is!  The device connects to your bike’s frame, so unlike your typical chain or D lock, it’s always with you. The system does not rely on a typical lock key, which can be easily misplaced, Lock8 is paired to your iPhone and you use its mobile app to lock and unlock the bike once the lock chain is connected.

Lock8 contains six sensors to ascertain if an attempted theft is in progress, it can detect changes in temperature to the cable of the lock, it can tell if the cable has been severed and it can detect motion and vibration. Any of those effects will then trigger a 120-decibel alarm to scare the thief away. At the same time, the owner will be notified of the alarm via push notification on the owner’s smartphone and can then track the bike’s movement.  While the main use for Lock8 is to keep your bike from being stolen and locating it if it is actually taken, there are some side benefits. Since the lock is unlocked via smartphone, customers can easily share their bikes with friends or can even rent them out!


In fact, the Lock8 system could be widely adopted by bike-rental agencies as a way to keep track of their fleets of bikes and stop them from being stolen, especially when rented out by a tourist who may not lock the bike correctly.  CEO Franz Salzmann and CTO Daniel Zajarias-Fainsod, had been victims of bike theft.  Because of this, they decided to design and produce a product that would not only protect their transportation, but would also enable users to keep track of their bikes and loan them out to friends or colleagues.

Now the team is ready to make the product available to customers. To start production, the company is launching a crowdfunding campaign. The team plans to sell the device for $199, but early backers of the project will be able to purchase it for $149 by contributing to the campaign.

[Image via lock8]

SOURCE: http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/lock8/