Bicycle security lock specialists Hiplok have taken to Kickstarter to launch the new Airlok, which it boldly claims “combines ultimate protection and elegant storage for your bike indoors or outside.”
The company is looking for a lofty £70,000 of funding but just hours after its launch today, it already has £2,682 from 24 backers. It seems even established companies are using Kickstarter to launch new products these days as much for the marketing potential, so we’ve no doubt this product will go into production regardless of achieving its funding goal.
So what is the Airlok? It’s a wall-mounted bike rack with an integrated hardened steel lock. We’ve seen plenty of wall-mounted bike racks on Kickstarter over the years – such as the recent Zero Gravity – but this is one of the first that we can recall that combines a lock.
It’s designed to be used either indoors our outdoors, with a maximum gold level security from the patent pending ‘closed loop’ design. It has passed independent security accreditations such as SOLD SECURE, SBSC and VAREFAKTA. The Airlok is supplied with three keys with their own unique code.
The Airlok has a rubberised and curved clamp to safely rest the top tube of the bike, so it won’t scratch the paint job on your pride and joy. It has been tested with a wide range of road and mountain bikes, and there’s no weight limit on the bike it can support. No mention of heavy e-bikes, though.
It allows you to display your bike, or lift it high onto the wall to save floorspace, yet be safe in the knowledge that it’s locked securely in case of an attempted theft without having to resort to additional locks and chains. You can set the Airlok at any height you desire, above a desk or just above the floor, or even set two bikes above each other if you’ve more than one bike.
The Airlok will retail for £130 but at the time of writing a £99 pledge will get you a Super Early Bird discount, saving 25% over the RRP. It’s available in a range of colours, white grey or red. It comes supplied with all the wall fixings you need and includes free shipping anywhere in the UK, Europe and US.
15 thoughts on “Hiplok’s new Airlok combines security and storage, and it wants £70,000 funding on Kickstarter to make it reality”
boldly claims “combines
boldly claims “combines ultimate protection and elegant storage for your bike indoors or outside.”
Great – which bit of it, exactly, stops your wheels getting stolen?
An annoyed thief that couldn’t steal your bike would possibly find it a fantastic solid object for bending, or even snapping, your top tube.
Wonder how much weight it can
Wonder how much weight it can take. Idea looks great, but I’d want some info about the fixture to the wall and how resistant it is to getting tugged at by a burly bloke.
Loads of bikes getting stolen from garages so thumbs up
In principle I like the idea.
In principle I like the idea. Unfortunately it looks as though there is too much free space/play once the bike is inserted within the structure. It looks as though it is possible to damage a top tube if the bike is nudged or an imbalance occurs for whatever reason. I’d like to see additional packing spacers or material for that area…maybe similar to a bike stand/vice jaws…other than that the price looks reasonable for something that is sold secure approved.
As for ‘heavy’ E-bikes…
As for ‘heavy’ E-bikes…
Just fix it to the wall lower so that the bike’s wheels take the weight…
dur…
Paul_C wrote:
Thats what I was thinking, it’s not rocket science is it!
Exactly whose bikes are ever
Exactly whose bikes are ever clean enough to hang on the pristine white wall, above your pristine desk, at your marketing company in Hoxton? Oh, I’ve just answered my own question…
Beecho wrote:
My wife won’t let me bring mine into the house under any circumstances. Really not sure she’d bite for me hanging it off a wall in the front room…
another “proper” company
another “proper” company abusing Kickstarter
Al__S wrote:
That is an interesting point, but is it really “abuse” of Kickstarter?
I understand that Kickstarter was originally for all those ideas that got booted off of Dragons Den, and then there seemed to be a batch of ‘bad apples’ who took money, never finished their product but kept the money anyway.
It does seem that a growing number of established companies are using Kickstarter to raise funds and guaranteed orders before they start manufacturing something – shifting the risk from the company to the customer, I suppose. I know Knog did it recently with their bike bell (full disclosure: I committed and ordered one).
Once upon a time I think it was called “pre-ordering”.
brooksby wrote:
If you think of available funds on Kickstarter being a certain sum, such that the more projects started, the more likely one goes unfunded, then such a claim of abuse could be valid.
Personally, with the projects I’ve funded, the chance of getting the finished article is the prime consideration for me, such that I’d rather fund hiplok than a couple of chancers out of design school who’re using an alibiba contact.
In that respect, I’d argue that the presence of established “names” and companies brings in more money and interest, and is a tide that raises all boats.
(also awaiting Knog Oi)
Like Unconstituted says how
Like Unconstituted says how does it fix to the wall ?
It’s only as good as the fixings you use.
Note that all the pictures
Note that all the pictures show the lock mounted on brick work, and I would be concerned at how easy it would be to simply lever the whole thing off the wall. None of the brick work on our house would withstand much in the way of direct force from a reasonable length lever, and this seems to have a couple of inviting spots to insert a crowbar.
i once spent a morning and a couple of bits drilling holes into a concrete slab in order to secure a similar locking station. Eventually it worked out but still at the hands of any thief who has the leisure to attack my lock.
All these things work on a deterrent level, and for sure this is a lot better than nothing at all.
Innerlube wrote:
A valid point, because brick is a fragile ceramic held in by even weaker morter *; plasterboard or wood would be even less sensible! A more sensible idea is a fixing to a heavy lump of concrete or to a thick metal structure, possibly in a wall or the ground.
* use of a cold chisel could probably crack this in-situ making it easier to break the whole mounting out of the wall.
Note that all the pictures
Note that all the pictures show the lock mounted on brick work, and I would be concerned at how easy it would be to simply lever the whole thing off the wall. None of the brick work on our house would withstand much in the way of direct force from a reasonable length lever, and this seems to have a couple of inviting spots to insert a crowbar.
i once spent a morning and a couple of bits drilling holes into a concrete slab in order to secure a similar locking station. Eventually it worked out but still at the hands of any thief who has the leisure to attack my lock.
All these things work on a deterrent level, and for sure this is a lot better than nothing at all.
Bikes with no cross bars
How will it work for those bikes without a cross bars, for example my wife’s? Or a folding bike? Or are there too few of them for them not to be included in their proposed target market?