[fefelarue]

Hey folks, I’ve recently finished my final year BSc Product Design university project, designing a bike lock, and have put it together in a little video.

Any feedback good or bad would be great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrY6SUBpHXI

Cheers!

Topic

[harrybav]

Do I have to like Krypton
Do I have to like Krypton Factor music to join the kickstarter?

Kevlar wrapped chains, great work. Not so keen on all the velcroing, the double-length half-thickness chain, or the padlock weak spot. Good effort though, top marks for kevlar.

[fefelarue]

Hey guys, I’m pleased to say
Hey guys, I’m pleased to say that I’m now on Kickstarter 🙂

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1255965155/the-hench-bicycle-lock-see-video

[jasecd]

fefelarue wrote:In my

fefelarue wrote:

In my defence, this video was made to be played in the background on a loop at my degree show. I wanted a video for that and for Youtube, so I’m using the same one. Yes it could have been shorter, but It’s a university project, it’s meant to be a bit self-indulgent.

Not sure why everyone on here is so focused on the length of your film – they all seemed to watch it to the end! As someone who makes films for a living I could give you a long exhaustive list of how to improve it but it articulated the main points well and the product looks like a great idea. The film is not a commercial and does a perfectly adequate job of proving your concept – when you get to the stage of marketing it then you will need proper films of an appropriate length but until then don’t worry.

Personally I like the padlock approach as detailed by PJ McNally above.

[severs1966]

I like the idea of a velcro
I like the idea of a velcro sock to carry a chain on a bicycle frame. Possibly this part of the design is the cleverest and most innovative?

I’m tempted to stitch together just such a sock to carry my f’in massive motorcycle chain that I use to lock my bicycle. Is this despicable patent infringement?

[joemmo]

fefelarue wrote:In my

fefelarue wrote:

In my defence, this video was made to be played in the background on a loop at my degree show. I wanted a video for that and for Youtube, so I’m using the same one. Yes it could have been shorter, but It’s a university project, it’s meant to be a bit self-indulgent.

Degree shows mostly consist of people wandering around looking for the next glass of cheap wine and sausage roll. You’ll be doing well if you can keep their attention for 2 minutes so cut it short.

Anyway, good luck with it but you should definitely try it out on some non-fixie bikes like most people ride and see if the design still holds up.

[darrenleroy]

fefelarue wrote:In my

fefelarue wrote:

In my defence, this video was made to be played in the background on a loop at my degree show. I wanted a video for that and for Youtube, so I’m using the same one. Yes it could have been shorter, but It’s a university project, it’s meant to be a bit self-indulgent.

Stop defending the points we’ve rubbished and get on with making the improvements. I think it’s a good product that could be a winner. I’d be willing to invest and I’m sure others would as well.

[fefelarue]

In my defence, this video was
In my defence, this video was made to be played in the background on a loop at my degree show. I wanted a video for that and for Youtube, so I’m using the same one. Yes it could have been shorter, but It’s a university project, it’s meant to be a bit self-indulgent.

[Malaconotus]

You better be able to explain
You better be able to explain with text and images if you want to get it to market. The people with the backing you need won’t spend 5 minutes watching a video for no reason.

[Anonymous]

Clever design and
Clever design and thinking.

Likes.
Storage/portability
Light weight
The use of fibre to snarl up cutting blades (not new, but it is clever)*
The use of a core chain to prevent the lock being defeated by the simple application of heat (again not new, but it is clever)
If the main aim of a lock is to make the casual thief look for an easier target elsewhere. Then I think you have succeeded.

However. Padlock is still the weak link. That said, it is easier to carry about an extreme padlock than an entire extreme lock.

All in all a very promising idea that should prove to have legs with a bit of further development. I think at this stage you should be approaching a lock manufacturer. This type of product that only needs a little bit of tinkering with to get it on the shelves is a manufacturer’s wet dream.

Well done and get on with it.

* Protective trousers for people using chainsaws etc.

[PJ McNally]

I love the portability,
I love the portability, velcro to the top tube is really smart.

Am I alone in thinking that seroius cyclists don’t tend to use the flimsy brackets provided e.g. by Kryptonite, but instead lock their d-lock, chain, whatever, around a bit of frame / rack? has anyone else noticed this? IMHO there’s a correlation between “using the manufacturer supplied bracket” and “new / occasional cyclist”. (Though I know some bike shops will fit the bracket if you buy a lock at the same time as a bike).

Anyway:

Please don’t design out the Abus disc tumbler lock! Keep it!

I have one of these padlocks, it’s awesome, but the chain i use with it is a beast to carry. (lives in the bike trailer, so weight not really an issue). Think twice before integrating some second-rate shackle.

The strongest chains all use a separate lock, e.g. this Abus. They also have one slightly longer link on one end, which you tuck the other end through, then lock only to the short link. This is proven stronger than locking two links with a padlock.

For more info than you could ever need about chains (*digs through browser history*):
http://securityforbikes.com/security-chains.php

As others have said, you DON’T need a 5 minute video to promote this. Maybe a 30 second one to show it in use, and a separate destructive testing one for those who are interested. THen some pictures and most importantly some specs! Having a long indulgent video just puts off intolerant bike snobs like me, when we see more than we bargained for / womeone riding the “wrong” way according to our own narrow definitions.. (e.g. riding down steps when there’s probably a accessibility ramp right there, makes me sad, poor bike).

All that said – it looks like a really good design. Just a bit more detail needed!

[joemmo]

Interesting idea and
Interesting idea and materials, it would be good to see how it resists fire but I think the top tube wrapping is a bit of a gimmick. It would also interfere with any exposed cables running along the top tube which are common on many bikes.

I do think your video is too long and a bit self indulgent, I bet you could edit it down to about 90 seconds and keep all the salient info in.

Finally, a safety tip. For gods sake, clamp the lock on a work surface and wear some hefty gloves when you’re trying to cut it with power tools, especially when the material is designed to snag the cutting edge. You’re asking to lose some fingers trying to hold it down and cut it.

H&S brief ends.

[Argos74]

As proof of concept, looks
As proof of concept, looks good. Maybe a bit more badassery on the chain thickness and an integrated lock, but this looks like one of the few Kickstarter projects that I wouldn’t end up shouting at my monitor “Oh for [ahem] goodness’ sake, we didn’t need this!”.

[Flying Scot]

I know these materials well.
I know these materials well. It’s a good product sir well done.

Like everything, it can be defeated….but unless you have 3 arms, it’s a 2 man job, it’s also 2 stages/ tools, so it’s better than any U Lock none of which can resist the old cordless grinder disc, a single tool operated by one man.

Hope you get the backing you need to develop it.

As for the fire theory, you’re going to need a propane torch, which is going make a big smoky mess, will take ages, and you still need to cut the chain…which will be red hot, wrong approach.

[Gkam84]

The only text missing is
The only text missing is FIRE….

But for a prototype, it looks good. Although, it does need to be longer.

[sq225917]

How does it handle a propane
How does it handle a propane pocket gas torch, or one of those fancy turbine lighters?

[Author]

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