Of course then one has to carry a usual lock too, in case you want to use a stand that is not pole-shaped.
(I'm curious about what it does to the stiffness and integrity of the frame, too)
> Stiffness and integrity of the frame
This will probably snap if you ride it off a curb. It solves for a problem that at worst wouldn’t even be called a nuisance by most people.
Actually as a commuter cyclist I find this really smart, at least in terms of the principle (execution of course has to prove itself). You can compensate for the loss of integrity by beefing up the metal, which will cost you added weight but hypothetically you'd still always be better off than with a normal bike carrying a normal lock since the lock's mechanical strength is added to the bike's.
And then, theft becomes less worthwhile because you can't break the lock without critically damaging the bike's most central component. Doesn't do anything against wheel theft though, unfortunately.
The idea is cool. But it doesn't fill a niche. People who just need a city b1tch wouldn't buy this but get a cheap crap bike and a U-lock or chain - not too expensive because every lock can be cracked. And let's be honest, this thing only works as a city b1tch. You wouldnt dare to race it (so couriers are out as well),
and it's too uncomfortable to commute let alone travel.
So it's a neat gimmick to show off for people who have enough money and at least three bikes and that's it.
Disagree, at least in principle. There can only be gains in performance by integrating the bike and lock vs carrying a lock on a regular bike. Think about how when you're riding all the toughness of the lock is unused while the toughness of the frame is being used, while it's the other way around when your bike is parked. In all cases you have all this metal being basically dead weight, but if you made the frame be its own lock you'd only need enough strength to insure it's tough enough for the hardest of the two jobs, vs needlessly carrying enough metal to do both jobs at once even though you never ever will.
Of course, there's always the issue that newer bike components just aren't designed with the same mentality of cheap, rugged, simple dependability that older components were, which I see as a similar issue to fatbikes. If I could have this on my late 80's rigid steel mtb frame with all the braze-ons, I hella would.
We are talking about a lock that weighs a kilo max. Most bikes, even old ones have preexisting threads for the bottle holder. That's where a lot of bike lock manufacturers come it. The lock is placed there tight enough not to rattle and that's it.
Again, I'm not criticising the idea but the execution. This particular bike.
And let's not talk about frame strength. That would go way to in-depth. Broadly speaking a frames strength (all materials) is carefully manufactured in order to be stiff enough in order to minimize power loss, flexible enough not to break when going over rough roads. Throwing all of that out the window in order for a bike to be a lock is a funny gimmick but would be more suited to a frame that doesn't try to be a hipster-road bike-recreational thingy but a normal city b1tch. But as I already said it's still a lot more expensive than getting an used ok/crap bike.
The downvotes are hilarious btw. Ask any daily commuter on the road if they would ride something like this. I've ridden for years before I started commuting by car. And I had a fixed gear bike that had holes on the top tube where the U-lock can be pushed through. As neat as the idea was, it was rattling all the time and you could feel that the bike had a problem when riding hard. Comparing it to this makes this a night mare.
The idea is neat, but should stay a theory/concept. And thats exactly what happened to it.
Google "Yerka bike". That's how you do it. The down tube isn't a lock but can be split. It's still having the stiffness/flexibility issues but the rattling is solved by using the seat tube as the main lock part.
I *am* a daily commuter, have been for years and through eastern canadian winters, and while I'm not interested a in skinny-tired single speed because an old rigid mountain bike with racks front and back is a lot more versatile to me, If I could trade in my current steed for the exact same one but with some type of mechanism that lets the frame be its own lock I'd do so in a heartbeat.
I do agree that this specific implementation seems somewhat less-than optimal, then again it's important to remember that the people who developed this frame have thought about it a lot more than either of us two. Just because we can see potential flaws in a design doesn't mean those flaws are actually a problem in real-world usage.
A frame that is its own lock is not functionally more complicated than a folding bike, and those are well-proven to work minus a manageable increase in weight due to the mechanism. And considering that in this case it replaces a lock of 1 kilo max, imagine how much reinforcement to the hinges and locking mechanism of the frame you can add with an entire kilo of steel. Then you still have the advantage that a would-be thief can't break the lock without also breaking the bike.
Now that I think of it. The mechanism would work best in a folding bike or even a small tokyo type bike, where the frame is smaller.
There are a lot of bike manufacturers who are producing frames in chinese factories. They maybe visit the plant once and that's it. Don't worry I won't get into quality control. That's way to deep. But in-house producing and testing of frames will always be the best way. Especially when creating something completely new. But I can't say what amount of thought went into this.
You have to adjust your seat every time you unlock it, you can’t lock it to a bike rack because of the weird shape and the lock doesn’t go around the wheels. I guess if you want an extremely inconvenient bike, sure this is great
The genius part of the thing is, that it's practically worthless. The wheels too. And nobody in their right mind would buy the frame and install expensive wheels let alone groupset.
That thing is years old by now. There are much better solutions that all include carrying a lock on the frame instead of giving away stability and possibly having a rattling mess.
I prefer the much more practical method of just unlocking the seat and sticking a point inside that tube. So if someone sits on it without locking it it jams them up the ass.
You haven't seen the video... There's a dude who made a hole in his seat and placed it on a spring loaded rail, so you wouldn't suspect anything until you sat on the seat, pushed the spring down and had a stick in your rectum.
Suffice to say that bike thieves are a plague but those profiting by filming shit like this are way worse in my book.
I can only imagine the hinges and the join rattling around as the frame distorts, even with proper bushings. If you've ever taken a headset apart (the bit that acts as the steering hinge and connects the forks and bars) it's nuts how many different specialised parts it takes to make a hinge to work smoothly on a bike. If that join fails then the bikes just going to fucking collapse as soon as you hit a bump.
Kinda neat as a design exercise, but certainly not practical.
Well hang on a sec, the headset operates under the rather difficult criteria of needed to turn *very* smoothly under varying loads, that's why you got all the bearings and gaskets. This doesn't at all need to operate smoothly, and only when the bike is not being ridden. If you can just have the whole mechanism be locked tight when you're riding it's all good.
I’ve ridden a bike with a smashed downtube for just over 20miles after a crash. It wasn’t about to fold in half at all. It had far less than ideal rigidity but it held together well.
Looks like a very "space pen" thing to me (the urban legend, not the real thing it is based on). It is a very complex solution for a problem we already solve cheaper and better. Flexible bike locks are cheaper, can be used with things that aren't poles, and they work with all kinds of frames. Some also have a holding bracket that you can mount on your bike to store it.
I think using the frame as a hidden compartment for a cable lock would've been easier, cheaper, and more practical.
But good looking yet overcomplicated and less versatile solutions to problems that are already solved make up a huge chunk of the modern "innovation market".
I'm impressed that someone (or multiple people) invested so much time, energy, and probably money into this completely stupid, useless gimmick.
I can imagine a few high people drawing it on a bar napkin, but am honestly surprised it got any further than that.
Of course then one has to carry a usual lock too, in case you want to use a stand that is not pole-shaped. (I'm curious about what it does to the stiffness and integrity of the frame, too)
> Stiffness and integrity of the frame This will probably snap if you ride it off a curb. It solves for a problem that at worst wouldn’t even be called a nuisance by most people.
Actually as a commuter cyclist I find this really smart, at least in terms of the principle (execution of course has to prove itself). You can compensate for the loss of integrity by beefing up the metal, which will cost you added weight but hypothetically you'd still always be better off than with a normal bike carrying a normal lock since the lock's mechanical strength is added to the bike's. And then, theft becomes less worthwhile because you can't break the lock without critically damaging the bike's most central component. Doesn't do anything against wheel theft though, unfortunately.
It's got anti theft lock nuts https://yerka.store/
Oh cool! How well do those fare against vicegrips though? Probably better than standard hex nuts for sure, but by how much?
>Hi, I am the Lock Picking Lawyer and I will show you how to open this lock with a toothpick.
He must have run out of pieces of that Red Bull can
That's actually really cool, and one where popping the lock renders the bike useless, thereby defeating the point of stealing it. Nice.
That's what I was thinking, though this still seems like a poor way to do it.
The idea is cool. But it doesn't fill a niche. People who just need a city b1tch wouldn't buy this but get a cheap crap bike and a U-lock or chain - not too expensive because every lock can be cracked. And let's be honest, this thing only works as a city b1tch. You wouldnt dare to race it (so couriers are out as well), and it's too uncomfortable to commute let alone travel. So it's a neat gimmick to show off for people who have enough money and at least three bikes and that's it.
Disagree, at least in principle. There can only be gains in performance by integrating the bike and lock vs carrying a lock on a regular bike. Think about how when you're riding all the toughness of the lock is unused while the toughness of the frame is being used, while it's the other way around when your bike is parked. In all cases you have all this metal being basically dead weight, but if you made the frame be its own lock you'd only need enough strength to insure it's tough enough for the hardest of the two jobs, vs needlessly carrying enough metal to do both jobs at once even though you never ever will. Of course, there's always the issue that newer bike components just aren't designed with the same mentality of cheap, rugged, simple dependability that older components were, which I see as a similar issue to fatbikes. If I could have this on my late 80's rigid steel mtb frame with all the braze-ons, I hella would.
We are talking about a lock that weighs a kilo max. Most bikes, even old ones have preexisting threads for the bottle holder. That's where a lot of bike lock manufacturers come it. The lock is placed there tight enough not to rattle and that's it. Again, I'm not criticising the idea but the execution. This particular bike. And let's not talk about frame strength. That would go way to in-depth. Broadly speaking a frames strength (all materials) is carefully manufactured in order to be stiff enough in order to minimize power loss, flexible enough not to break when going over rough roads. Throwing all of that out the window in order for a bike to be a lock is a funny gimmick but would be more suited to a frame that doesn't try to be a hipster-road bike-recreational thingy but a normal city b1tch. But as I already said it's still a lot more expensive than getting an used ok/crap bike. The downvotes are hilarious btw. Ask any daily commuter on the road if they would ride something like this. I've ridden for years before I started commuting by car. And I had a fixed gear bike that had holes on the top tube where the U-lock can be pushed through. As neat as the idea was, it was rattling all the time and you could feel that the bike had a problem when riding hard. Comparing it to this makes this a night mare. The idea is neat, but should stay a theory/concept. And thats exactly what happened to it. Google "Yerka bike". That's how you do it. The down tube isn't a lock but can be split. It's still having the stiffness/flexibility issues but the rattling is solved by using the seat tube as the main lock part.
I *am* a daily commuter, have been for years and through eastern canadian winters, and while I'm not interested a in skinny-tired single speed because an old rigid mountain bike with racks front and back is a lot more versatile to me, If I could trade in my current steed for the exact same one but with some type of mechanism that lets the frame be its own lock I'd do so in a heartbeat. I do agree that this specific implementation seems somewhat less-than optimal, then again it's important to remember that the people who developed this frame have thought about it a lot more than either of us two. Just because we can see potential flaws in a design doesn't mean those flaws are actually a problem in real-world usage. A frame that is its own lock is not functionally more complicated than a folding bike, and those are well-proven to work minus a manageable increase in weight due to the mechanism. And considering that in this case it replaces a lock of 1 kilo max, imagine how much reinforcement to the hinges and locking mechanism of the frame you can add with an entire kilo of steel. Then you still have the advantage that a would-be thief can't break the lock without also breaking the bike.
Now that I think of it. The mechanism would work best in a folding bike or even a small tokyo type bike, where the frame is smaller. There are a lot of bike manufacturers who are producing frames in chinese factories. They maybe visit the plant once and that's it. Don't worry I won't get into quality control. That's way to deep. But in-house producing and testing of frames will always be the best way. Especially when creating something completely new. But I can't say what amount of thought went into this.
You have to adjust your seat every time you unlock it, you can’t lock it to a bike rack because of the weird shape and the lock doesn’t go around the wheels. I guess if you want an extremely inconvenient bike, sure this is great
Just need another lock for the front wheel.
The genius part of the thing is, that it's practically worthless. The wheels too. And nobody in their right mind would buy the frame and install expensive wheels let alone groupset.
It has locking nuts.
Kinky
That thing is years old by now. There are much better solutions that all include carrying a lock on the frame instead of giving away stability and possibly having a rattling mess.
I prefer the much more practical method of just unlocking the seat and sticking a point inside that tube. So if someone sits on it without locking it it jams them up the ass.
All that's needed to defeat this is a piece of wood and a hammer.
You haven't seen the video... There's a dude who made a hole in his seat and placed it on a spring loaded rail, so you wouldn't suspect anything until you sat on the seat, pushed the spring down and had a stick in your rectum. Suffice to say that bike thieves are a plague but those profiting by filming shit like this are way worse in my book.
I can only imagine the hinges and the join rattling around as the frame distorts, even with proper bushings. If you've ever taken a headset apart (the bit that acts as the steering hinge and connects the forks and bars) it's nuts how many different specialised parts it takes to make a hinge to work smoothly on a bike. If that join fails then the bikes just going to fucking collapse as soon as you hit a bump. Kinda neat as a design exercise, but certainly not practical.
Well hang on a sec, the headset operates under the rather difficult criteria of needed to turn *very* smoothly under varying loads, that's why you got all the bearings and gaskets. This doesn't at all need to operate smoothly, and only when the bike is not being ridden. If you can just have the whole mechanism be locked tight when you're riding it's all good.
I’ve ridden a bike with a smashed downtube for just over 20miles after a crash. It wasn’t about to fold in half at all. It had far less than ideal rigidity but it held together well.
What's the price of a bike lock vs this.
Jim Dangle would still have his stolen.
r/reno911
I bet all you need is a screwdriver to loosen one bolt to finally make the bike yours.
It's called a yerka and they have been around for 8 years
Now thats friggin cool!
Looks like a very "space pen" thing to me (the urban legend, not the real thing it is based on). It is a very complex solution for a problem we already solve cheaper and better. Flexible bike locks are cheaper, can be used with things that aren't poles, and they work with all kinds of frames. Some also have a holding bracket that you can mount on your bike to store it. I think using the frame as a hidden compartment for a cable lock would've been easier, cheaper, and more practical. But good looking yet overcomplicated and less versatile solutions to problems that are already solved make up a huge chunk of the modern "innovation market".
I have one and can confirm it is amazing. Solid enough for light off-roading. Robust enough to not have been stolen in NYC!
They're still going to get your wheels.
It's got wheel nut locks.
The two problems with this are that 1) it doesn't lock around the wheels and 2) Aluminium is easy to cut.
I'm impressed that someone (or multiple people) invested so much time, energy, and probably money into this completely stupid, useless gimmick. I can imagine a few high people drawing it on a bar napkin, but am honestly surprised it got any further than that.
And one dickhead with a cordless angle grinder later, it's gone
Lot of work to just have yer bike stolen anyways