It’s happened to far too many people — you lock up your bike, meet a friend or grab a bite, and come back only to find your ride stripped down or gone. But if you must have nice things, a good bike lock is essential. At first glance, Skylock just looks like a shiny U-locks, cables, chains, and now, electronic locks that offer a few extra features that can make your ride safer and smarter.
The lock was created by Velo Labs, Skylock was built by a former Boeing engineer and ex-Jawbone employee. The pair has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 (£29,700) for production of the device and, if successful, the Skylock should start shipping early next year.
The main attraction of the Skylock just looks like a shiny U-lock, but a closer look reveals so much more. There’s a solar powered rechargeable battery, theft and crash alerts, keyless entry, and even the possibility of Airbnb-style bike sharing and can be logged into a local Wi-Fi network to increase its range.
The Skylock lock’s internal accelerometer senses a severe impact while a rider is on the bike, it has the ability to alert emergency responders. You can even adjust the sensitivity of the accelerometer if you live in a place like New York City where rats and pedestrians will be bumping into your ride all day.
But wait, there’s more. As far as the solar powered battery goes, just one hour of sunlight gives users enough power to last a week. It also has an OnStar-esque “Crash Alert System” that can be set to automatically call an ambulance or your loved ones if it detects that you’ve taken a spill.
IT’S SOLAR-POWERED, BLUETOOTH-ENABLED, AND
WILL ALERT YOU IF YOUR BIKE GETS MOVED
The lock is similar to BitLock, which raised money on Kickstarter last fall. Skylock isn’t the first smart bike lock. Startup Mesh Motion unveiled the BitLock keyless bike lock during its Kickstarter campaign last October. You can still cut through the thing with an angle grinder, but that level of trauma should trigger a red alert from your phone.
The company is offering the discounted price of $159 to backers and ultimately the device will retail for $249. It’s a bit steeper than the BitLock or a traditional U-lock. But if your bike is your baby, it might make sense for you.
Skylock is keyless entry, solar-powered bike lock that just launched a crowdfunding campaign
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