Reinventing the bike lock.

[Padinick]

Hi,

I'm a student studying Product Design and Interaction and currently undertaking research into bike locks, with the aim of improving bike lock design. Please fill in my survey by clicking the link below it'll only take a few minutes.


http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8V26FGH


Thanks allot, Steve

Done. Would you reciprocate wirh my survey?!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Social_Media_in_Cycling
Cheers
Nick (Padinick)

 

[billy1561]

Done

 

[SportMonkey]

Done, but your survey does not take into account that some of us will use 2 locks on our bikes (I have to leave my bikes outside at night, so double locking depsite the quiet rural location that is hard to find, is for me a sensible precaution). I have always used a hardened D lock for the frame, rear wheel and whatever I am securing the bike to and another cable lock for the front wheel. May sound overkill but I have never had a bike stolen - (the table's wooden, so touching it!).

Paranoia is healthy; I'd make sure my QR wheels were chained as well as the frame D-locked as, growing up in Stoke, I've seen wheels (and saddles) stolen in the past.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Done.

When you want to hire a Boris bike you use a card (could be a fob, could be a key) to unlock it from a pre-installed safe place. With a Marmoset Stand, you use a card (could be a fob, could be a key) to lock it to a pre-installed safe place. You don't need to carry a lock which weighs more than some carbon frames with you all the time. Sure, you pay a small fee but that covers compensation should anything untoward happen to the bike as well. Besides you already pay a small fortune for a D-lock. Even when the bike's gone. You will no longer need a D-lock or a chain. The point is we already have a locking system in large parts of London. It's just that we think of it as an unlocking system.

Note: if you like to wear a chain around your waist as you cycle there's nothing to stop you continuing to do so. In fact, it can now be much lighter because it will only be there for the look not the lock. And possibly holding up your trousers, of course.

Will do the survey at home, dunno if the above is specific to parts within it but if I were to use a Marmoset Stand in London, it's a bit of a long walk back to where I was going in Manchester

 

[MontyVeda]

Hi,

I'm a student studying Product Design and Interaction and currently undertaking research into bike locks, with the aim of improving bike lock design. Please fill in my survey by clicking the link below it'll only take a few minutes.


http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8V26FGH


Thanks allot, Steve

sorry Steve but your inability to correctly spell 'a lot' leaves me little faith in your design skills bloody students!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Will do the survey at home, dunno if the above is specific to parts within it but if I were to use a Marmoset Stand in London, it's a bit of a long walk back to where I was going in Manchester

Mancoset Stands? I only mentioned London because there are already thousands of places where you can unlock bikes with the use of a card or a fob key, so locking spaces are only an extension of the same idea and registering/charging technology. And losing 1.5 kilos of lock off the weight of your bike has got to be attractive, surely. Well, attractive to someone other than me, that is....

 

[snorri]

There was no box to tick if your lock had cost less than £10.

 

[PpPete]

This Marmoset stand idea sounds like a winner, so long as you sell it to every council in the country to replace the Sheffield stands, and there is some built in way of securing "accessories" like QR wheels, Brooks saddles, etch that may otherwise become targets.
Oh and a secure system that means only your tag/fob can unlock your bike.... and a "master" tag/fob cannot come along and hoover up a load of bikes.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

This Marmoset stand idea sounds like a winner, so long as you sell it to every council in the country to replace the Sheffield stands, and there is some built in way of securing "accessories" like QR wheels, Brooks saddles, etch that may otherwise become targets.
Oh and a secure system that means only your tag/fob can unlock your bike.... and a "master" tag/fob cannot come along and hoover up a load of bikes.

A modest list of requirements!

• It would need 2 point locking, e.g. rear wheel plus frame, and front wheel.

• Saddles are already a target - it wouldn't change whatever existing saddle securing measures people already take.

• There would have to be some kind of master key, digitally encoded to match the key holder, for clearing away unreclaimed bikes and for security threats. The card/fob would have to work like your own unique combination lock number. Don't bank cards use an analogous technology for cash machines?

• The range of the scheme would depend on cost, viability, uptake. First, though, you'd need to pilot it and London's cycle hire scheme would seem an obvious place to start. If the bank card analogy above is correct, it may help that a bank is the current sponsor.

I'm only semi-serious about this idea - for example, I have no firm idea about what they would look like nor whether it's technologically feasible - but even when I try to dismiss the idea some remote part of my brain comes up with a counter suggestion, and the belief that it could work gets a new lease of life.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Also assuming these stands are a 'taxi rank' availability and are not going to be numerous (what provision for us ever is good enough - The Sheff stands in central Manchester are always pretty well used during 7 day office & shopping hours)
I would suggest that there would need to be some sort of on hand quality lock loan scheme and sheffield stands or at least very tall posts, for those times when you get to your desired lockable stand to find it full already.
Otherwise you're back to the fun of lugging round a few pounds of solid metal just to be on the safe side.

There's also the consideration of the impact on the various local secure bike park businesses that have sprung up, this could well act as a disincentive to people looking to set up in such, especially those who would offer more than just parking services. The parking is the core business but people don't always have the time for a coffee nor need a bike service every day etc. If they lose enough parking to more conveniently sited and lockable on street provision then its doubtful that the other aspects would sustain them.