Some countries have strict laws against biking while drunk, but here in the US that’s left up to the individual states – and the policy is notoriously ambiguous. Japanese company KOOWHO may not be able to clarify the cycling while drunk laws where you live, but it can let you (and a friend) know when you’re too tipsy to pedal home.

Most people look at cycling as a safer alternative to driving when they’re drunk, and in a way they’re right. Since you aren’t driving a couple tons of hulking mass, you’re more likely to hurt only yourself if you crash on a bike. But there are still plenty of good reasons to hoof it or call a cab after an evening of imbibing.

Alcoho-Lock is a bike lock that will only open up and let you ride home if you can prove you’re sober enough to bike safely. You blow into it, just like the alcohol-detection devices that unlock a car’s ignition system. If it judges you too impaired to bike, it will still open up for you – but it will also notify a friend or family member.

The notification is made through the proprietary app; when you first get the Alcoho-Lock you set up a person to notify in case of drunken cycling. The idea is that the friend will either talk you out of riding your bike or offer to come pick you up. At around $300 US, it’s a rather expensive way to stay safe that requires a lot of discipline on the part of the user. Still, if it can keep a few people from eating asphalt (and maybe a few others from being ticketed) it seems like a solid idea. The Alcoho-Lock is available for preorder here.

The post Sober Cycling: Bike Lock Won’t Let You Pedal Impaired first appeared on Gajitz.

Biking is supposed to be a convenient and relaxing way to get around, but so many bikers are saddled with the mental and physical baggage of trying to prevent theft. Some cyclists take their front tires with them when they lock their bikes up; others remove the seats. In most cases, they carry a big lock wherever they go to secure the bike at their destination.

Seatylock is a novel answer to the worries of cyclists everywhere. It integrates a lock right into the bike’s seat, eliminating extra baggage while making it easy to keep your bike safe from thieving miscreants.

When you get to where you’re going, the entire seat comes off of the bike frame. Stowed underneath are a few metal arms that fold out to become a lock which loops around a bike rack or the nearest stable object. A quick lock with a small key and your bike is secure – all told, it takes about 30 seconds to remove the seat and secure the lock.

The Seatylock comes with an adapter that lets it fit onto just about any bike, and is available in both “trekking” and “comfort” models to suit your specific biking habits. A special safety adapter ensures that your seat won’t go wobbling off of its post mid-ride.

The team behind the unconventional lock clearly had a great time testing its strength if the video above is any indication. The Seatylock couldn’t be broken by chain cutters, a saw, or ice spray and a mallet. It can stand up to .6 tons of pressure, which is definitely strong enough to deter any hoodlums from taking off with your ride. Kickstarter pledges starting at $75 will get you a Seatylock of your own.

The post Safety Seat: Ingenious Bike Seat Transforms Into a Lock first appeared on Gajitz.

If you ride a bike regularly, you probably know that sinking feeling of getting to the spot where you parked your bike and realizing that it’s been pilfered. The Yerka Project was created by three engineering students in Chile who knew that feeling all too well.

The engineers created a bike that they say is impossible to steal. The logic is pretty simple: to steal a bike, a thief has to break the lock. If the lock is formed from the frame of the bike, stealing the bike would render it useless.

The Yerka bike is seriously stylish and doesn’t give away its secret until you get to your destination. You then unlatch the bike’s seat post and rotate two small parts on the frame.

The rotated pieces provide a negative space where the anchoring object – a tree, lamp post, bike rack, or whatever else is handy – can fit. Then simply slide the seat post through the two rotated pieces, remove the locking pin, and go about your business knowing your bike is safe.

Part of the bike’s appeal lies in the fact that it makes carrying around a lock unnecessary. Of course, it is still possible for a determined thief to nick the tires – but the idea is that they won’t bother with just the tires if they can’t get the whole bike.

The post Unstealable Bike Uses its Own Frame as an Ingenious Lock first appeared on Gajitz.

The Saddle Lock keeps your bike safe by disabling both the saddle and the rear wheel, rendering them both useless to thieves. The typical bike lock attaches to the bike and a stationary object, but the Saddle lock concept from designers Lee Sang Hwa, Kim Jin Ho and Yeo Min Gu is different in that it attaches to itself.

The back portion of the saddle features a small cutout with a combination lock. When you get to where you’re going and want to leave your bike outside for a while, you have only to push a button. The seat post then pivots back toward the back wheel, allowing the lock to take hold of the wheel. When you’re ready to get back on the road, a small combination lock embedded in the saddle allows you to unlock the seat and put it upright again.

Like any concept, this one has its challenges. The cutout in the seat is likely to be very uncomfortable after a long ride, for one. But more importantly, a determined thief could just throw the entire locked bike into a vehicle and take it somewhere to cut the lock. The Saddle Lock is only a concept at this point, but it’s such a clever one that it won a 2012 Red Dot: Design Concept award.

The post Concept Bike Fools Thieves With a Clever Show of Contortion first appeared on Gajitz.

The best bike security devices are the ones that render the bike unusable in the event that they are broken or otherwise tampered with. The Pedal Lock is a pretty clever invention that does just that by using the bike’s pedals themselves as the security mechanism. The design, thought up by Cheng-Tsung Feng and Yu-Ting Cheng, requires you, the bike rider, to remove your pedals when you get to your destination, wrap them around both the tire and a bike rack, then lock them in place.

The obvious flaw in this design is that seasoned bike thieves won’t be slowed down by missing pedals. They would break the plastic pedals and then just put a new pair on after throwing your bike into the back of their truck. But maybe for quick trips in safe areas, the pedal locks would prove to be enough of a deterrent for all but the most determined of thieves.

The post Safety is Afoot? Removable Bike Pedals Become Smart Lock first appeared on Gajitz.