This Compact, Foldable Lock Provides Elegant, Lightweight Protection For Your Bicycle

By Einat Paz-Frankel, NoCamels December 07, 2016 2 minutes

FoldyLock,. Courtesy

With hundreds of thousands of bicycles stolen every year, it’s important to keep your bike locked. But standard locks can be heavy, bulky, and hard to carry around.

Israeli startup Foldylock has developed a compact, foldable lock that has a slick design and is easy to carry. The creators of two previous innovative bike locks – including the ingenious invention Seatylock, a bicycle seat that turns into a lock, and the original Foldylock – Israelis Michael Shenkerman and Ilan Mor have come up with a new cyclist-friendly way to protect your bike.

Made out of six steel links, Foldylock Compact is strong yet flexible. It folds into a 19-centimeter “stick” that weighs only 1 kg. And, it easily straps onto your bicycle saddle while you’re on the go.

In just a couple of weeks, Foldylock Compact raised nearly $41,000 on crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, quadrupling its goal of raising $10,000. One unit starts at $55. Mass production will begin in one month, with shipping expected in April 2017.

Foldylock creators claim that it is “both friendly to your bike’s paint job and protected against the elements – so it will maintain its fresh look for a very long time.” Constructed from rust-free components, “it is built to resist the most violent abuse, as well as to withstand extreme weather in the harshest environments.”

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When unfolded, it reaches 80 cm, long enough to lock your bike frame and one of the wheels to an external object. The Foldylock Compact case can be mounted to a bike frame using the bottle-holder fixing screws, or with the two straps provided by Foldylock. The case has a rattle-free mechanism to prevent your lock from shaking while riding, so you will enjoy a silent ride.

“This is a premium folding bike lock that features the perfect mix between protection, weight and design,” the company said in a statement.

FoldyLock,. Courtesy

A $6 billion industry

Bicycle use is on the rise. According to People For Bikes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving cycling in the US, over the past decade bike commuting grew by 47 percent nationwide, and by 73 percent in the largest cities.

Americans spend $6.1 billion on biking annually, which means Foldylock taps into a huge market. According to Shenkerman, “after we gave first samples for users to review, the reactions where astonishing, one of them loved it so much, he was sorry it was just his bike lock.”