Crowdfunding, smartphones and bike technology - this trio is preparing to bring new products to cyclists. Thanks to public project funding, bike locks that do their security work via smartphone are just getting started.

The electronic shackle lock
The "Bitlock" can currently be pre-ordered on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform - and the conventional padlock from the outside has innovative inner values: It is opened and closed via smartphone (iOS or Android), and if the mobile phone is not at hand or the battery is at zero, it can also be locked and opened using a numerical code.

In addition to the mere security aspect of chaining, the "Bitlock" also offers this added value: the lock can be localized via GPS and the app can be used to see the routes taken by the lock or the bike fitted with the lock. The integrated battery is designed to withstand up to 10,000 open/close cycles, which should last for around 5 years.
http://bitlock.co/

With the "LOCK8", the smartphone also serves as the key to the lock - and here too, an app is responsible for the security code, alarm function and GPS location. Additional security is provided by registering the bike in the "LOCK8" community. But the really interesting feature is the alarm function, which alerts the owner of the bike via a message on their smartphone and sounds an alarm on the lock if someone tries to force the lock open.

The lock and the corresponding app are currently intended for iPhones, with the Android version to follow soon. The main difference between the "LOCK8" and the above lock is the box on the bike that holds the battery, the electronics and the two openings for the cable lock.

The young company, which also uses Kickstarter.com, has already won a prize: on October 29, the "LOCK8" makers took first place in the "Startup Battlefield" competition at the "TechChrunch Disrupt Europe 2013", an international conference for the technology industry, with prize money of 40,000 euros.

www.lock8.me