Did these guys think about the bike lock market at all when they created this? Why reinvent the wheel? For bike locks people value security and convenience. This offers neither over standard key locks.
I'm a cyclist. Why would I want to mess with an electro lock when all I want to do is get on my bike and ride? This seems a symptom of 'an app for everything' syndrome.
I'm a cyclist too and although I like the idea of not taking out my key to unlock it, it's the LEAST painful interaction I have with locks. I almost never carry a lock (and most other weekend road bikers don't either) because:
1) The good ones are heavy and bulky.
2) They're hard to transport. We're wearing spandex, a lock does not fit in our back pouches and all available mounts on the frame are being used for water bottles or emergency pumps.
This basically means restaurants and coffee shops that have seating outside or allow bikes inside get a ton of business from the bikers in the Bay Area.
Santa Cruz has bike lockers but I think you have to put in a quarter and carry around change. I would love short term storage in the city that can use an app or credit card to unlock and you can choose to extend it with the app. Anyone know of anything like this?
I agree, locks are a pain. I would be more excited about bike storage co-ops in the city than this too. I only commute by bike when I can keep it in the building. My bikes are never locked outside unless its for a short duration or very close.
As a consumer product, BitLock is targeting a niche market (like any other keyless locks). It is way more convenient than a regular lock. You don't have to carry a key with you plus the interaction is seamless. Also we never have to deal with lost bike keys. However an important side application for this lock is bike sharing. For example, You can setup a bike share system among your friends on college campus. This you can't do with regular locks.
* Finally, you should disclose that this is your project when commenting on it.
I apologize about that. I kind of assume it was clear but thanks for the reminder.
If you want to share bikes, hand-off of keys will be an issue. With BitLock for example you can share 3 bikes between 10 people. with the app on your phone you can geolocate bikes and lock/unlock easily.
Comments
Did these guys think about the bike lock market at all when they created this? Why reinvent the wheel? For bike locks people value security and convenience. This offers neither over standard key locks.
I'm a cyclist. Why would I want to mess with an electro lock when all I want to do is get on my bike and ride? This seems a symptom of 'an app for everything' syndrome.
I'm a cyclist too and although I like the idea of not taking out my key to unlock it, it's the LEAST painful interaction I have with locks. I almost never carry a lock (and most other weekend road bikers don't either) because:
1) The good ones are heavy and bulky. 2) They're hard to transport. We're wearing spandex, a lock does not fit in our back pouches and all available mounts on the frame are being used for water bottles or emergency pumps.
This basically means restaurants and coffee shops that have seating outside or allow bikes inside get a ton of business from the bikers in the Bay Area.
Santa Cruz has bike lockers but I think you have to put in a quarter and carry around change. I would love short term storage in the city that can use an app or credit card to unlock and you can choose to extend it with the app. Anyone know of anything like this?
I agree, locks are a pain. I would be more excited about bike storage co-ops in the city than this too. I only commute by bike when I can keep it in the building. My bikes are never locked outside unless its for a short duration or very close.
As a consumer product, BitLock is targeting a niche market (like any other keyless locks). It is way more convenient than a regular lock. You don't have to carry a key with you plus the interaction is seamless. Also we never have to deal with lost bike keys. However an important side application for this lock is bike sharing. For example, You can setup a bike share system among your friends on college campus. This you can't do with regular locks.
I really don't see that happening on a campus. If I'm going to setup a bike share, I'm not going to leave the bikes outside locked in a public place.
Second, keys are pretty fucking convenient. What exactly is the downside of keys?
Finally, you should disclose that this is your project when commenting on it.
* Finally, you should disclose that this is your project when commenting on it.
I apologize about that. I kind of assume it was clear but thanks for the reminder.
If you want to share bikes, hand-off of keys will be an issue. With BitLock for example you can share 3 bikes between 10 people. with the app on your phone you can geolocate bikes and lock/unlock easily.
If you ever forget your key just hide in the bushes and wait for a thief to unlock it for you.