Almost 50 million Americans cycle for leisure and as a means of transportation, according to Statista, and the rate of bike theft continues to rise. Cheap, portable angle grinders make it easier for thieves to cut through the locks – and the safety claims – of most lock companies. However, the new patent-pending Altor SAF Lock will thwart even the most resourceful thieves. In fact, it would take so much hard work, that a thief would need to invest a lot of time, equipment and elbow grease and still wouldn’t cut it.
“If you plan on trying to cut the toughest bike lock ever built, you’d better bring a drink, a snack, several backup angle grinders, disks, batteries and a physical therapist,” says Karen Schaufeld, Altor Locks co-founder and CEO. “Anything else on the market, no matter how heavy, and no matter the claims by manufacturers – including all other U-locks or chains – are simply and irrefutably less safe than Altor’s SAF lock. You are settling for much less if you use anything else.”
It’s called “Strong As F***,” because testers, using the most popular angle grinders on the market, ground through multiple batteries and blade disks and took well over an hour to get most of the way through the lock. By comparison, the heaviest, strongest locks on the market today can be cut in less than a minute.
The SAF Lock thwarts angle grinders with a design that is virtually impossible to penetrate, lowering the risk of theft for cyclists who must leave bikes unattended for hours overnight or during work hours. It puts security above all else and is not designed to be carried. The SAF Lock protects against angle grinders and any other tools bad guys use. Its best-in-class eight-disc-detainer locking mechanism prevents lock-picking and engages on both sides of the shackle to ensure a thief would need to completely cut through both sides of the shackle for the lock to fail.
Specific features include:
- 80 mm diameter alloy SAF Tech Shell, which protects against angle grinders
- 14 mm hardened internal shackle
- Dual-sided anti-rotation locking bars ensure a thief would have to cut the lock on both sides to compromise the lock
- High security disc detainer lock mechanism to prevent lockpicking
- Soft protective outer coating made of vinyl and silicone to protect against scuffing
“If you’re sick of your bikes getting stolen, this one might be worth investigating,” Gear Junkie.
The SAF Lock is currently available on Indiegogo, starting at $199 (a 30%-off limited time launch sale) for those backing the project. If Altor meets its Indiegogo funding goal, SAF Locks will begin shipping in Spring 2020. To learn more and invest, visit Indiegogo here.
Altor Locks
Headquartered in Sterling, Va., Altor Locks is a woman- and minority-owned company. CEO and Co-Founder Karen Schaufeld, an avid cyclist who was looking for a lightweight and easily portable bike lock, met Co-Founder, Engineer and Inventor Dylan Cato through a Lehigh University product development program. Their goal was – and continues to be – to improve the quality of bike locks on the market. The Altor team creates innovative bicycle products that offer a higher standard of security, using the world's best materials, technology and innovative design to create products unlike anything on the market. Their first patented lock was the Altor 560g, a titanium folding lock that defeated bolt cutters and weighed only 560 grams. The Altor Apex Ti is patented, refined design of the Altor 560g, and it includes upgrades based on consumer feedback and additional innovative safety features. All Altor Locks are assembled in Sterling, VA.
Visit www.altorlocks.com