If you are sick and tired of having your bicycle stolen stolen, then we have just the thing for you. After Daniel Idzkowski lost his bike to sneaky thieves, he came up with the most bizarre solution. Idzkowski’s SkunkLock fights bike theft by releasing a chemical deterrent when a would-be thief tries to cut through it – and it’s noxious enough to induce vomiting.
Made with hardened medium-carbon steel, the black and white U-Lock contains a hidden pressurized deterrent that the company says actually induces vomiting in most cases. These noxious chemicals are so strong they “elicit an instinctive response to run away immediately,” according to the company’s Indiegogo page. They say it’s possible a bike might smell if the chemicals are released, but not likely, although they include disinfection instructions with their locks.
Related: Engineering Students Create the World’s First Unstealable Bike
What chemicals do they use? SkunkLock doesn’t quite disclose that information, saying they prefer to keep their formula a secret so thieves can’t figure out a way around it. They do say on their Indiegogo page that capsaicin compounds may be present in the lock, but that SkunkLock isn’t “strictly a pepper spray product.”
While some bike owners may be deterred by the idea of noxious chemicals, SkunkLock assures people their bike lock is safe and legal. The company purposely skewed away from electronic and smart locks, saying electronics can fail or be dismantled. Instead their lock fights back, as per the company slogan.
Once the chemicals are released, the company says the structural integrity should still be there but the lock won’t deter against thieves in the unique skunk-like fashion any more. There’s no expiration date on the bike lock, but the company plans to keep improving the technology and hopes SkunkLock owners will buy updated versions in the future.
SkunkLock is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo. A limited number of people can snag a SkunkLock for $99; from there the price goes up to $109 and then to $119. You can check out the campaign here.
+ SkunkLock Indiegogo Campaign
Images via SkunkLock Facebook and SkunkLock
