Insurance and bicycle locks go together like Cavendish and Renshaw. Bearing in mind we sell bicycle insurance, bicycle lock innovations for us are like the invention of the internet – a once in a lifetime event. So when we met Litelok at The London Bike Show in 2016, to say we were excited is an understatement.
As a bit of background, creator Neil Barron was inspired to design the Litelok after having several bikes stolen on the streets of London, and was fed up with having to carry around heavy bike locks (aren’t we all?!). After speaking to many other cyclists in the same position, it seemed wrong that as bicycles were getting lighter, secure bike locks were getting heavier. The original, award-winning Litelok Gold was an instant hit and we loved it so much that we sell it on our website (together with a £10 discount on our insurance when purchased at the same time).
So when our favourite lock company announced that they were launching a new even lighter ‘Silver’ rated product, we couldn’t wait to spread the word. The Kickstarter for the new, Litelok Silver, launched yesterday and is already sitting at over £15,000 funding, 60% of its £25,000 target.
In case you’re not already reaching for your wallet to pledge, we’ve picked our winning features from the Litelok Silver.
The smallest Litelok Silver 52 weighs in at just 630g – at least 40% lighter than the average equivalent D-lock – making it the lightest Silver bike lock in the world.
What do you do with your lock while you’re riding – attempt to squeeze it into your bag? Hang it, rattling and swinging, off the handlebars? With the Litelok Silver, you can use the Wearable Kit extender to turn your lock into a belt which can be adjusted for almost any size of waist. In a matte black colour, this is a really smart look and almost unnoticeable around your waist as you ride.
Most locks use a horizontal locking arrangement meaning that you have to bend and crane your neck to see what’s going on when locking and unlocking. With Litelok Silver, the downward line of sight makes locking a lot clearer as you can actually see what you’re doing. So simple, yet so useful.
This is all great, but ultimately the most important feature of a lock is just how safe it is. The Litelok Silver is rated Silver by the independent rating company, Sold Secure. The Boaflexicore material can stand up to a whole range of tools (watch the video to see it under attack) and the lock has in-built drill protection and is also pick proof.
In fact, we are so confident in the safety and quality of these locks that we have partnered with Litelok to offer a theft protection option with your new purchase. If your bike (up to the value of £1,500) is stolen when it was secured with a Litelok and you included theft protection in your purchase, it will be replaced.
The Kickstarter is only running for 30 days so if you want to be one of the first to own this lock, make sure to get your pledge in quickly.
There are a lot of unusual ideas on Kickstarter, and there are even more ideas that never get off the ground. We love Litelok’s innovation and originality and sometimes you do need to reinvent the wheel, just ask the guys at Loop Wheels.
