Core77

Red Dot Award-Winning 'Saddle Lock': Yea or Nay?

By Ray Hu - January 18, 2013

in Cars

Not to be a hater, but my number one concern with the "Saddle Lock" concept by Lee Sang Hwa, Kim Jin Ho and Yeo Min Gu is that it's a design for not only the seatpost and saddle but the frame itself. The fact that the hinge is incorporated into the seatpost cluster means that the locking mechanism is part and parcel with the frame itself, seatstays be damned. That said, the Red Dot Design Award-winning concept illustrates a commendable bit of lateral thinking, so to speak, in integrating a locking into the seatpost, which flips between the standard upright position and a lowered, secure configuration.In complex cities, the number of people using bicycles to travel short distances is increasing. Following the trend, bicycle design has been evolving rapidly. On the contrary, the evolution of the bicycle lock has been slow. When they make a quick stop—such as at a coffee counter or a convenience store—people still look for something to lock their bicycle to. Even though they are only stopping for a few minutes, they must perform quite a number of actions to lock their bike.

Saddle Lock provides a way to quickly lock the rear wheel without the need for additional locking accessories. The seat post swings down around the main frame when a button is pushed. The saddle features a cut-away shape that allows it to sit over the rear wheel. A combination lock allows the release of a special alloy rotating lock that extends from one end of the saddle to the other, securing its connection to the wheel.

Stateside cyclists will be quick to note that locking the rear wheel is hardly sufficient for the mean streets of NYC or SF, but that's not the point: The Saddle Lock is a variation on the built-in handcuff-style wheel lock that is commonly seen on imported cruisers and e-bikes, a simple solution for less-larcenous locales.

Additionally, it's worth noting that the space between the seat tube and the rear wheel forms a closed loop, which means that the Saddle Lock could lock around the horizontal part of a bike rack or affixed railing. Maybe the Korean team should team up with the fellas behind nCycle, which featured a similarly concealed lock design in the handlebars, for maximum integrated lockability...

Still, I don't know if I would trust a seat that is expressly designed to flip downwards—it's bad enough to accidentally twist a seat when the bolt isn't tight enough—and I imagine that the hinge wouldn't remain entirely stable (or stiff) after prolonged stress. The diagonal bar, on the other hand, strikes me as a purely aesthetic touch, and while it emphasizes the locking mechanism—also at the expense of the structural integrity of the frame—I'd prefer a traditional seat tube and seatstays any day.

Via URDesign; thanks to Neil for the tip!

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Mike Moore

7 months ago

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I like the idea of the saddle lock. In my opinion the designers have limited their audience having the saddle locked to one bike purpose built for
the invention and should have looked at applying this concept to standard built bikes instead of custom.

I too had a similar idea back in 1997 . Unfortunately due lack of research on the internet I was scammed. Enough of the rant.

It interesting to see the ideas and concepts available today regarding bike safety and security.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my product recognised. Thanks to the internet there seems to be more scope to do so.

Mike

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Brad Comis

11 years ago

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A little late to the party here, but oh well...
The diagonal frame looks to me to be there to create more space for locking. So, the bike can be locked to items of varying height. This design could be refined into something good.
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Ben H

11 years ago

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Erm, I think Jack Godfrey Wood got there before you.
This was even published by core77 at the time!

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/locksit_by_jack_godfrey_wood_5412.asp

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tanuki

11 years ago

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never mind that it doesn't work. The thieves would take 1 look at that thing and steal the bike next to it :D
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Salva

11 years ago

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Oh, my God! They just have stolen my whole locked bike!!!!!!

You can buy the most expensive lock available and still save a lot, because you can use it on every bike you have, or borrow, or rent.

Please gimme a Red Dot: The other day I thought of a very beautiful teapot with a never seen futuristic unreal design.

Sorry to be rude; I couldn't resist.
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Aaron

11 years ago

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This design creates way more problems than it solves. And it really doesn't solve anything better than the solutions that already exist (like U-locks).
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kfg

11 years ago

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". . . do other countries also use them?"

Every country that can order through Amazon, starting at about 25 USD. Always remember that ignorance isn't the same thing a unavailability, a maxim that Red Dot is apparently ignorant of.

I'm giving the designer credit for simply taking advantage of that ignorance. Fair game. If I am wrong he should be ashamed of himself.

To those who have suggested that this bike could be stolen by cutting the seatpost, please note that the bike has a perfectly conventional collar. An allen wrench would do the trick, i.e., it's fucking useless.
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Bob

11 years ago

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At first sight it looks cool. But your back will get dirty when you ride this, the seat has to be readjusted each time and I don't know why this is an improvement on the current locks that are fixed on the frame. http://cyclingcultures.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Dutch_bike_lock.jpg

It does exactly the same with all the problems with it. (Is it btw a typicial Dutch lock or do other countries also use them?)
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Mark S

11 years ago

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All the issues mentioned above - seat height not being adjustable, stuffs up bike frame rigidity, dirty seat, etc. - combined with the fact the a simple lock through the brakes or something would be way better are very obvious. Obvious from a two minute think. - let alonebothering to draw the idea up.

The idea is stupid. Ayone who supports it is stupid. Sorry -
cannot believe it won an award at all.
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Martin Siegrist

11 years ago

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Useless! And sad it got a red dot.....

First comment says it all, M4RK!

Would love to see more good design here instead. Thanks!
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M4RK

11 years ago

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A thief would not steal this bike because it's practically useless.
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M4RK

11 years ago

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Ken J, please. Don't be A dummy. It's not a device to prevent ppl from stealing the wheel silly, but to prevent the wheel turning so theives dont ride off. What is this, amatuer hour?
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zippyflounder

11 years ago

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Sorry, hardly worthy of a award as it fails on its core aspect bike security. First off, a hack saw and that seat stem is gone in a flash then pop the pivot at your leisure or just use a bolt cutter on the pin in the seat. I know, cold water, not dissing the designer but the judges, then again it is red dot so what do you expect.
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James Patrick

11 years ago

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I guess it would work in a place where nobody needs locks...
They could have done it without the funky frame design.
It's a nice piece of art.
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slippyfish

11 years ago

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As an idea its not bad, in that it hasn't been seen (widely) previous to this. The frame structural issues are not terrible - there have been high-performance and low-performance bikes made with this kind of seat-stay-less, non-seat-tube-attached approach. As this would not be a high-end product, the frame could be built very stoutly at the BB connection. Wouldn't be the stiffest bike on the market but anybody concerned about locking their saddle to their rear wheel isn't looking for ultimate performance.

Is this better than a separate u-lock or cable? Not. Even. Close.
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Kosmonaut

11 years ago

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Oh, and Andrew. It has disc brakes.

What interests me more is what the front derailleur is attached to.

And wow would this thing flex.
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Kosmonaut

11 years ago

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Design awards and bike design concepts never stop to amaze me for their stupidity.
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Wes

11 years ago

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At first glance, I love to see how simply it would fold back to lock into place. It feels like a clever function that might make me happy, despite poor adjustability.

Aside from the engineering and structural sighs I'm seeing above, my concern is more of that very same locking process. Being someone who rides for commute and pleasure every day of the week, I don't want my bike to just lock itself to itself. I would feel with this design I would still need a U lock and wire lock to lock up the front wheel. Isn't the front wheel easier to steal anyway?

If I'm wrong in that it would be easy to lock the seat down around some kind of bike rack, it would be great in the series of imagery to show how it actually acts with its environment, which is crucial for every product design.
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bob

11 years ago

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I think it is good that there is a red dot award- because it is important that creativity can receive recognition. I also feel like it will continue to evolve so that the awards don't seem dubiously bestowed on impractical concepts.
Cool concept though- good for a portfolio more than production
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Jake

11 years ago

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I like the idea, but the execution doesn't appear to yield a particularly strong frame design. The chain stays are basically floating out there with no supporting seat stays as in a traditional front/rear triangle type frame design. I'm a 225 lb. rider, so you can imagine the very intense and focused stresses that would be placed on the bottom bracket - which is the portion of the frame in which the cranks are housed.

The same net effect could be achieved with a simple "pin" that could be threaded through the wheel spanning the seat stays that are found on a traditional frame configuration. And this pin, when not in use, could be clipped to any one of the many existing tubes or inserted into the handle bar ends.

The same method could be used to secure the front wheel as well, with a similar "pin" spanning the fork legs.
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db

11 years ago

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Silly. Judges should at least try to have some sense of history. This "solution" has been around for at least 80 years. Except when you attached the lock to the seat stays, it is a better solution that the silliness of twisting your seat. Google "lucchetto epoca" or "lucchetto bianchi" for examples.
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Andrew

11 years ago

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I can see this working with a fixed gear bike, but I'm trying to figure out where the brakes would go. They have a derailleur in the model there, so I would think brakes are necessary. Maybe I'm not seeing something obvious.
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Ken J

11 years ago

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I applaud the approach, but I cannot get my head around the application. How often does one park their bike vs removing the rear wheel? Wouldn't making the wheel harder to remove be an easier approach?
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Sean

11 years ago

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Cool idea; it also means your saddles a lot let likely to get nicked! If they put a proper key lock on it, and 'bulked up' the way the seat pivots (I guess like a position-lockable bottom bracket), this would be an excellent concept!

However one glaring negative would be that you can't adjust the seat post height. Another would be that the saddle can't ever be changed, and any replacement wheels have to be of a compatible thickness to the saddle.

But like I said, I think this is a great concept.
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jaques

11 years ago

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Nay. As you say, it's a design for the frame, not seat post. Clever in a way but oh so clumsy in evere other. An u-lock with a holder would be better than this, surely?
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Mathias Lerche

11 years ago

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"... at the expense of the frame's structural integrity" ... As usual, one is tempted to say! Oh well, at least this design doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. The lock I have on my bike lasts quite a lot longer than my saddle, though. There is a good point in keeping these things separate.
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Rocketboytom

11 years ago

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Umm... Also not wishing to be a hater, but how is this complicated custom-frame/saddle combination any better than the cheap and reliable wheel-lock that has been mounted on every bike in Europe for the last 50 years:
http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/product_images/LK/LK2200.jpg
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Lloyd Penningotn

11 years ago

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Interesting '"thinking" but award winning? I suppose the designer thought the engineers would just sort out the lack of rigidity in the trailing arm design and bending loads imparted on the don tube? And what happened to seat adjustment? Commercially unsound I think. So at least the 'won' a five thousand Euro invoice for their trouble. this absolutely discourages me from entering awards like the Red Dot.
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Antipodean_g

11 years ago

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So a concept that revolves around redesigning the frame to be drastically less structural, for the simple, yet questionable purpose to solely lock the saddle to the wheel, wins an award? I should take up accounting.

Not being a hater but a concept should address the most basic foundations of design, which this fails to do. Aside from that, the so called security feature offered here is so nominal, I personally fail to see how redesigning the whole bike frame to allow for it is justified.
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M4RK

11 years ago

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Problems:

1. Structurally unsound frame design here, a normal frame might void this concept's feasibilty

2. Seat cannot be adjusted in height

3. Real world issues ignored, such as that fact that wheels get dirty and muddy, meaning the seat could too, meaning also your pants...

4. Prevents installing after market seat

I thought of those in about 1 minute, I can't believe this won a red dot. When they award such poorly thought out designs, they hurt design's image to the public. FFS.
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