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Red Dot Award-Winning 'Saddle Lock': Yea or Nay?
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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Comments
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 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.
This was even published by core77 at the time!
http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/locksit_by_jack_godfrey_wood_5412.asp
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.
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.
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?)
The idea is stupid. Ayone who supports it is stupid. Sorry -
cannot believe it won an award at all.
First comment says it all, M4RK!
Would love to see more good design here instead. Thanks!
They could have done it without the funky frame design.
It's a nice piece of art.
Is this better than a separate u-lock or cable? Not. Even. Close.
What interests me more is what the front derailleur is attached to.
And wow would this thing flex.
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.
Cool concept though- good for a portfolio more than production
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.
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.
http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/product_images/LK/LK2200.jpg
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.
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.