Yerka bike (Photo : Facebook)
The Yerka bike is "unstealable" as it turns the bike into a lock, and breaks if thieves try to steal it
Yerka, an innovative new bicycle that claims to be the world's first "unstealable bike," contains technology that causes it to break if a thief steals it. Instead of the two-wheeler containing a heavy-duty lock or Global Positioning System (GPS), the steel frame of the cycle splits in half, and clicks into the pedaled vehicle's seat shaft. It can then be secured around a bike rack, pole, or tree.
Potential crooks will be deterred from stealing the cycle as it will fall apart in the middle of their illegal act. That is because the removable seat shaft itself functions as a "lock" for the aluminum downtube.
Cyclists who ride their two-wheeler to get exercise, run errands, or use Earth-friendly transportation will be thrilled that the locking mechanism can be disassembled and reconnected in a jiffy. It takes just 10 seconds.
The Yerka website states that its locking system was developed to keep the bicycle's owner feeling safe. It is a "paradigm shift" that turns the bike into a lock.
A potential robber could still saw through the main framework of the two-pedal vehicle. However, it would make it as useless as a bicycle without wheels.
The new gadget was developed by three Chilean inventors. They dropped out of their university to design the one-of-a-kind gadget.
When one of the ex-engineering students had two bikes stolen, he decided to fight crime. It resulted in the new invention.
The three young men received a $100,000 government grant to design the bicycle, according to Mirror. They sold the first unit on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. The first production run will manufacture 300 units.
Originally the cycles were sold for $400. The price tag was increased $100 and will later cost at least $600, according to ABC15.
As with other startup companies, the three entrepreneurs have run into some bumps in the road. However, they said that their main goal is that customers will conclude that their bike is "great."
A total $35 million in bicycles is stolen in the United States yearly. That is based on statistics from the National Bike Registry and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
