Fortunately, the folks behind the Foldylock Compact (and, come on, they get points for that name alone!) think they’ve solved the conundrum — by creating a new premium bike lock which leads the rest of the industry in all three of categories, plus more.
To use a slightly torturous Goldilocks and the Three Bears analogy, whatever you’re looking for, this lock is “just right.”
“The folding lock concept is not something fundamentally new,” Ilan Mor, co-founder of Foldylock Compact makers Seatylock, told Digital Trends. “What we did, however, was to solve a few issues with existing models — including squeaky operation, security, strength, and design. We feel that we’ve taken the user experience to the next level with this product. We really think it’s going to be in the top tier of its category in every way.”
The Kickstarter campaign for the new lock spells this out, noting that what the team is offering boasts “smoother function, better design, better protection, better operation, better size, better look and feel, better user experience” and overall, “just better.”
It’s created from six hardened steel links over-molded by reinforced military-graded UV-treated polymer, thereby making it both friendly to your bike’s paint job and also offering protection against the elements. At just a couple of pounds, Foldylock is lightweight to carry around with you, and can be compacted to just six inches in length when you’re not using it. It even includes anti-drilling rivets to ensure that even the most resourceful of thieves will walk away empty-handed.
Finally, the Foldylock is unusually stylish by bike lock standards. No, this isn’t something that will make a lock any more secure, but it’s certainly a “nice to have” — particularly for the bike proud among us.
“This is our third Kickstarter project,” Mor said, referencing previous successful campaigns his company has run, such as the Seatylock bike saddle which becomes a lock. “In that way, this was our easiest project to develop — because it meant that we could incorporate everything we’ve learned from our previous products. We’ve learned a lot about the best way to do this, from design to tooling.”
If you want to get hold of a Foldylock, you can do so at the Kickstarter link at the top of this page — where a unit will set you back $60 or more. Shipping is planned for April 2017.