Having your bicycle stolen is one of the worst experiences you can suffer as a cyclist. And unfortunately, it is more common than we would like, both in urban areas and on routes or common stopping points. Whether it's mountain bikes or road bikes, thieves make no distinctions: if it's valuable and poorly protected, it's an easy target.
That's why many cyclists are increasingly investing in security systems, strong locks, and deterrent methods. But the reality is that, despite taking extreme precautions, thefts still happen. And this affects both those who park their MTB while resting on a route and those who leave their road bike at a station or at the door of their workplace.
In response to this problem, a California company wanted to go a step further and has developed a lock that not only tries to prevent theft but literally attacks the thief. It's called SkunkLock and it works in a very particular way: when someone tries to cut it, it releases a pressurized chemical gas that causes vomiting and difficulty breathing in whoever manipulates it. It's a system designed to deter immediately, even before the thief manages to touch your bike.
The gas is isolated in an internal chamber and is only activated if the lock is attacked, so its use is completely safe for the owner. These types of solutions are increasingly necessary, especially when we talk about high-value bicycles, whether they are high-end mountain bikes or road bikes with electronic components.
In a context where bicycle theft remains a constant problem, innovations like this represent an interesting step in protecting our cycling equipment. Because in the end, for those of us who live cycling with passion, the bike is not just a means of transport: it's part of our life.
The skunk lock
SkunkLock was conceived and created by Daniel Idzkowski and Yves Perrenoud, two engineers living in San Francisco, tired of seeing their bicycles stolen again and again. It's no coincidence that the idea sprouted in the minds of two residents of one of the cities with the most bicycles in the world. The 'skunk lock' (that's the translation of its name) is, in appearance, a normal U-shaped lock, but it could be the beginning of the end for the continued theft of bikes in many cities around the world.
Safe for the user
SkunkLock only releases the gas when someone tries to break it to steal the bike, so there is no danger if you drop it on the ground or it receives an accidental blow. Daily use also does not cause it to lose its properties or the gas to lose pressure. In addition to the chemical deterrent that makes it so different from all other locks known so far, SkunkLock features a steel lock with high tensile strength, a hardened steel locking bar with a retention device, and a high-security locking mechanism. Another of its features is that it does not use electronics, which means that no element of the device can be disconnected and it avoids the deterioration that could occur if it were exposed to moisture.
60 seconds
Daniel Idzkowski, one of the two creators of SkunkLock, recalls that most bike locks are very vulnerable, to the point that it takes less than 60 seconds to open them or, with the right tools, even cut them. In San Francisco, as in other cities around the world, professional thieves even name bikes by the number of seconds it takes to overcome the security measures that protect them.
Does it really work?
The American company that markets SkunkLock has conducted remote tests with the lock, and the two founders have even tested their own invention several times. And the results of these tests seem to prove them right, because at about 60 centimeters away, 9 out of 10 would-be thieves ended up vomiting. But you don't have to get that close to feel its effects, because even at a safe distance of 3 meters the unpleasant smell is already noticeable. The lock has the added advantage that, in moments, it creates an unusual scene in public, so that the thief is no longer unnoticed by passersby.
Is the gas legal to use?
Regarding the usability of the lock and the chemical gas it emits, Idzkowski assures that the chemical components it contains, which are used to deter thieves, have passed various public use tests with excellent results, so its use is legal in 50 states of the United States. The gas, which has an effect similar to that of pepper spray used for self-defense, would also comply with the legal regulations of the member countries of the European Union.
