Properly locking your bicycle can be a hassle, as you often have to secure the frame and rear wheel via a U-lock, while using a cable lock (or similar) on the front wheel. The Cordalock is out to change that, as it’s a single lock that secures the whole bike.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Cordalock is made by Spanish startup Corda.
It consists of a key-lock/tensioning mechanism in the middle, through which runs a thick cable. That cable has a braided stainless steel core, which is surrounded by a succession of overlapping hardened steel rings. A protective textile sleeve is on the outside, and a couple of hasps are located at the two ends.
Corda
By looping the ends of the cable around on themselves, then clamping those ends down in place using the hasps, it’s possible to form two loops with a straight stretch of cable in between. In this way, users could loop one end around the frame, rear wheel, and an adjacent immovable object (such as a sign post), while looping the other end around the front wheel.
In whatever looping scenario might be chosen, the next step involves twisting a cap on the locking mechanism to take up the slack in the cable. This cinches everything into place, while also tightening down the jaws of the hasps so they can’t be opened until the Cordalock is unlocked. In a final step, therefore, a key is used to lock everything up.
Corda
According to the designers, shear testing showed that the cable’s hardened steel ring structure resisted approximately 20 to 38 kilonewtons of force before failure, after which the braided steel cable itself still remained intact in some cases. That structure also caused a 350-watt angle grinder to jam – an 840W grinder did eventually get through, but it took 24 minutes to do so.
The Cordalock isn’t a lightweight lock, reportedly tipping the scales at 2.1 kg (4.6 lb). An optional extra cable, which can be run up from the main one to secure the saddle, adds an extra 760 g (1.7 lb).
Assuming everything works out with the Kickstarter, the basic version of the Cordalock can be yours for a pledge of €157 (about US$180). The 3-in-1 model, with the extra cable, goes for €165 ($206).
Cordalock – One Lock. Whole Bike
Sources: Kickstarter, Corda
