InterLock on Kickstarter: Innovative Bike Lock Hides Inside Your Seat Post

Would you fund this innovative bike lock?

What is it?

The InterLock is an innovative bike lock that hides inside your bicycle's seat post when not in use. In fact, it is both a lock and a seat post, in one. Because of this, it also keeps the seat secure while sparing your paint job by hiding inside the tube. It is currently seeking $48,000 in funding and sits at  $35,921 in pledged money. If it doesn't reach $48,000 by February 5, the project will not be funded and all those who pledged money will not be charged.

The InterLock is expected to retail for $50 plus tax.

Why I Think This Is a Great Idea

Bike locks come in a variety of shapes and forms. I personally carry a key-operated cable lock wrapped around the top bar of my bike. It's not the most secure lock, but it should help to discourage most bike thieves from seeing my bike as an easy target.

The problem with wrapping the lock around the top tube is that it's slowly rubbing the paint off. By carrying the lock inside the seat tube it can't damage the bike by rubbing and scratching while riding. Not only that, it's also tucked safely out of the way, making room for whatever else I might be tempted to wrap around the top tube.

Why I Think This Is a Bad Idea

From the looks of it, the cable isn't long enough to secure the front wheel, leaving it open to an easy theft. While that doesn't make this a bad product, it does have make it a flawed one. I believe the cable needs to be extended to secure the front wheel.

Look, we know bike thieves are scum, but we live in a world of people who have some strange quirks. Someone making a statement about their dislike of bicycles, or a disgruntled driver exacting revenge on a cyclist for some transgression, might be tempted to steal a front wheel to "get even." Some people might need a front wheel, or think they can make a quick buck by selling it. Then again, some people will steal a front wheel just because it's there.

I've seen all kinds of things that people do; the point is, you should always secure your front wheel, and I don't think the cable on this lock is long enough to do that. In the video, they even show how a U-lock can be used in combination with the InterLock to keep your bike extra secure. That's all fine and dandy, but wasn't the point of this product to eliminate the need to carry a bulky lock?

Would I Buy One/Fund This?

I'm definitely thinking about it. You can never be too careful, and now that I'm seeing the kind of damage my current bike is taking by carrying a bike lock the way I do, it just makes sense. I'm sure I'd be a lot more upset about it if I had a much more expensive bike. Then again, I could just slide a cuff between the tube and the cable to protect it from rubbing. Is that really worth $50?

Another potential deal-breaker might be the weight-conscious cyclist who'd want a carbon seat post instead of the material currently being used in the InterLock. I'm sure you could expect to pay a lot more for one, however.

As I said, I'm very tempted, I'm just not convinced I need one.

So, what about you? Would you buy this? See any potential problems this could cause, or would the InterLock be a perfect fit your bicycling lifestyle?

I chose this project because I've decided to highlight a Kickstarter every week.

Well, maybe not every week, but it certainly seems like new, interesting and innovative products that are targeted at cyclists and the cycling culture come out all the time, and most of them begin life as a Kickstarter project. This is one that caught my eye.

Full Disclosure

I doubt I'll contribute money to every Kickstarter project that I feature. In fact, there are some I'd only write about as a warning to avoid. Some of these projects never see funding and fade into obscurity, while others look like great ideas, get funding and are things I might actually purchase. In any case, don't see these posts as a full-on endorsement. Unless otherwise specified, I have not received payment in any form to write about these products, they just happen to catch my eye and I think they warrant some attention.

Of course, if you are starting up a new project or have a product you'd like me to test and write about, contact me with details and we'll talk.

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Welcome to Mountain Top. Here, have a flat tire.

First ride of the year, and the first significant ride in weeks. The predicted temperature was supposed to be in the 60s, but after weeks of freezing in the 20s, I decided to take what I could get. Upper 30s/lower 40s? Sure, why not?! And so began a 50 mile ride. Or so I had hoped.

I work for a computer repair shop in Mountain Top, PA called NEPA Geeks, which is just under 20 miles from where I live. My plan was to do a trial ride and see what it would be like to commute by bike. Also, to pop in and say, "Hi!" to my boss, Jason Percival, who was working today. And then there was the Dunkin' Donuts a few blocks from work... Hey, you need to restore glucose if you don't want to bonk, right? So, off I went.

Being a bit out of shape, and carrying a few extra holiday pounds, I certainly wasn't charging up hills like I was a month ago. Even then, I was hardly one of those guys who'd shift it into the big ring and stand out of the saddle. I honestly don't know how those guys do it... I'm fine with just sitting down and peddling a little faster in the granny gears, especially since this is supposed to be a commute to work, not an intense, 4 hour workout. As long as I get where I'm going, I'm happy. And I was going pretty good, until I heard the dreaded hiss of an inner-tube, rapidly deflating.

12.7 miles into my effort, just as I was rolling past the "Welcome to Mountain Top" sign, as seen at the top of this post, it happened; another inner-tube bites the dust. I blame gravel. Well, I blame myself for not inserting something to cover the hole in the front tire from the last time I had a blowout, but I blame the gravel for getting into the hole and cutting the tube. That is, if that's what happened. I didn't really inspect the damage, I just started walking as I texted my boss.

As luck would have it, he wasn't even at the office -- he'd left an hour early this week. D'oh! The next part of the tale is pretty amazing, though, because after texting Jason to let him know I was a bit stranded at the side of the road, he came all the way back from getting pizza at Maroni's in Scranton just to give me a ride back to Hazleton. Can this guy get any more awesome?

One day, I will make my goal and commute to work by bike. Just not today. Also, invest in a patch kit and frame pump. Let this be my lesson to you.

Hey, look! I figured out how to embed Strava results in a blog post!

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An Expected Journey

Last week, I went on an adventure with no agenda, just a journey into the unknown to see what I could see. This week, things were different.

I've been getting back into photography and decided that I wanted a little more power than what my iPhone was giving me. For that, I turned to an old friend of mine, the Albinar MS-2, a 35mm SLR. Locked and loaded with a fresh roll of film, I was fully-armed and looking for something great to shoot. That was my agenda, this week.

I wish I could say I were 100% thrilled with the results, but such is the nature of shooting on film -- unpredictability is part of the fun. That said, there are several shots that I'm particularly proud of. Please enjoy!

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An Adventure with No Agenda

I remember how every day used to be an adventure. Where we grew up in Monroeville, I had a friend who lived only about a block away, but it always felt like a grand adventure just to walk to each other's house. Looking back, it's hard to believe that a few pine trees and some underbrush with bare space in the middle could have seemed so big, but it did. It was our own private Neverland.

A small reservoir at the beginning of the trail head.

That small patch of land was home to orcs, goblins, trolls and other mythical beings. Later, it became the prowling grounds for Skeletor and his band of villainous goons. Sometime after that, Cobra Commander made it his terrorist stronghold, and then there were groups of ninjas and other assassins. By the time it lost its charm and became nothing more than a patchwork of pine trees and underbrush, I was no longer living in Monroeville. We had moved to Hazleton and had a real forest to explore as opposed to a small, suburban garden. Back in those days, we had grand adventures with no agenda. Today, I tried to reclaim some of that.

I had to miss out on the Thursday night trail ride last week due to a bout with the flu. I wanted to get out there so badly, to try out my new bike and ride in the snow, but there was nothing I could do until I was well. Finally, today, the warm weather and my growing desire for some exploration became too much to resist. I immediately headed out to see if any of those old trails and access roads were still available. We live in an area where people are constantly riding ATVs and dirtbikes around. Surely, there must be some decent trails I can ride, right? Of course there are.

Forgive me if I'm vague, but I'm not entirely sure of the legality of where I rode, today. I don't know who owns that land. The water company? The various mining companies still in operation? I just don't know. Most of the "Posted" and "No Trespassing" signs I came across only prohibited hunting and trapping, riding ATVs and motorized vehicles in the area. I figured, if it was obvious that I meant no harm, any trouble I'd run into would be easily cleared up. Even so, "No Trespassing" is still pretty explicit, and those signs were posted EVERYWHERE. I decided to tread carefully.

Old creeks and waterways make for a great trail ride.

For the first part of the trip, I was able to get into the wooded areas without much trouble. I easily rode around a gate and made my way across a road I was very familiar with, even though it had been torn up to repel vehicles. Most of the area wasn't as open and as I'd remembered so I had to look around to find any kind of a trail. It felt more like hiking with a bike for a little while. And then, there it was... a clearing and an obvious trail that I was able to ride. GOLDEN.

Being out on the trail, not really sure where I was going, brought back memories of being a kid back in Monroeville. My friend, my brother and I had gone out after school and were exploring the woods. It was sometime in January and we had been out so long that the sun had set. We were soaking wet from jumping trough icy mud puddles and the falling snow. Even as cold as we were, we didn't want to go home, we just wanted to keep exploring. I had that same feeling, today. I didn't want to turn around and go home. It was such a thrill to feel like I was out in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization.

Jagger bushes. I was careful to avoid being cut to ribbons by these.

The trail gave way to some access roads that eventually looped back and headed into the "strippins" -- swaths of land scarred from strip mining operations. I came across odd concrete bases, pipes that seemed to come from and go nowhere, deer tracks, ATV tracks, dirt bike tracks and hiking boot/shoe prints. Then, suddenly, I came across two men walking towards me. I thought to myself, "Here it comes, I really hope these are just regular dudes, out for a walk or something." When I got a little closer, I could see that they were in their teens and were wearing camo pants -- a regular clothing staple in NEPA -- but we exchanged greetings as I rode past. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they weren't cops or men from the mining company, looking to bitch me out for riding on their land.

I was now riding on familiar terrain and knew how to get back out of the woods to get home, a full 2 hours after I'd left. That feeling of going out as far as possible, seeing things few people get to see, was amazing. I wasn't quite satisfied, though, just like when I was a kid. I still remember how angry my dad was with us for being out so late and not telling anyone where we were. I understood why he was upset, but I didn't care. The thrill of going out there and knowing that something amazing could be just around the corner -- that's what kept me going then, and it's what kept me going today. It wasn't a quest and it wasn't a mission, it was just an adventure with no agenda.

Another water reservoir.

The photo from the head of this post, uncropped.

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My new "big box" bike - Excalibur Thruster 2900

For close to 3 weeks, I've been stopping in at Dunham's Sports in the Schuylkill Mall to look at a particular bike that caught my eye -- a 21-speed 29er for only $279, marked down from $399.

What could I do? I've been looking for a single-speed 29er for trail riding on Thursday nights, but everything I looked at was way too expensive. Now here's this big box bike staring at me for a steal. Then, after I finally decided that I would buy it, I discovered that it was on sale and that I had a discount coupon that ended up dropping the price even lower. When all was said and done, the final price was $237 after taxes. I couldn't resist.

Now, I feel a little bit guilty.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the bike's fault. It has a few flaws and some odd design choices (disc brake in the front, v-brake in the back. WHAT?) but I'm happy with it. I gave it a shakedown ride on some rough terrain, really taking advantage of the freshly fallen blanket of snow that we got yesterday, and just having a great time. And maybe that's the problem.

I want to support my local bike shop. They're good people and I try to buy whatever odds and ends I need from them, but I'm not made of money. The bikes they offer come with a warranty, sturdier components and a happy shop owner who might be willing to help out with some maintenance when things go awry, but they also cost more than twice what I can get from a "big box" chain store.

"Big box" stores like Walmart, Dunham's and Dick's can afford to offer huge discounts and low prices because they don't just sell bikes. Meanwhile, the bikes they do sell tend to be of a lower quality, engineered to be cheap and cost less to produce. Another drawback to using chain stores is that they aren't as knowledgeable or helpful when it comes to things like fit, upkeep and repair. I tried talking about certain technical aspects with one of the sales associates at Dunham's and they looked at me like I had a pair of lobster claws for hands. It just wasn't the kind of service I needed, yet I went ahead and bought a bike from them, anyway. Yup, I'm a jerk.

The only saving grace I have is that I still fully intend to buy the Giant Defy that I test rode a few months ago. When it comes to road bikes, I'm willing to spend the extra money because I've seen the difference between a cheap road bike and an expensive one -- I know what I'm getting. On the other hand, what I mostly want from a mountain bike is something I won't feel bad about abusing and possibly breaking on a regular basis. Even if the bike I bought became a total write off, I wouldn't feel nearly as bad as I would if I'd spent a grand or more on it. That allows me to open up, have a lot more fun and not "baby" it like it's a cherished heirloom. It might not be as nice a bike as I could get for much more money, but I'm willing to bet it's still just as fun.

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Thursday Night Trail Ride: Sloppy Seconds

Waiting to go through the tunnel.

Thanks to a Monday night rain storm that ended in a dusting of snow the next morning, my second trail ride with Valley Cycles was a muddy, sloppy mess this week. Lots of slipping and sliding through turns, getting the wheels stuck in ruts and almost completely bailing a few times. Hey, not that I'm complaining... It's those few seconds of sheer terror when you don't know which way the bike is going to go that make it fun!

How many times do you have to do something before it becomes a habit? I don't think I'm there, yet, but I'm definitely developing a healthy obsession with mountain biking. It's something that is equal parts the thrill of the ride and the group I'm riding with. I don't think there's anyone in our group who doesn't genuinely love and live for this stuff. If that doesn't make the experience magical, I don't know what does.

Someone fixing a flat, early on in the ride.

One thing I definitely want to invest in very soon is a powerful light for my helmet. But that's another post...

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"Faster, faster!"

One of my favorite Hunter S. Thompson quotes, and a mantra I recite to myself on steep descents, through heavily wooded trails or just when pedaling my ass off.

Photo credit: me. I shot this picture while biking the Lehigh Valley Gorge and super-imposed the text using an iPhone app called "Over."

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