Bike thieves are notorious for their creativity. But three young engineers from Chile dare them to try to steal the new Yerka bicycle.
While the invention may look bike any other bike on first glace – a metal “steed” with two (2) wheels, a handlebar and a seat – a closer look will reveal that the invention has a bottom tube which splits in half and allows users to secure the bike with the help of a metal pole.
And how is this a good thing you may ask? Simply put, the bike breaks down when someone tries to steal it. If a thief would attempt to forcefully remove it from the rack, they would soon realize that the only way to do so is to cut straight through the bike. And why would anyone ever steal an already damaged bike? After all, they wouldn’t be able to use it, or sell it.
Do you want to know what the best part is? You won’t have to spend a ridiculous amount of money on heavy-duty locks after buying an already expensive, new bike.
The wheels also benefit from extra protection. The Yerka bicycle is equipped with an innovative frame design, as well as anti-theft wheel nuts that can only be loosened using a specific key. What this means is that you will never return to your bike and find it without its wheels.
The Yerka bicycle is the design of three (3) young Chilean engineers in their 20s – Cristóbal Cabello (22), Andrés Roi Eggers (23) and Juan José Monsalve (24). They used $100.000 investment to research their invention, then turned to Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website, in order to gather the rest of the production money.
The bikes sell at retailers for about $500 to $600, and Cabello gave a statement saying that the engineers’ goal is “to sell a container of almost 300 units each month worldwide” and to that they hope to hear people say that “This bike is great. We love the bike you sold us and we will spread the word”.
Image Source: telegraph.co.uk