No matter how good the lock, if it’s a pain to use, it’s one more little mental barrier to going by bike rather than car. While not specifically aimed at the bicycle crowd, the Tapplock One caught our eye for it’s modern take on unlocking. Using a capacitive fingerprint scanner like what’s on the iPhone, it’ll unlock up to 3,500 times on a single charge…and do it in under a second.
Available in three colors and retailing for $99 each (or as bundles for a bit of a deal), the Tapplock One uses a Zamak 3 zinc alloy metal body with cut-resistant 7mm stainless steel shackle, a double-layered lock design with anti-shim and anti-pry capabilities. Pair it with a coated or covered chain (like Kryptonite’s New York series) and you’ve got solid security that’s faster than fiddling with keys.
The lock has Bluetooth, pairing with an app that’ll let you assign fingerprints to up to 500 users, see who’s used it and when, and rescind access as needed. The app also shows battery status. The lock itself has a learning algorithm that gets smarter at identifying your fingerprints the more you use it, so it gets faster at unlocking over time, too. If your fingerprint isn’t working for some reason, you can also unlock it via app, or with a sequence of short and long pushes on the sensor pad. It’s IP66 water resistant, rust-proof, rain-proof and operates in temps between -10ºC and 60ºC (14ºF and 140ºF).
