While it might look like there isn’t a lot of security built into the locks from Austrian company Bike Shit (yes, that’s their name), woven inside of that outer casing are braided stainless steel cables that are resistant to all but the most persistent thieves. Bike Shit themselves are a small cycling cooperative in Vienna that restores and sells classic city bikes, but they’ve also been making their own simple hardwood wall hanging racks for your ride. And now they’ve expanded into a simple line of cable locks to offer a medium level of security and a unique look, all made in the Austrian capital…
The simple cable loop locks start out with either 4mm, 5mm, or 6mm braided stainless steel wire that is made into crimped loops and then woven over with an assortment of ropes for a more unique look. While Bike Shit leads with the admittedly hipster idea of protecting your bike with a sense of style and the look of natural materials, there actually are some benefits to the rope covered cable. Much like big lock producers wrap their cables with rubbers and plastics, the rope outer of the Bicycle Lock is there to protect your bike from getting scratched up when it is locked.
The thinnest cable (4mm internal) gets the name SafeSaddle and comes in either a 60€ short 85cm version or a 75€ longer 175cm loop. As its name implies, it offers the least security and is intended either for low security risk use, or to keep smaller things like your saddle safe. The standard 5mm cables are what Bike Shit sees as the most practical, being still rather flexible but able to withstand everything short of a really huge set of bolt cutters. They use a metal thimble in their loops to hold the shape and come in the same short and long lengths for 85€ & 110€, respectively.
They didn’t have pricing on hand, but also said they can make both lengths with a 6mm core, upon request. Their thoughts however are that the 6mm cable isn’t really very flexible enough for everyday use and in the end the rope doesn’t twist as nicely around the tight bends of the loop. Plus, if someone is going to work hard enough to get through the 5mm cable, they are just as likely to go to the extra effort to defeat a 6mm one as well.
Each lock is made by hand in Vienna, and gets wrapped in either Sisal or Manila rope before getting a leather wrap at the loop. The Sisal loops are slightly less scratchy to the touch but the rope does absorb some water. For more prolonged use out in the weather the darker Manila is the better option. Each cable loop comes with a keyed padlock rated for the same security as the respective cable. Slightly cheaper versions with synthetic ropes are also available.
As for the wall hanging racks, the Ivan, Marco, and Fausto are three progressively more feature laden options all based around a simple slanted oak shelf on which you rest the traditional horizontal toptube of your bike. From 90-160€, the most simple version just holds your bike, while the others add in a simple shelf for accessories or a wire loop shelf to store your latest bike mag.
Bike Shit tells us that they ship worldwide, although their webshop is only set up for German speaking EU countries. Drop them a line via their contact link if you are interested.
