Altor's SAF, a 6.25kg behemoth of a lock, is live now on Indiegogo
This competition is now closed
Altor’s SAF is a ludicrously chunky 6.25kg behemoth of a lock which claims to be the world’s first U-lock that can withstand an attack from an angle grinder for more than 30 minutes.
Designed to be used when leaving a bike unattended for long periods of time, the lock is intended to be as secure as possible with absolutely no compromises made in the name of portability.
U-locks (or D-locks, if you prefer) are the most secure type of bike lock, but increasingly powerful portable brushless angle grinders can cut through a typical shackle in seconds.
Best thought of as a shackle within another shackle, Altor’s patented SAF Tech Shell is an 80mm diameter semi-hollow alloy sheath that completely envelops the lock’s 14mm hardened steel inner core. This sheath is designed to clog up and blunt the cutting blades of an angle grinder.
Even if you could cut through this layer — though Altor claims a typical portable angle grinder’s battery would run out before breaching the outer shell — its substantial 80mm diameter girth would mean that a regular 5-inch cutting blade wouldn’t be able to reach the steel core without butting up against the body of the grinder itself.
The lock is also built around what is said to be a “best-in-class eight-disc detainer locking mechanism” that is claimed to be highly resistant to lockpicking.
This lock independently secures each side of the shackle, which means both sides would have to be cut for the lock to fail.
Despite the meaty girth of the shackle, the internal clearance of the lock stands at 80mm x 140mm / 3.2in x 5.5in, which means it’s comparable to a small U-lock.
The lock is obviously a highly specialist option aimed at those who want to leave high-value bikes unattended for long periods.
The SAF Tech is undoubtedly impressive but we reckon the near-comical size of the lock alone would also make it a more effective deterrent than a typical lock.
The Altor SAF lock is live now on Indiegogo and, as of writing, has had just over $1,800 pledged towards its $62,500 fixed goal.
If the campaign reaches this goal, locks are expected to ship in March 2020.
Jack Luke is the deputy editor at BikeRadar and has been fettling with bikes for his whole life. Always in search of the hippest new niche in cycling, Jack is a self-confessed gravel dork, fixie-botherer, tandem-evangelist and hill climb try hard. Jack thinks nothing of bikepacking after work to sleep in a ditch or taking on a daft challenge for the BikeRadar YouTube channel. He is also a regular contributor to the BikeRadar podcast. With a near encyclopaedic knowledge of cycling tech, ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit, Jack takes pride in his ability to seek out stories that would otherwise go unreported. He is also particularly fond of tan-wall tyres, dynamo lights, cup and cone bearings, and skids. Jack has been writing about and testing bikes for more than five years now, has a background working in bike shops for years before that, and is regularly found riding a mix of weird and wonderful machines. Jack can also often be seen zooming about with his partner aboard their beloved tandem, Cecil.
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