LITELOK: Preventing Crime, One Bike at a Time

In the world of crime prevention products, it can be hard to find good news stories from end users – by their very nature, the presence of the products means crimes aren’t being committed. With bike locks, however, the evidence of the failed attempt is left behind.

LITELOK X1 Stops Theft in London

Last year, Cycling Weekly reported that a bike is stolen every 16 minutes in London. Following their submission of a Freedom of Information request to the Met Police, they were able to reveal data on bike thefts in London.

Their findings showed that between 2017 and 2021, a shocking 162,943 bicycles were reported stolen in London. Of these thefts, only 4,278 were ever retrieved, many damaged or only partly recovered.

Looking at data from bicycle insurer, Bikmo's theft map, it corroborates the data from the Met Police in showing that London is heavily affected when it comes to cycle theft.

LITELOK were contacted recently by one of their customers, Benjamin, who reached out to LITELOK to share his experience with an attempted bike theft near his flat in London, and how the LITELOK X range helped save his bike from being stolen.

 
The LITELOK X1 withstood an angle grinder attack

"When I had a fairly new bike stolen from outside my flat in broad daylight, I was gutted. I hadn't realised that thieves could get through most D-locks so I'd thought it was safe,” Benjamin explained. “When I bought a new bike I didn't want to take any chances, so invested in an X1. Two weeks later my new bike was parked in a busy spot near my flat in the daytime and after only half an hour I could see someone tried to use an angle-grinder (probably the same thief). They tried a few times from the look of the marks, but the lock is totally fine. It's already paid for itself and hopefully they won't even bother next time!"

X1 stops bike theft in Leeds, UK

Dillon, another satisfied LITELOK customer, got in touch to let them know that he was the recent victim of an attempted theft of his precious e-bike.

"My bike was locked to the balustrade in the shared stairwell of my apartment building,” explained Dillon. “I had a LITELOK X1 securing the frame of the bike, as well as a secondary lock securing the wheel and the frame of the bike."

He continued to explain how, on the 18^th April at 9 o'clock, 2 men jumped over the fence to his apartment while he was on holiday. “They forced open the door to our shared apartment building and used an angle grinder to attack the locks on my bike.”

 
The secondary lock that was cut during the angle grinder attack

“They cut through my secondary lock fairly easily. The cut was clean, showing little sign of resistance, and it broke out of its shackle. They then attempted to cut the LITELOK X1. The lock immediately started to wear down their disks and either the battery or the blade gave up first, and they left empty handed. I’m extremely happy that the LITELOK X1 lived up to its promise and I still have my beloved e-bike with me.”

 Damaged but not defeated - X1 withstood the angle grinder attack

Situations like these are precisely why the LITELOK X range was developed. With angle grinders being used as a tool of choice for bike thieves, it's more important than ever that bike owners keep their property protected with an armoured lock.

LITELOK X1 saves another bike!

LITELOK's reputation for producing reliable and sturdy bike locks was once again reinforced when another of its customers shared how his LITELOK X1 saved his bike from getting stolen.

The incident involved an e28 Estarli e-bike that was secured with an X1 and a cable lock on the front wheel. Unfortunately, the cable lock was cut through with a very clean cut, but the X1 remained intact, serving its purpose of providing maximum security. This is a testament to the crime prevention qualities of LITELOK's products, which are designed to withstand even the most determined of thieves.

LITELOK Technology

LITELOK CEO and founder, Professor Neil Barron, has been supported by Innovate UK, the Welsh Government and some of the world’s leading material scientists to develop Barronium™; a brand-new composite armour that is fused to a hardened, fine-grain, high-tensile steel core and covered with a soft plant-based eco-rubber outer layer to provide an unprecedented three layers of protection.

The LITELOK X range is a new category of armoured locks that offers bicycles, e-bikes and motorcycles unparalleled resistance against angle grinders, which have increasingly become the tool of choice for thieves. LITELOK X is a ground-breaking development for the industry and for riders.

Prof Barron said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard through 6+ years of R&D to develop Barronium™ and LITELOK X, and many thousands of prototypes. We are proud to see our products out there doing what we intended and stopping thieves. I’ve had three bikes stolen so I know how it feels and I am immensely proud of our technologies and our team. Our products are now being hailed as the best in the world and this is important to us; we manufacture LITELOKs with love and care in our solar powered factory here in Wales and export over 60% of our production currently”.

Doug Skins, Secured by Design, said: "LITELOK'S X range is a huge benefit for cycle security. By combining cutting-edge design with innovative technology, this product has the power to reduce cycle crime. With high value ebikes becoming increasingly popular, users need a security solution they can trust, and they can feel safe using this initiative, product, and technology. Investing in a cheap, untested cycle lock is a false economy - it simply won't protect your cycle against battery-powered grinders.”

Find out more about LITELOK and their range of Secured by Design accredited products on their dedicated member page.

Visit the Crime Prevention and Security Advice hub on the Secured by Design website for more information about Cycle Crime Prevention.