Comodule and 2Lock Launch Innovative E-Bike Security System
The collaboration will lock an e-bike’s front hub and axle, disable the motor, emit an audible alarm and give the owner real-time GPS data.
2Lock makes a hub and thru-axle that can be locked so that the front wheel won’t turn and the thru-axle can’t be removed. The security isn’t strictly mechanical, though. It is designed to integrate with a manufacturer’s existing security measures. Comodule provides a system that activates a suite of security measures, including locking 2Lock’s hub and axle.
The 2Lock locking hub and axle will only prevent someone from riding away on an e-bike; it won’t prevent someone from picking up an e-bike and putting it in a vehicle and driving away with it. That’s where Comodule comes in.
Should someone try to steal an e-bike equipped with Comodule and 2Lock, the bike will emit a loud acoustic alarm. The software will disable the motor so that it can’t be ridden as an e-bike and in the case of e-bikes with mid-drive motors, disabling the motor also disables the crank so that the e-bike can’t be pedaled as a regular bike. An alert goes to the owner’s smartphone letting them know that the e-bike has been moved, and GPS tracking gives the owner real-time updates on the e-bike’s location.
There has long been a truism in cycling that any form of security that prevents someone from riding away on a bike or e-bike, but doesn’t prevent them from picking it up and carrying it away, serves only to “keep honest people honest.”
This is a wonderful new layer of security, but its adoption is likely to take time as it must be implemented by manufacturers. So far, there’s no way to purchase the 2Lock hub and axle and Comodule’s software for aftermarket adoption.
Ultimately, there’s still no substitute for locking your e-bike to something that won’t move.