project goal:
to create a retractable bike lock for bikers who like to trail blaze and park their bikes in areas that do not have a parking rack. to accomplish this, the lock will have a flexible and wide range of motion, simple storage, be able to go around larger circumferences, and a compact design.
personal project summer ‘25
duration: seven weeks
Ever dug a hole in the dirt to hide your engagement ring?
Well my friend has, and that is what started this project.
Common lock analysis
Insights
Design Goals
based off insights
Finding Inspiration in Nature
when creating my lock, I kept thinking about the setting that my bike lock would be most commonly used in. knowing that my lock would most likely be used on a trail ride, I started looking for inspiration on what to model the form after and settled on a squirrel. I wanted my design to resemble the funny comforting creatures that roam the bike trails
squirrels are animals with many organic and prominent curves. I wanted to focus on understanding those curves so I could portray them with my lock. my final goal is to have the lock resemble the squirrel’s organic nature without completely looking like a squirrel.
