A farmer and an engineer from Wales have devised a way to help cyclists stay safe after the UK Government put cycling at the heart of its post-coronavirus transport plans. The Bison PedalVice is a new anti-theft device designed to protect cyclists from thieves by securing bicycles to the floor or a car within seconds.
The new product launch comes after a £2 billion funding package from the UK Government. This is designed to double the number of people cycling by June 2025 through pop up bike lanes, wider pavements, cycling only streets and a host of other measures.
Created by Welsh hill farmer Gareth Davies and engineer Phil Corke, the Bison PedalVice offers road, triathlon, mountain and electric bike owners the option to make their bike secure at home or on the road. The security tool uses an innovative casing which holds the cycle’s pedal in a steel frame, ‘making it virtually impossible to steal’.
Phil Corke, from Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, said “Increasing numbers of bicycles are being stolen due to their portability – despite the fact a great deal of those in use these days can cost as much as a small car. And with many more due on our roads in the post-Coronavirus climate we’re delighted to be able to help increasing numbers of cyclists stop this from happening.”
He continued, “Bicycles have become a prime target for thieves. [This] led us to think about how others might be able to benefit from a system we originally developed to support the farming community.”
Gareth and Phil designed the device in the face of rising bicycle thefts, which now stand at around 376,000 a year – or one every 90 seconds. The new PedalVice follows the launch of the award-winning QuadVice which prevents quad bikes from being stolen.
The PedalVice can be fixed to the ground, a wall or used with a steel plate secured underneath a car wheel for cyclists on tour. It is one of three products on the market for Bison Security, which has won awards for the launch of its unique to market QuadVice and has also since launched a BikeVice device for motorbikes too.
Gareth Davies said “Our proudest moment so far has to be winning the British Farming Gold Award for most innovative machinery of the year for our Quad Vice, as proof of the quality of the product and as an endorsement from our target market.
“We are excited and delighted to now be replicating this expertise for the benefit of cyclists UK-wide, who have also been suffering with the increasingly and very real threat of theft in recent years.”
