We know Hiplok from their bike lock products, which include chain locks designed to wear around your waist when not in use. It’s a somewhat strange albeit effective of carrying your bike lock that some folks actually appreciate. No matter how many bike locks you carry, though, you can’t secure your bike when there’s no rail or post in sight. The Hiplok Bike ANKR offers an easy way to add a fixed anchor for securing your bicycle.
No, you can’t just find a random building or sidewalk, then install this thing on there to give you a place to park your bike. We’re pretty sure you can get in some kind of trouble for that, unless you can get permission (very possible) or it’s secluded enough that you might not get caught installing it with a loud cordless drill. Instead, it’s the kind of thing you can install on the side of the driveway to give the kids a place to park their bikes or your office can install on company grounds to give cyclists their own parking space, making it a simpler, more compact alternative to installing rails and posts.
The Hiplok Bike ANKR is a cylinder-shaped mounting anchor that can be secured to walls and floors using four included screws, ensuring potential thieves won’t simply be able to pry it off its spot. It’s made using premium hardened stainless steel, with a fair amount of thickness, so those same thieves shouldn’t able to simply saw it off in half, either, while a rubberized front cover ensures it can come in contact with the bike frame without inflicting any damage. According to the outfit, it’s best installed on concrete or masonry, as wood will not be as secure a mounting material (yes, people might be able to pry it off from wood).
It’s custom designed to work with all types of modern bike locks, so whether you use it with Hiplok’s own locks, a conventional U-lock, or your own favorite rope lock, it should allow you to secure your bike as easily as you do on any rail or post. The mount, by the way, has a Gold Rating from independent UK-based lock certification Sold Secure, so you can trust this thing to handle whatever thieves attempt to bring your way.
The Hiplok Bike ANKR’s four-screw installation doesn’t just make it easy to install, the outfit claims that makes it easy to remove, too, as you don’t use any permanent bolts. From what we can tell, they seem to suggest using it to install an anchor point anywhere you go, remove it before you leave, and take it with you for use another day. We guess that could work if you park your bike frequently in sparsely-trafficked public places, although we imagine you can get a citation (or worse) doing it just anywhere in plain sight. Hey, it might end up being an adventure figuring out where you can install these things.
The Hiplok Bike ANKR is available now, priced at £69.99.