Interview with John Loughlin, President of Stanton Concepts, about Strong and Light TiGr Bike Locks

Lifestyle - Interview

by Melisa Kaya

At the moment the main objective of the bicycle industry is to be able to produce all components lighter and more strong. Frames, rims, or handlebars made from carbon fiber are the examples of this advance. When security is concerned, no attention is paid to the fact that we are struggling to make each piece lighter, but that is also possible. Stanton Concepts, which was founded in 1993, designed TiGr Titanium Bike Lock in 2011 with this idea by using titanium to ensure lightness and robustness. I talked to John Loughlin, President of Stanton Concepts, to get more information about this product.

TiGr Bike Locks

How did you decide to develop bike locks? What inspired you?

Actually, we, my father and I were working on concepts to improve securing the backs of trucks and intermodal containers. It occurred to us that one of our concepts could be adapted to be an innovative bike lock. As a cyclist and mechanical engineer, I've always appreciated how bikes continue to evolve technically and aesthetically, bikes are so elegantly simple and sophisticated at the same time. Cycling accessories and apparel have also never stopped evolving always squeezing out the best of materials and manufacturing methods. The one exception to accessories being bike locks. The last big bike lock “innovation” was the introduction of the “U” style in the 1970's and even that was simply a variation on the locks that were introduced to secure the wheels on the model T. We definitely saw an opportunity to bring something brand new to the market.

Could you tell us about Stanton Concepts and your team?

Bob, John and Jim Loughlin are the principals of the family owned and operated Stanton Concepts, LLC. The Loughlin Team is dedicated to finding fresh and innovative solutions to traditional physical security challenges. Stanton owns several patents including TSA recognized luggage locks, bicycle security, truck and cargo security, chain and cable solutions and state of the art lock cylinder opened with a sophisticated Electro-Mechanical Key (RKS, Robotic Key System).

The locks are engineered and manufactured at our facility in Hunterdon County, NJ., Jim manages sales and marketing at our Seattle

TiGr Bike Locks

What are the features of The TiGr® Locks?

Effective theft protection at half the weight (or less) of comparable alternatives (more likely to bring it with you on the ride).

Push button, keyless locking mechanism (no need to fumble with keys when locking up.

Mounting clip that is as easy to install as a bottle cage and holds the lock snug and rattle free as you ride (the lock is just there when you need it)

Clean and simple design, like the bike itself

Are they compatible with all type of bikes?

For the most part, although some bikes are more of a challenge. It depends on the geometry of the bike and what you're trying to capture.

TiGr Bike Locks

Which features of your design makes The TiGr® Locks unique and different from competitors?

The TiGr® Locks are unique in many ways, including:

Use of materials: the titanium shackle, or bow as we call it, is designed to utilize unique material properties of titanium. The design wouldn't work if made it out of steel. The bow would need to be thicker in order to provide comparable strength, but it would be too stiff to function as the TiGr® bow functions. It would also be quite heavy.

Lock mechanism: The compact lock cylinder captures/secures the ends of the bow in a unique way. The design utilizes the springy nature of the titanium bow and enables push-button, keyless locking functionality.

The mounting clip is also unique in that it utilizes the water bottle mounts. Most bikes have them and newer bikes have more and more. Since it is designed to mount to the bike frame like a bottle cage it also Works with most bottle cage adapters.

How many different designs do you offer? Do you have any new sketches on the drawing table?

We currently offer three different TiGr® bow options. All three use the same TiGr® lock cylinder, every TiGr® Lock ever made is compatible with the same lock cylinder.

TiGr® bow: Introduced in 2011 via our first Kickstarter campaign. The bow is 24” long and has an effective locking length of about 21” – long enough to capture both wheels and a bike rack with most road bikes. We offered two bow widths at first, 1.25” and 0.75”, but dropped the narrower version in 2014. We also used to offer different bow-length options, but now just offer the 24” version.

TiGr® mini: Introduced in 2015, also via Kickstarter. The locking area is similar to that of a mini ulock, but the TiGr® mini weighs less than a pound.

TiGr® mini+: Introduced in 2017, Kickstarter again The locking is similar to a standard ulock, but it weighs just a pound.

TiGr Bike Locks

Which material do you use to provide a strong and lightweight structure at the same time?

The TiGr Lock System is comprised of a combination of materials including titanium, hardened and stainless steel; the titanium bow (or shackle) provides the strong, light and flexible structure. The mounting clip is injection molded ABS plastic

Which countries are your main target markets?

The United States, Canada and Japan are the main targets for now. We have individual dealers in the UK and France. We also ship locks to individual cyclists in Australia on a regular basis.

What do you think about the power of social media? How do you use it? What social media platforms do you prefer?

We have accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. We use them to post pictures and stories we think might be of interest to folks. We think social media is an essential way to communicate with people.

TiGr Bike Locks

How can our readers buy TiGr Locks?

Online at www.tigrlock.com/store and www.amazon.com/tigrlock

Independent Bike Shops, we list dealers here: https://www.tigrlock.com/retailers/

Any local bike shop that wants to order a lock from us.

What are your local and international growth plans for the future?

We plan to work with like-minded partners at home and abroad who can help us make it easier for cyclists to learn about/experience TiGr® locks.

Anything you would like to add that I haven't asked?

We take great pride in that we assemble and manufacture what we can at our New Jersey facility and with the exception of a few components our manufacturing partners and suppliers are local companies. We also take customer service very seriously. We aim to be the most customer-centric bike lock brand in the World.

Thank you John.

For more information, please visit website of TiGr Bike Locks

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Friday, July 13, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.