USC Funded Startup Says, "Lock Your Nuts" To Thwart Bicycle Wheel Theft

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --The daily dilemma for every cyclist is that, on average, people will have a bicycle stolen in less than two years. A large contributing factor to this is that any thief can steal parts, more specifically your bike wheels, off an already locked bike. It's a quick, easy process that is lucrative for thieves - all that's needed is a wrench.

The current (outdated) solution, lugging around multiple locks (one for the front wheel and one for the frame and back wheel), is unappealing. Cyclists find it a major inconvenience, and more often than not they end up walking their newfound unicycles home when using just one lock.

Tracing back the steps of a thief, (USC) University of Southern California business and engineer alumni made it their mission to dupe thieves. Nutlock, the brainchild of Amir Atighehchi and Mikey Ahdoot, is a one-time installation product that provides ultimate bicycle wheel protection. The patent-pending bike wheel fastener works by replacing the existing hex-nuts or quick-release skewers around your bicycle wheel – simple and effective.

The company was conceptually born in the dorm room of the two USC alums in January of 2012. Co-founder Mikey Ahdoot recalls being told to "expect your bike to get stolen at some point throughout your college career." Although forewarned by their orientation speaker, the two Marshall School of Business graduates experienced a baffling number of bicycle wheel theft between themselves. Co-founder Amir Atighehchi explains, "You could walk through campus and see a different discarded bike wheel or battered frame thrust aside almost every day. It's an easy way to make some quick cash. With so many options on a college campus, it's no surprise it happened constantly." Armed with determination, they hit the pavement and scanned the racks on campus. After concluding that the hexagon-nuts were the source of vulnerability, Nutlock was born. Later the duo teamed up with three engineers from USC's Viterbi School of Engineering and got to work on creating a simple, durable, and sleek solution. Soon after, the team was accepted in to USC's competitive Accelerator Incubator Program and awarded $15,000.

After two years of development and extensive testing resulting in over 50 different designs and prototypes, Nutlock is now ready for production with an assortment of variations to ensure supreme security. This startup is ripe – ready to save bikes, one wheel at a time.

Editor's notes:

High-resolution product shots and logos can be found at http://bit.ly/NutlockPress 

Video - http://youtu.be/ZabH_gLJEKM

SOURCE Nutlock