Will this 'Unstealable' Bike Actually Stump Local Thieves?

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

To say that bike theft in San Francisco is a constant frustration would be an understatement. There are Twitter accounts like SFPD Anti Bike Theft and BikeIndex SF and a bike registry, but chances of bike recovery are slim—although not impossible—and time consuming. Yerka Project is addressing the issue with a bike that's "unstealable." The Chile-based startup has built a lock into the bike's frame so the only way to break the lock would be to break the actual bike.

The city's resident bike experts (of which there are many) are aflutter with criticisms for the concept. The comment section in the SFist story about the bike with Yerka tech throws shade on every aspect from the unattractive design to the ease of breaking the bike to sell for its parts. But, looking at the positives, it's less likely that this style of bike would be the first to go on a block of more traditional locks. If you're interested, sign ups for Yerka "experience" are here.
· Video: Is This Truly An 'Unstealable Bike?' [SFist]
· Yerka Project [Official Site]
· You Can Bike to Work in This Suit [Racked SF]