Our Story

Barlockr Bicycle Lock was born on the boardwalk of Santa Barbara, 2 BMX Performers on Tour visiting schools with their BMX Stunt Show stopped off at the beach for breakfast.  Sitting there at breakfast the conversation turned to finding a way to lock the bike as carrying a lock was such a cumbersome task.  As active stunt athletes, riding casually meant performing stunts everywhere they went, making a lock just untenable for riding.  Carrying a backpack for a lock was also not optimal, just free riding, no impediments was the goal as every object, every curb, every wall was a stunt waiting to happen.  Enjoying a ride like this meant no lock, so at breakfast or anywhere they stopped for a coffee, restroom break, cold drink meant nervously watching their bikes standing outside while rushing to the counter, or leaving one of them behind to watch the bikes.  The breakfast conversation turned to asking questions, “how can we have a lock somewhere on or inside the bike?”.   With many ideas bandied back and forth they finished breakfast and started out on the beach boardwalk cruise.  But, as many ideas simply die and we move on, this one stuck, the brainstorming continued and suddenly the conversation turned to how they could fit a lock inside the bike somewhere.  Suddenly the idea of the handlebars popped into the conversation.  It was the most natural place, an opening already existed, a length of tubing and easy access.  Once this idea started it didn’t stop, the 2 bike riders continued the conversation for days after.  The drive back to San Diego was where the idea came to life, stuck in LA traffic the 2, undeterred, began building the dream of this new lock.  It was far more complicated than they anticipated, attempting to figure out how it would fit, how would the ends look, how would the lock actually loop around and fit inside the mechanism, how could it be largely hidden from sight, how would it stay stuck into position, but easily removable.  The answers weren’t immediately solved, but the idea was alive, and both inventors began the process of thinking through every single aspect of how this lock could be created.

Over the course of the next 3 years the challenges mounted, finding a manufacturer, buying molds, testing the tension of the springs utilized to keep the lock firmly in place, how to make this lock combination resettable, ensuring it was strong, but also light enough for professional riders who care about every ounce of weight on their ride.  There were CAD drawings, re-designs, returns to the manufacturer for modifications.  After several years of this back and forth, frustration and investment mounting, they finally had the design and all modifications complete.

Then, disaster struck, they got their first shipment, beautiful lock and all set to begin, but in an accidental discovery, a slight pull blew the lock apart and it had no strength.  There was a fatal design flaw whereby a snatch and grab thief could just simply pull on the bike and the lock would explode.  They had already purchased a booth at a major bicycle Convention, to introduce the lock to the world.  But they were committed to only delivering a quality lock to the marketplace, 3 years into the development, it was back to the drawing board.  They presented the lock to dealers and brands but couldn’t sell the lock, as it was simply not up to the quality they required.  This lock had to withstand a pull strength that would eliminate this problem, so they went back to the manufacturer and redesigned the internal weak spot.  New molds, more investment and Months of re-design and they were back in business, awaiting the first shipment of finished locks.  But then, another disaster struck, the pandemic, closing shops and business all over the world.  Their big moment of unveiling this unique patent-pending product to the world, with dreams of success were crushed.  With the project on hold for over a year, and 5+ years after the beginning of this dream, they have re-launched, with an excitement and vigor, determined as they were from that day on the beach boardwalk, to bring their new bike lock to the world, and finish a dreams started just as an idea.  In 2024,  BarlockR is re-introduced to the world, and the excitement born so many years ago returns as they continue on in the journey, never quitting, always overcoming every obstacle, a mentality that has been critical in their stunt performing careers as well.  It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, success is determined by how many times you get back up.

Thank you for visiting BarlockR.com, we appreciate your interest and welcome your ideas and feedback, and hope you become a customer, and now know a little more about how this product found its way to you. 

David W. Holden | Co-Inventor | BMX Athlete/Performer | Entrepreneur

Tony Sandoval | Co-Inventor | BMX Athlete/Performer | Entrepreneur