BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The new Yerka model features an integrated lock in its frame, anti-theft nuts to protect the wheels and reflective tires, which provide protection against thefts and security.
Unlike traditional locking systems, the Yerka uses its own frame combined with the seatpost to build a lock compatible with all kinds of structures.
It is estimated that every two seconds a bicycle gets stolen worldwide, a figure that should be even higher as told by government statistics considering that only one third of the thefts are reported. British officials estimate that around 500,000 thefts take place every year.
This figure is comparable to the figure reported in Germany where Berlin is the most notorious bicycle theft city with more than 26,000 bicycles stolen every year. The Netherland tops the list with 450,000 stolen bicycles recorded in 2011. What began as a college project in a University in Chile by young entrepreneurs Cristobal Cabello, Andres Roi and Juan Jose Monsalve now has turned into a Start-Up thanks to the support of early collaborators on a crowdfunding campaign.
The team raised $100,000 with more than 200 pre-ordered bicycles, which have already been delivered in the United States, South America and Europe.
“We believe that cars have failed in their promise to deliver a fast solution to move in modern city centers; we want to give that freedom back to the people by delivering innovative, comfortable and intelligently designed products promoting the use of city bicycles,” commented Andres Roi.
Pre-orders start on May 2nd at $699 euros in www.yerkabikes.com.
