There’s something special about a product that causes you to say, ‘Wait, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’ Kuat, a newborn of a company, was founded in 2007 on the back of some very cool hitch racks, and racks have been their business ever since. They are light, stylish and offer serious reliability. In a world of rack clones a Kuat stands out. But it wasn’t a rack that had us asking the previous question.

The Bottle Lock is almost exactly what it says it is. No, not a lock for you bottle, but a bottle that is a lock for your bike. Fitting securely in your water bottle cage, the Bottle Lock features a 5’ long, 8 mm braided steel cable coiled up inside. The end of the cable locks back into the bottle itself and the key can be stored in a compartment under the bottle when not in use. The cable is coiled back up simply by twisting the head of the bottle. It should probably go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. No, you can’t drink out of it.

We did find that the generous 5’ of cable was more than enough to lock both wheels and the frame while keeping the bottle in its cage, but it did require the occasional wiggle as it would become a bit reticent to coil back in easily. Not a big deal and certainly a small price to pay for such a stylish, self contained unit. We’d love to see a spring loaded coil, and perhaps a lighter duty cable. How cool would it be if your lock zipped back in place like and old school vacuum cleaner? Sure, the security might be compromised, but then even a bomber ‘U ‘lock can be defeated by a determined thief. Most locks, the Kuat Bottle Lock included, are to keep that casual thief of opportunity away. And for $34 dollars nothing does it in a cooler and more user friendly package than the Kuat Bottle Lock… why didn’t we think of it!

Kuat Bottle Lock
Black(tested), White and Pink
Price: $34
Click: www.kuatinnovations.com