A bike lock that smells like a corpse to deter thieves

In France, nearly 580,000 bicycles are stolen every year, which is more than one bicycle per minute. Alarmingly, 30% of victims decide to never ride a bike again.

Due to the inability to properly secure their two-wheelers, many victims of theft abandon the idea of cycling, as revealed by the 2023 report on bike thefts in France conducted by the Academy of Active Mobilities (ADMA).

Faced with this disheartening observation, a young entrepreneur rolled up her sleeves to find a radical solution. Aiko Leroux (that's her name) has invented a very special bike lock, capable of releasing a corpse-like odour in case of a theft attempt, as reported by the media outlet 20 Minutes. The design of this device, named “Cactus”, relies on emitting a foul-smelling gas that evokes the decomposition processes of a corpse.

An Inspiring Misadventure

Despite two high-quality bike locks, Aiko Leroux had her blue electric bike stolen. And that's how it all began. The entrepreneur explains: “On paper, I did everything right. But today, conventional bike locks only slow down thieves, they don't stop them.” Following this misadventure, one question haunted her: how can bike thieves truly be deterred? Her initial concepts for Cactus were presented during a student competition. The principle is innovative; it aims to punish anyone attempting to steal a bike by emitting a gas with an intense odour, containing putrescine. Putrescine, as noted by 20 Minutes, is one of the main compounds responsible for the smell of decomposing bodies. “It's neither toxic nor dangerous to health, but it's absolutely unbearable,” highlights Aiko Leroux.

This odour, which can linger for up to four hours in an enclosed space and two hours outdoors, makes the experience of theft almost unbearable.

The Cactus bike lock is currently available for pre-order at 180 euros. It will be available for sale from the summer of 2025 in France, Italy, Belgium, and Spain.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: 20 Minutes - Illustration: ©Unsplash)