Technology Gone Too Far? The Claw!

I am all for product innovation, however some innovations seem a little loco. Take “The Claw.” I can just see Jim Carrey doing a commercial for this product. The Claw is made by Gladiator Garage Works and I’ll let them do the talking – this comes from their Web site:

Originally created by the finalists of the hit TV show “American Inventor”, The Gladiator Claw™ storage device easily anchors to the ceiling, and utilizes an intuitive push-lock mechanism to quickly hang or release your bike in one motion. Simply push your tire up against the Plunger Pad, and the arms close around your wheel to secure it in place.

You can get an idea from these photos. The first is of the device open, and the second closed. You operate it by pushing your bike into “the plunger.”

This fancy device can be yours for the low, low price of $59.99 $30.44 at Amazon.com. Or, you could go to your local hardware store and pick up a traditional hook like this one for probably two bucks.

Of course the claw will help you if gravity for some reason reverses itself, but if that happens I think the last thing you’d be worried about is your bike.

Comments

[Lucas]

Now, i'm not here to hate, but that claw is pretty dumb. I don't even use the good either, I just hang my bike from the rafters in my garage by the seat. It holds them higher, and more out of the way.

[Lucas]

Oops, hook, not good...stupid phone

[ColetasSoft]

But what hipster is gonna pass the opportunity to hang the fixie from a hi-tech gadget instead of a mainstream hook? :D

[Matt]

I'f I'm going to spend that kind of money on bike hangers, I'm going to get something that can hold 6 bikes, not one: http://tinyurl.com/7belefq (yes it's Harbor Freight, but hey it holds six bikes!).

Otherwise, the cheap hooks work just fine.

[Eric Phillips]

I saw the episode of that inventor show where they came up with this, the idea was not that men would have issues, it's that smaller women and children could hang up their heavy *mart bikes without having to lift the wheel over the hook. In that sense, it makes sense.

[Sean]

hmm, well I have a total of 6 of the $3 hooks in my basement for all my bikes. That is $180 worth of hooks instead of the $18 I have invested.

[Steve Cropley]

Thou doth protest to much. The first deraileurs were scorned as well. You never know when something like that hook will trigger something really important.

[Fabio]

haha fabulous example with that hypothetical gravity issue!

[Benj]

Go to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We sell the low tech reversegravityisnotanissue version for .50 cents a pop!