At Altor, we solve problems believed unsolvable and bring to market products people said couldn’t be made.

We are defining the next generation of physical security locks.

A featherweight stunning lock that offers heavyweight security, APEX Collection.
The first bike lock that gives an angle grinder a run for its money, SAF Bike Lock.
The first trailer lock built to defend against power tools and brute force, ICON Trailer Lock Collection.

Always aiming to raise the bar, we have no interest in developing products that are not superior products in every way, with better materials, and better design. There is simply no other lock on the market that protects against thieves like we do.

At our Virginia headquarters, each lock is assembled by hand, quality control tested, and packaged for shipment to customers worldwide.

We deliver peace of mind. Do more, worry less—with Altor.

OUR STORY

The Idea

In 2014 , Karen Schaufeld had a new bike. It was customized, pricey, and therefore also ultra lightweight... Schaufeld wanted a lock strong enough to secure this treasured ride, but light enough not to weigh it down. But the chain- and U-locks on the market were far too clunky, and the cable locks? She cut through one of those with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Convinced of the need for a light-but-still-strong bike lock—and incredulous that no one had invented one yet—Schaufeld sponsored a team of engineering and business students at Lehigh University, her alma mater, to design one.

The 560G

In 2016, Schaufeld and Dylan Cato co-founded Altor—Latin for protector or caregiver—and launched its first product. A mechanical engineer with a winning combination of technical knowhow and problem-solving persistence, Cato had during the Lehigh project proven more than equal to the materials science challenge of realizing the lock Schaufeld envisioned. In a spring 2016 Kickstarter campaign that ultimately attracted 378 backers, the world got its first look at the lightest high-security bike lock on the market: a 560-gram thing of Grade 5 titanium beauty, the 560G.

The APEX Series

Altor’s ethos is one of continual refinement. In 2018, this perpetual pursuit of improvement produced the next generation of Altor’s groundbreaking folding locks. Informed by customer feedback, lessons learned bringing the 560G to market, and Cato’s continued attention to materials sourcing and manufacturing processes, the APEX Series offers drill-proof joints, added length, a better frame mount, laser-engraved detailing, and premium packaging.

The SAF Bike Lock

Altor’s next bike challenge: the portable angle grinders increasingly becoming the tool of choice for die hard bike thieves. While other industry players, cowed by the difficulty of foiling attacks by angle grinder, ignored the growing problem, Altor engineered a solution. In 2020 the SAF Lock became the world’s first—angle grinder resistant bike lock. In Fall of 2023 due to skyrocketing raw materials and process manufacturing costs, Altor Locks announced end-of-sale of the current SAF Bike Lock model. We are working to redesign the current lock via streamlining material cost, simplifying assembly, to maintain its amazing theft defying capabilities. While no date has been decided for this potential redesign, please feel free to add your name and email to our newsletter (insert link to newsletter) to be alerted to new plans for future products. We will continue to provide customer care for all who have purchased the Altor SAF Bike Lock.

The ICON Trailer Lock Collection

In 2022, building on our patented power-tool-resistant engineering, Altor applied the experience and knowledge of building a better lock to the trailer coupler market. We introduced the ICON Trailer Lock – the strongest lock on the market, overbuilt security at 100x stronger than any lock on the market. The ICON’s unique radial fin design is built to protect from all angles of attack eliminating points of weakness. It stands strong to power tools, brute force, and mother nature, forcing thieves to move on to an easier target. In the Fall of 2023, the ICON Trailer Lock was expanded to fit over 30+ trailer couplers, covering over 95% of the coupler market. The ICON is the new GOLD STANDARD, a different class of lock evolving with the times.

The Future

Not content to rest on its laurels, Altor will continue to the impossible, continuing to meet consumers’ security needs with unprecedented solutions.