IN BRIEF
Bike rack specialist Hollywood Racks has acquired OttoLock, the strap lock brand founded in 2017. It plans to launch new OttoLock products in 2027 and to sell the brand outside the United States, drawing on its international distribution network. The current locks remain available to retailers, directly from Hollywood Racks or through the distributor BTI. OttoLock is changing hands for the second time in a year: its brand and assets had been sold to its manufacturer, Pacific Die Casting, in Portland.
| Buyer | Hollywood Racks |
| Brand acquired | OttoLock (founded in 2017) |
| New products | planned for 2027 |
| Original Cinch Lock: weight | from 145 g |
| Original Cinch Lock: construction | 3 layers of hardened stainless steel, aramid fibre sheath |
| Made in | United States |
For Hollywood Racks, known for its bike racks, the deal adds a line of locks to a catalogue that had so far focused on carrying bikes and accessories. Its CEO, Evan Nusbaum, sees it as only a first step: “We see OttoLock as the first step in a broader push to expand our product offering reach.”
OttoLock, a strap lock that fits in a pocket
OttoLock made its name with a strap lock rather than a U-lock or a cable. On the Original Cinch Lock, the strap stacks three layers of hardened stainless steel band, sheathed in aramid fibre. The brand quotes a weight from 145 g and a coil 3 inches in diameter, small enough to slip into a saddle bag or a pocket.
The brand, founded in 2017, highlights its American manufacturing: its locks are designed and made in the United States.
Hollywood Racks wants to take OttoLock beyond the United States
The new owner plans new OttoLock products in 2027 and intends to expand the brand beyond the United States, thanks to the international distribution network it already has. In the meantime, Hollywood Racks states that retailers can order the current locks directly from it or from the distributor BTI.
“OttoLock has shown that a bike lock can be lightweight, colorful, and something riders genuinely want to bring along,” says Evan Nusbaum. On the sales side, Sean Kneale, national sales manager at Hollywood Racks, sums up the appeal for shops: “Locks are an essential add-on for any bike purchase.”
The announcement does not disclose the value of the transaction.
Second change of ownership in a year
A year earlier, OTTO DesignWorks, OttoLock’s parent company, had sold the brand and its assets to Pacific Die Casting, a manufacturer in Portland, Oregon, that had long produced its locks. The brand now passes to a bike rack specialist with an international distribution network.
