Jennifer Thompson spent 21 years fixing helicopters for the Australian Navy. Now she's applying that same problem-solving mindset to a challenge every travelling cyclist knows too well: keeping your bikes secure on racks.

For two years, Jennifer Thompson complained about the same thing every few months. "When is someone going to make a better bike lock?" she'd ask her partner as they loaded their mountain bikes onto their camper van for another weekend of trail riding.

The couple races at events across New South Wales and takes an annual pilgrimage up and down the coast, hitting every mountain bike park they can find. But the security situation never sat right with Jennifer. "Cable locks? I've got a pair of pliers from my electrician days that'll cut through that in seconds."

Then came the Facebook ad.

"Do you have a product idea but no idea where to start?" It was from an e-commerce course, and Jennifer had exactly the right amount sitting in her bank account. "It was just this lightbulb moment. Yes, I do have an idea."

The course cost exactly what she had saved. Eight months later, she's invested significantly more into Raklox, holds a patent with 37 unique points, and has just received approval from Velosure as an insurance-accepted lock. She's also learned that creating something genuinely new costs about ten times more than anyone tells you.

Thinking outside the steer tube

Jennifer's military background as an Avionics Technician proved unexpectedly valuable. For 15 years, she worked on three different aircraft types, fixing everything electrical on helicopters.

But it wasn't just the technical skills that translated. Aircraft technicians are trained differently from most military personnel. "We're taught to think outside the box, to not get tunnel vision. When you're inspecting an aircraft, if you only look at the part you're meant to be looking at, you'll miss things. They drill into you: look outside where you're supposed to be looking."

That mindset became essential when she partnered with a local Nowra engineer to turn her frustration into a product. For three months, neither of them slept much. "We both have ADHD, I think. We'd be on the phone at 9 PM – 'I've just seen this thing that could work, what if we built on that?'"

The breakthrough for the adjustable chain system came from an unexpected source: her kids' Blu-Tack. "There were chunks of it lying around everywhere. I was moulding it in my kitchen and thought, 'What if I put this in the chain links to stop the movement?'" She took her makeshift prototype to her engineer. "I was like, 'I figured it out.' He took my suggestion and engineered it to actually work."

Then came the curveballs. Testing revealed the lock didn't fit many bikes. Then she discovered Fox 38 forks have oval steer tubes. "I was like, 'Oh my god.' Back to the drawing board." E-bikes presented another challenge – their thicker steer tubes meant smaller internal diameters. The solution? An expanding mechanism that adjusts from 29mm to fit most bikes.

One of the most expensive components sits in three pieces on her desk: a hollow bolt system that allows the lock to expand while still accepting the security pin. "This thing alone was one of the most expensive parts of my entire R&D process," she says, holding up what looks like a deceptively simple component.

The real cost of making something new

Jennifer thought she was prepared to invest $5,000 to $10,000. The reality proved far more expensive. Patents aren't cheap, and working one-on-one with an engineer who "stopped a lot of his other work and just dropped everything" to focus on Raklox added up quickly.

"Making the product is sort of the easy part," she reflects. "It's everything else in combination with it." The costs mount in unexpected ways. Manufacturing batches, website and business registration, and GST is charged multiple times before the product reaches her hands. "You get it back at the end of the year, but that's still a cost."

She's funding everything from her savings. "I haven't personally earned a cent for eight months on this." It's a significant risk for a mom with two young kids.

Recent setbacks haven't helped. A grant application she "was a shoe-in for" – funding for her next manufacturing run – was rejected because she uploaded the wrong document. "I didn't know what these documents were. I stuffed it up."

There was also the Australian Made logo disappointment. After researching certification, she discovered companies can import 99% of a product from China, add one small Australian-made component, and claim the label. "I was going to be proud to have that logo, but I'm actually not interested anymore. I'm just Australian-made, and that's it."

Even the business name hit a snag. Eight months of promotion and thousands spent on Facebook ads later, she discovered she couldn't trademark "Raklox" because it sounds too similar to "rack locks." The solution? A new logo design she can trademark, with Raklox spelled her unique way. "There's always a workaround. That's what the military taught me."

Building for the community

Jennifer's vision extends beyond Raklox's commercial success. When she's ready to scale up manufacturing, she plans to create opportunities for other veterans struggling with the transition to civilian life.

"When you get out of the military, it's very difficult to fit in, especially after 21 years," she explains. After leaving the Navy she remembers feeling worthless and lost. "I was lucky because I'd always had second jobs as a personal trainer and nutritionist, so I still had that rapport with the public. But many veterans can't hold down a job or just can't turn up some days."

She experiences this herself. "I have mental health problems. There are days when I just can't do it. Yesterday was one of those days." In a traditional employment setting, that kind of unpredictability creates tension. "Many employers just don't get it."

Her goal is to create casual roles where veterans can contribute when they're able, be part of building something, and reconnect with the sense of purpose and family many miss after leaving service. She's already connected with her local veterans surf group and maintains contacts with people who've transitioned out.

What's next

The first production run of the 50x50 Raklox – the size that fits 90% of vertical racks – has sold out. Jennifer also created a 35x65 version specifically for Single Trail racks, the brand she owns, but quickly learned her own setup wasn't as common as she'd assumed. Those units moved slower.

She's about to kick off the next manufacturing run. Retailers are interested in stocking Raklox across multiple shops, and one rack manufacturer has specifically requested she develop a version for their horizontal racks. "At Sea Otter, 60 to 70% of people who came to my stand asked if it would fit their horizontal rack," she says. "Unfortunately, because I have a vertical rack, I made it for vertical racks."

Back to the drawing board, then. A horizontal version is now in development, along with a "travel loop" option for using with friends' racks or wrapping around trees.

The grant rejection stung, and there are still days when the mental health challenges make it hard to show up. But Jennifer's already thinking about the next manufacturing run and the veterans she wants to bring into the process. "I want people who understand what it's like to not fit the mould," she says. "People who can look at a problem from ten different angles."

For now, she's still that person loading bikes onto a camper van for weekend races. The difference is, she's no longer complaining about someone needing to make a better lock. For now, she's still that person loading bikes onto a camper van for weekend races. The difference is, she's no longer complaining about someone needing to make a better lock.

Learn more about Raklox.

Raklox is Australian-designed and manufactured, with all production currently taking place in New South Wales.