Through the frame, catch the wheel, around the rack, clunk. The sleeve keeps the paint honest and the ritual keeps the bike. Thirty seconds, then coffee.
That is the short version, and it is most of it. Bikes rarely go missing because someone forgot a lock. They go missing because they were locked in a hurry, to the wrong thing, through the wrong part. A ritual fixes that, because you stop deciding and just do it the same way every time.
The thirty seconds
- Choose the stand before the lock. Something bolted down and too tall to lift the bike over. A busy stand in plain sight beats a quiet corner.
- Through the frame. A lock through the front wheel alone holds a wheel. Go through the main triangle first.
- Catch the wheel. Pull the rear wheel into the loop on the way around. Quick-release wheels leave in seconds otherwise.
- Around the rack, and keep it high. A lock lying on the sidewalk can be levered against it. Keep it off the ground and snug, with little slack to work with.
- Clunk, then pull. Tug the lock once to check it has caught. It is the most skipped step and the only one that tells you it worked.
Why this lock
The Lock is hardened steel inside a textile sleeve, rated Sold Secure Gold. At 85cm (33 inches) it is long enough to go through the frame, around the wheel and around most stands in one pass, which is what makes the ritual possible. The sleeve means no scuffs on your frame and no rattle on the ride, and when it wears through you replace the sleeve, not the lock. It comes with a mount, two keys and a spare. Keep the spare at home, not on the same ring.
Once a year, put a little graphite in the barrel, and keep the mechanism dry. A lock that sticks in February is a lock that gets left off.
The last habit
Take your lights with you. The Light Set comes off its silicone mounts in seconds, which is handy for you and for anyone else. The Lock is $75 on its own, or part of the Commute Kit with the Helmet and the Light Set.
One customer put it better than we can: the ritual takes longer than their old lock did. The bike is still there, though.
