This bike locking method is BK or Before Kryptonite. In the early 1970s, Michael Zane, founder of Kryptonite, developed the U- lock and revolutionized the way we lock bikes in the US and around the world. Cable locking systems fell by the wayside for years. They just weren’t as safe as U-locks.

But U-locks have their own set of problems. They are heavy, and if you want to take ultimate advantage of their security, they are inconvenient. The original locking method involved removing the front wheel, placing it next to the seat tube, then running the rigid U-lock through the front wheel, around a post or bike rack, and through the rear wheel. It didn’t take long for riders to start skipping steps. Today the U-lock is usually run through the front wheel and around the down tube. Sometimes it’s simply looped around the top tube and the hitching device. Bike Snob NYC has some hilarious shots of u-locks run through the front wheel only, or, in one case, attached to the brake cables of the bike.

Those inconveniences, and the sheer weight of the U-lock beasts, left an opening. Cable locks, once thought obsolete, came back. With a cable lock, you don’t have to find a hitching post that’s less than three inches in diameter and you can protect both wheels and the frame without removing the front wheel.

But how secure are cable locks? Security is as much location as it is hardware. In a quiet neighborhood or small town, a bike might be secure on Main St. without a lock. In a rough urban neighborhood, even a U-lock won’t help much because the bike will be vandalized if not stolen.

If you generally trust the neighborhood, but want some level of protection for your bike, simply loop the cable through the wheels and secure it to a post or bike rack. Higher levels of protection require more work, but the overall method is still easier than removing the front wheel and locking it to the bike with a U-lock.

The first photo shows the ultimate security system. The padlock is looped through one end of the cable; then the shank of the lock is run through the spider of the crankset and the other end of the cable. A cut cable doesn’t make the bike rideable, or even easy to cart off, because the lock and cable ends are still attached to the bike. Riding is impossible. Even carrying the bike, with those loose ends dangling and tangling in the wheels, is difficult, not to mention a bit obvious. If the thief does manage to get the bike out of public view and into a workshop, he or she is still faced with getting the padlock off the spider. Cutting isn’t an option. With two cable ends, a crank arm and the chainrings all crowded into the area, a bolt cutter is useless. The only option is to remove the chainrings and slip the padlock off the spider. It’s possible, but not the sort of evening activity that a bike thief is likely to take on.

The downsides are convenience and cleanliness. If your idea of a clean bike fits mine (see grit on spider and crank arms), bike grease and road grime will inevitably get on your hands as you thread the shank of the padlock through the spider. If the neighborhood allows it, you can increase the convenience factor with only a slight downgrade in security.

The padlock could be attached to a crankarm instead of the spider. A prepared thief could carry along a bolt cutter for the cable and a pedal wrench to remove the pedal, but it’s a two-step process instead of one and unthreading a pedal takes 10-15 seconds even for a fast mechanic. You can attach the padlock to other parts of the bike as well: the rear chain stay (beware of scratching the paint), the saddle rails, wheel rim, etc. You can even attach it to a water bottle cage or the brake cable. It’s not as silly as it first seems. The thief still has to make two cuts instead of one to get your bike.

Finally, you can slip the cable through the webbing of your helmet so you don’t have to carry the helmet when you leave the bike. (Slip the cable through an enclosed part of the webbing. Don’t just clip the strap around the cable.) In most instances, you could probably leave your helmet hanging unsecured from the handlebars. Used, sweaty helmets don’t have a lot of value on the black market, but why take the chance when you can secure the helmet in about 5 seconds? Really paranoid folks will slip the cable through a vent hole of the helmet, but that seems like overkill. If sweaty, used helmets have little value on the Black Market, sweaty, used helmets with cut webbing have even less re-sale value.

The new Hwy 12 bypass directing traffic around the Long Lake business district is finished. The impact on cyclists should be minimal because most bike routes through the area avoided the busy main drag. Gear West, the venerable bike and ski store in Long Lake, will lose some exposure with the re-routed traffic, but cyclists wishing to visit the store by two wheels will be able to get to and from the store without risking their lives.

The 2009 National Bike Summit will take place from March 10-12 in Washington DC. Once again, the BFW will be taking a lead role in coordinating the activities of the Wisconsin delegation.
For more information on the summit, please visit the web page of the League of American Bicyclists.

Old Cedar Bridge Replacement Project – All but $1.3 million of the $4 million needed to remove and replace this structure has been secured. The final portion of funds needed to move forward will hopefully come from the Economic Stimulus package being developed by Congress. The good news for the Old Cedar Project, though, is that a separate appropriation from the Bloomington U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Recreation Area was submitted for the Stimulus Bill and has higher priority because it’s on federal property and would use federal workers. If this funding comes through, demolition of the Old Cedar Bridge would take place later in 09 with a new bridge completed in 2010.

Cuyuna County State Recreation Area – This project to construct a mountain bike trail network and IMBA Ride Center continues to move along in the Crosby Ironton area of Northern Minnesota. Roughly 30 miles of trail has been GPS’d and drawn, including short Beginner trails that loop out and back from the Cuyuna Lakes paved trail that runs through the property. Intermediate and Expert trails have also been plotted, as well as a Skills Park area that uses boulders the size of Volkswagen Beetles. Bids for construction will go out soon with the goal of having the trail network rideable by the end of 2009.