Carrying U-lock and cable on rack

I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.

Coiled the cable, bound the velocro, and put the end loops in the U-
lock hoop, laying the U-lock on the coiled cable, it fits nicely on
the (front) Nice Rack... but, if it rains the U-lock is gonna get
gritty spray inside and that's gonna be bad.

Went looking for something waterproof to put the assembly in. Plastic
bags are easy enough to come by, but this will not be some bag lady
arrangement. Ideally I'd like something like a nice low-profile Axiom
Rack Trunk bag (mounted backwards) w/ foam padding to absorb shock and
vibration... but $70 for a bag to put my $70 worth of lock in is
pretty silly (and it looks like they've discontinued that bag anyway).

Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the leftover good neoprene
bootie from my neoprene bootie accident that had left one shredded
(the left one, I think it was). That almost sorta worked, but not
quite golden. Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the
*shredded* bootie, and holy moly (!) I think this is gonna work... not
only that (but in spite of looking a little shredded) how elegant is
it that I might get waterproofing, vibration cushioning, and tension
binding from a shredded bootie that should have been just thrown away
long ago :-)

More to follow...

On Oct 6, 6:11*am, Dan O wrote:
I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. *Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.

Coiled the cable, bound the velocro, and put the end loops in the U-
lock hoop, laying the U-lock on the coiled cable, it fits nicely on
the (front) Nice Rack... but, if it rains the U-lock is gonna get
gritty spray inside and that's gonna be bad.

Went looking for something waterproof to put the assembly in. *Plastic
bags are easy enough to come by, but this will not be some bag lady
arrangement. *Ideally I'd like something like a nice low-profile Axiom
Rack Trunk bag (mounted backwards) w/ foam padding to absorb shock and
vibration... but $70 for a bag to put my $70 worth of lock in is
pretty silly (and it looks like they've discontinued that bag anyway).

Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the leftover good neoprene
bootie from my neoprene bootie accident that had left one shredded
(the left one, I think it was). *That almost sorta worked, but not
quite golden. *Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the
*shredded* bootie, and holy moly (!) I think this is gonna work... not
only that (but in spite of looking a little shredded) how elegant is
it that I might get waterproofing, vibration cushioning, and tension
binding from a shredded bootie that should have been just thrown away
long ago :-)

More to follow...

Abus, and no doubt others, make frame bag in various shapes and sizes.
I think they're intended to take the chain; not so sure about the U-
lock. -- Andre Jute

On Oct 6, 1:11*am, Dan O wrote:
I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. *Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.

Coiled the cable, bound the velocro, and put the end loops in the U-
lock hoop, laying the U-lock on the coiled cable, it fits nicely on
the (front) Nice Rack... but, if it rains the U-lock is gonna get
gritty spray inside and that's gonna be bad.

Went looking for something waterproof to put the assembly in. *Plastic
bags are easy enough to come by, but this will not be some bag lady
arrangement. *Ideally I'd like something like a nice low-profile Axiom
Rack Trunk bag (mounted backwards) w/ foam padding to absorb shock and
vibration... but $70 for a bag to put my $70 worth of lock in is
pretty silly (and it looks like they've discontinued that bag anyway).

Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the leftover good neoprene
bootie from my neoprene bootie accident that had left one shredded
(the left one, I think it was). *That almost sorta worked, but not
quite golden. *Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the
*shredded* bootie, and holy moly (!) I think this is gonna work... not
only that (but in spite of looking a little shredded) how elegant is
it that I might get waterproofing, vibration cushioning, and tension
binding from a shredded bootie that should have been just thrown away
long ago :-)

More to follow...

You forgot to tell us what colour it is
And not just those pedestrian generalities
Like Bleen or Grue
Real, honest, hardworking, Ralph Lauren Colours
Like "Sandy Hills"
Or "Chargers Mane"
Or "Dusty Gonzagas".
Think big, not small:
How many heads can wrap around the fish?
How many poles can be encompassed in its loops?
Does it have a fab soundtrack?
Is it curatable by a burly senator?
Maybe it has its own zip code,
Or Hammurabi's shopping list,
In the "Charlotte's Creamy Funbags" colourway.

On Oct 6, 12:11*am, Dan O wrote:
I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. *Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.
[OCD snip]

Just shove it among the rest of your **** in those bags that you'll
see when you look rearwards*. The more you make retrieval
unpredictable for your next lockup, the better the chance you'll find
a mint or some loose change while digging for it.

*Don't have some cheap city bags? Start with fixing that problem.

In article
,
Dan O wrote:

I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.

Coiled the cable, bound the velocro, and put the end loops in the U-
lock hoop, laying the U-lock on the coiled cable, it fits nicely on
the (front) Nice Rack... but, if it rains the U-lock is gonna get
gritty spray inside and that's gonna be bad.

Went looking for something waterproof to put the assembly in. Plastic
bags are easy enough to come by, but this will not be some bag lady
arrangement. Ideally I'd like something like a nice low-profile Axiom
Rack Trunk bag (mounted backwards) w/ foam padding to absorb shock and
vibration... but $70 for a bag to put my $70 worth of lock in is
pretty silly (and it looks like they've discontinued that bag anyway).

Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the leftover good neoprene
bootie from my neoprene bootie accident that had left one shredded
(the left one, I think it was). That almost sorta worked, but not
quite golden. Then, I tried stuffing the lock assy into the
*shredded* bootie, and holy moly (!) I think this is gonna work... not
only that (but in spite of looking a little shredded) how elegant is
it that I might get waterproofing, vibration cushioning, and tension
binding from a shredded bootie that should have been just thrown away
long ago :-)

More to follow...

Put it in a pannier.

--
Michael Press

On Oct 6, 3:49 pm, landotter wrote:
On Oct 6, 12:11 am, Dan O wrote: I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.

[OCD snip]

Just shove it among the rest of your **** in those bags that you'll
see when you look rearwards*. The more you make retrieval
unpredictable for your next lockup, the better the chance you'll find
a mint or some loose change while digging for it.

*Don't have some cheap city bags? Start with fixing that problem.

Yeah, I have a pair of Banjo Bros Waterproof panniers that I carry on
the rear rack, but if I'm gonna add another 4 or 5 pounds to the bike,
I'd rather start putting some of it over the front wheel. The rear
panniers usually have a lot of clothes and stuff in them, which don't
mix real well with things that might be apt to pick up grease and
grime.

I might put the lock and cable into a front pannier dedicated to stuff
that gets dirty, and I do feel a need to get some of the weight of
tools and stuff off my back (messenger bag), but I am hesitant to ride
back-and-forth to work every day looking like I'm on a fully-loaded
cross-country tour or something.

I basically never lock up now (park the bike in my cubicle at work,
have a bike locker downtown, and garaged at home), but I recently
needed to park in another place (scrounged up a wimpy lock, parked
right outside the receptionist's window and asked her to keep an eye
on it). Also, if nature calls or something while riding through town,
I can stop at like Burger King momentarily - as long as I have a good
lock.

Since needing to lock up is rare, I'd kind of like to just mount the
lock on the bike where I don't need to fool with it, but it's there
when I need it - sort of an integral accessory. Lower mounting would
be better, of course, but I'm kind of holding out for the wacky
possibility of trying to carry spare wheels w/ studded tires on either
side of the front rack :-)

I was just excited about discovering that the totally trashed bootie
might turn out useful - providing needed vibration damping, elastic
retention, and protection from the elements. Sorry if my enthusiasm
turned anyone off somehow. (It also occurred to me that - while the
lock is deployed - the bootie could serve as a handy protective pad
between bike frame and whatever nasty thing I'm locking up against.)

Dan O wrote:
On Oct 6, 3:49 pm, landotter wrote:
On Oct 6, 12:11 am, Dan O wrote: I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.
[OCD snip]

Just shove it among the rest of your **** in those bags that you'll
see when you look rearwards*. The more you make retrieval
unpredictable for your next lockup, the better the chance you'll find
a mint or some loose change while digging for it.

*Don't have some cheap city bags? Start with fixing that problem.

Yeah, I have a pair of Banjo Bros Waterproof panniers that I carry on
the rear rack, but if I'm gonna add another 4 or 5 pounds to the bike,
I'd rather start putting some of it over the front wheel. The rear
panniers usually have a lot of clothes and stuff in them, which don't
mix real well with things that might be apt to pick up grease and
grime.

I might put the lock and cable into a front pannier dedicated to stuff
that gets dirty, and I do feel a need to get some of the weight of
tools and stuff off my back (messenger bag), but I am hesitant to ride
back-and-forth to work every day looking like I'm on a fully-loaded
cross-country tour or something.

I basically never lock up now (park the bike in my cubicle at work,
have a bike locker downtown, and garaged at home), but I recently
needed to park in another place (scrounged up a wimpy lock, parked
right outside the receptionist's window and asked her to keep an eye
on it). Also, if nature calls or something while riding through town,
I can stop at like Burger King momentarily - as long as I have a good
lock.

Since needing to lock up is rare, I'd kind of like to just mount the
lock on the bike where I don't need to fool with it, but it's there
when I need it - sort of an integral accessory. Lower mounting would
be better, of course, but I'm kind of holding out for the wacky
possibility of trying to carry spare wheels w/ studded tires on either
side of the front rack :-)

I was just excited about discovering that the totally trashed bootie
might turn out useful - providing needed vibration damping, elastic
retention, and protection from the elements. Sorry if my enthusiasm
turned anyone off somehow. (It also occurred to me that - while the
lock is deployed - the bootie could serve as a handy protective pad
between bike frame and whatever nasty thing I'm locking up against.)

Some riders just leave a lock at a steel railing at work.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

I was just excited about discovering that the totally trashed bootie
might turn out useful - providing needed vibration damping, elastic
retention, and protection from the elements. Sorry if my enthusiasm
turned anyone off somehow. (It also occurred to me that - while the
lock is deployed - the bootie could serve as a handy protective pad
between bike frame and whatever nasty thing I'm locking up against.)

Photos!

On Oct 6, 7:59 pm, AMuzi wrote:
Dan O wrote:
On Oct 6, 3:49 pm, landotter wrote:
On Oct 6, 12:11 am, Dan O wrote: I have a nice U-lock (Kryptonite Evolution Mini) and cable (7'
Kryptonite), but haven't yet figured a good way to carry it. Today I
buckled down and tried (again) to figure it out.
[OCD snip]

Just shove it among the rest of your **** in those bags that you'll
see when you look rearwards*. The more you make retrieval
unpredictable for your next lockup, the better the chance you'll find
a mint or some loose change while digging for it.

*Don't have some cheap city bags? Start with fixing that problem.

Yeah, I have a pair of Banjo Bros Waterproof panniers that I carry on
the rear rack, but if I'm gonna add another 4 or 5 pounds to the bike,
I'd rather start putting some of it over the front wheel. The rear
panniers usually have a lot of clothes and stuff in them, which don't
mix real well with things that might be apt to pick up grease and
grime.

I might put the lock and cable into a front pannier dedicated to stuff
that gets dirty, and I do feel a need to get some of the weight of
tools and stuff off my back (messenger bag), but I am hesitant to ride
back-and-forth to work every day looking like I'm on a fully-loaded
cross-country tour or something.

I basically never lock up now (park the bike in my cubicle at work,
have a bike locker downtown, and garaged at home), but I recently
needed to park in another place (scrounged up a wimpy lock, parked
right outside the receptionist's window and asked her to keep an eye
on it). Also, if nature calls or something while riding through town,
I can stop at like Burger King momentarily - as long as I have a good
lock.

Since needing to lock up is rare, I'd kind of like to just mount the
lock on the bike where I don't need to fool with it, but it's there
when I need it - sort of an integral accessory. Lower mounting would
be better, of course, but I'm kind of holding out for the wacky
possibility of trying to carry spare wheels w/ studded tires on either
side of the front rack :-)

I was just excited about discovering that the totally trashed bootie
might turn out useful - providing needed vibration damping, elastic
retention, and protection from the elements. Sorry if my enthusiasm
turned anyone off somehow. (It also occurred to me that - while the
lock is deployed - the bootie could serve as a handy protective pad
between bike frame and whatever nasty thing I'm locking up against.)

Some riders just leave a lock at a steel railing at work.


Yep - ubiquitous, in fact - and a good option for some riders.

I, however, not only have excellent parking *in my cubicle* at work
(right under the 8-foot bamboo pole that I hang my clothes on,
adjacent to the workbench where I patch tubes that may be flatted on
the way in), but downtown - where people wait literally years for a
place to park their car - I have a private bike storage locker under
cover ten feet from the entrance to a carpeted lounge with full
amenities in an incredibly secure yet welcoming building - IOW: High-
fidelity first class travelin' section.

What I need to carry a lock for is things like my recent trip to the
eye doctor (where for some reason the staff was not amenable to me
parking my bike in their waiting room), rides to the coffee shop, or
ad hoc stops to take a leak in town, etc.

On Oct 6, 10:07 pm, notme wrote:
I was just excited about discovering that the totally trashed bootie
might turn out useful - providing needed vibration damping, elastic
retention, and protection from the elements. Sorry if my enthusiasm
turned anyone off somehow. (It also occurred to me that - while the
lock is deployed - the bootie could serve as a handy protective pad
between bike frame and whatever nasty thing I'm locking up against.)

Photos!

More to follow... (... maybe. I may have gotten carried away
conceptually - sorry for any inconvenience, and thank you for your
interest.)