home made U-lock pouch

I wanted something to keep dirt and wetness from getting into my lock.
I had a bootie that was trashed below the heel. So I cut off the bottom,
sewed it shut, sewed the open end of the velcro closure, and voila -
protects the works, attenuates tendency to rattle, compresses for tight
mounting, and serves as a handy pad between bike frame and whatever crusty
thing I might be locking up to (still needs a little strap on one side to
hold in place against the frame).

Here it is:

http://i56.tinypic.com/29bkqwy.jpg

(I trimmed the tag ends of the inner tube knots after the picture was taken.)

Everything seems secure, easy to deploy and stow, and not so apt to rattle.
Bike handling seems minimally affected.

yes, protect everything: reduces wear tear and most imprortant !
cleaning time. The wear and tear value sometimes rests only no
failures while escaping Martian mosquitoes, or crossing the
interstate. Plastic films are light, cover the derays with poly jug
cuttings, rear deray with electrical tape, see RBT Chainguard $2-
eliminates 70% of CR dirt thrown by front wheel.
But Dano ! there's a maxim: "never add weight to the front wheel."
Increasing front contact patch weight because of turning/scrubbing not
countersteering reduces speed,, increases effort much more than weight
on the rear, where you are, and the wheel is held straight.
that's what I was told.

kolldata writes:




snip

But Dano ! there's a maxim: "never add weight to the front wheel."
Increasing front contact patch weight because of turning/scrubbing not
countersteering reduces speed,, increases effort much more than weight
on the rear, where you are, and the wheel is held straight.
that's what I was told.

Yeah - with the lock and cable strapped on top of that rack I felt
more scrub. And now with the lock on one side, it's a little lopsided.
And that coiled cable with loops at each end looks like a stick grabber.
And if the inner tube bungie broke it could cause a pretty bad crash.

I should probably hang them from the straps on my rear panniers instead.

try 2-3 wire cable u-bolts from Hardware Store or sling/wire rope shop
to fit on seat/chain stays triangle. keep weight low and back.
Only a few grams plus or minus on the front wheel affects tangible
performance.

On Oct 9, 5:11*pm, Dan wrote:
kolldata writes:

I should probably hang them from the straps on my rear panniers instead.

Meh, just toss it in the rear bag. Unless you're short on
space. Which is why I ride in (woolen) pants with large
pockets. Jelly donuts, beer bottles, cigar ashes: it all
fits.

Norman writes:

On Oct 9, 5:11Â*pm, Dan wrote:
kolldata writes:

I should probably hang them from the straps on my rear panniers instead.

Meh, just toss it in the rear bag. Unless you're short on
space. Which is why I ride in (woolen) pants with large
pockets. Jelly donuts, beer bottles, cigar ashes: it all
fits.

Fine idea, but lock and cable is highly subject to grease and grime, and I
rely on panniers to keep the contents clean.

It's true about keeping weight off the front wheel, though. Today I tied
the lock and cable on top of rear rack, and it rode just fine. The weight
of the lock sat right in the midst of the overall center of gravity - just
below my messenger bag.