Where to mount mini u-lock bracket?
 

I've read posts where people have problems mounting their u-locks because they will interfere with the bottle cages or the u-locks are just too big. This isn't one of those posts. I have a mini u-lock and no cages on my bike. The problem is that every tube seems to have cables running along it that would interfere with the placement of the bracket. Actually it's just the top tube and the seat tube that have cables running down them. The down tube is just too big for the bracket (the tube itself is kind of elongated and not round along the diameter like the other tubes). I'm just really worried about messing up one of the cables because I'm a newbie when it comes to bikes. My bike is a Gary Fisher Nirvana (a hybrid bike). In addition to the mini u-lock I also have a cable lock that I toss into my backpack. I'd toss the u-lock in there too but my bag is heavy enough as it is.

Try your seat post or the stem. I've done both with a full size NY lock effectively.

I think it starts with bottle cages and too big ... and then moves on to ... F*#$&#$#, there is just no place to mount this without it hitting my leg!!! Bag under seat for tools, water bottle, and a ULock ... am I asking too much!?

Then people reply with their unintentionaly condiscending responses ... "why don't you just get a mini, or hang it from the top tube"?

BECAUSE!!! ... I already gave up on a standard ULock and was trying to find space to mount a mini. Even the mini won't fit!

And you final verbalized here something I've always forgotten to point out ... that many sections of the frame cannot be utilized because of the wires running along them. Why do they make those stupid mounts the way they do!?! Do these manufactures not look at bikes when designing them!?!?!


OK ... ENOUGH ranting ... now some advice


Both Krypotnite and On Gaurd have mounts that will address the above problem. They are harder to find in the stores, but I can send you to a link with pictures so you know what to look for.

On Gaurd's version
http://www.bikesomewhere.com/bikesom...t/39/1285/5448
Kryptonite's version
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetis...s_item&pgrp=20

The pictures will explain this best, but basically ... instead of a plastic clamp with two screws pulling it together (a setup that would interfere with wires) ... the above two mounts have a plastic strap that hugs the tube and is tightened from below. You can feed this strap under the wires without it touching them. Trust me ... I just picked one up tonight and tried it! Success!

Unfortunetly, I'm now having spacing issues with my mini (even on a 21" frame) ... as the mounts are a little bigger than the screw type ... in the sense they don't hug the frame as I would think they should (to conserve space) ... thus bringing the lock out an inch or two from the frame ... and in turn bumping the water bottles. :(

How can someone not have designed a solution to this problem!?

Hope the above links help for your specific situation! :)

and just to give you all the info .... Twofish also has some interesting non-brand specific mounts

http://www.twofishunlimited.com/bike.html

You can buy their stuff at Nashbar

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...4&page=2&pp=25
see post #34

If it's a mini-u, just put it in your back pocket.


peace,
Jon

Hang it off your bars...

or just use velcro straps...get creative. When things seem weird, it's time to prove the world you are the weird-master!

(...ok, so that last line made no sense...shoot me.. :p )

I'm sorry ... I like to sit when I ride.

Do NOT hang it off your bars!!! I was being lazy the other night ... making a two block trip before using the lock again ... and the lock got wedged between the left side of the handlebars and the right side of the top bar as I tried to turn right ... if I had been going faster it would have been one hell of a wreck!!! I know it was a fluke thing ... but this is a really bad practice. Play it safe ... DO NOT DO THIS.

I'd be fine with the velcro straps suggestion ... but it's not very specific. If you could suggest a sport to velcro while allowing for the other variables that have already been added (water bottles, wedge bag, and not hitting leg) I'd like to hear it.

Yeah, get at least two straps, strap the crossbar to your seat tube, and the shackle to the chainstay on the non-drive side, with the lock shackle on the outside of the stay. This keeps it from going into the wheel, and gives you a nice spot to put it.

Or velcro it to the front of the front triangle of your frame, via the toptube...you will have to pull your bottle out of only one side though.

pardon the slow response...I was playing games for the past few hours :rolleyes:

That makes sense ... I think you put up pictures of this once before.

While both your suggestion would work from a fit/functional perspective ... what has your experience been from a noise/damage perspective? Does the lock rattle much as you ride (only being held onto the frame by the friction of the velcro strap - as opposed to a plastic mount)? Does the lock eventually wear the paint off the frame in the spot it's touching?

No rattle if you use the right straps...get the velcro cable ties that you can loop through itself. Also I found it didn't ear the paint down, but you can always use a lizard skin chainguard (the fabric kind) to protect your stay.

oh, almost forgot....you might want to use some cloth under the straps is you use the kind of ties I mentioned above, so the velcro hooks don't scratch things up.

An alternative to velcro would be webbing and plastic connectors (the kind on backpacks). You could pick up bulk webbing and connectors from an outdoor store (MEC in Canada and REI in the U.S.) and cut the webbing to fit the needs. It would be thin enough to go under the cables, and strong enough to hold your lock. I would use two straps, so that one can act as a backup.