Ride On

Ever since our kids were little we have always had bikes at our house. In recent years mine was a drop handlebar Raleigh that I got in 1983, while my wife's was a Walmart cruiser she got when we upgraded the kids' from training wheels to mountain bikes. All were long in the tooth, still usable if not exactly up to date. 

Several years ago, with the kids long gone, we gave away the two they no longer used. As to hers and mine, it was only a matter of time before something snapped at the most inopportune time. So my birthday present a few years back was a new hybrid, one which enabled me to take long rides and not feel like I was on borrowed time. This year we did the same for her, enabling us to start a new activity of going out for a short ride in our neighborhood after dinner, and longer ones when the opportunity presented itself. 

Like any new hobby or activity, it was also an opportunity to buy all kinds of stuff, some necessary, some not so much. A solid helmet is a given. Likewise a bag to put stuff in, and a front and back light to make us more visible. It's handy to have something to hold your phone for mileage, maps and music. And while it harkens back to streamers on your handlebars and a squeezy horn, it is much nicer to have a bell as opposed to yelling "On your left!" every time you pass a person.

Were we to only ride out from our house that might be the end of it. But venturing further afield means putting a rack on the car and hitching them up. It took a little doing to find a model that works with my vehicle, not to mention a collection of bungee cords to secure that whole thing. Problem solved, and now we can drive to one of the numerous local rail trails and start our journey there. 

That's for day trips. Our next adventure is to bring our bikes on some upcoming long weekends to visit family and friends, adding a day at the beginning to ride elsewhere. But that means leaving our bikes in public spaces like parking lots, as well as out overnight, and so we need a way to secure them. So time for yet another accessory, a lock.

Where you ride and where you leave your bike helps to define the best model. Reports say that many bike thefts are crimes of opportunity, when they are left unattended or lightly secured with a simple cable that's easy to cut. Like anything regarding security, whether it's online or your house, it's a balancing act involving multiple factors. And since this solution is one you have to carry, to effectiveness and ease you have to add weight, portability and packing.

In forums and lists online, users dish the best options and the pros and cons of each. For city riding a steel "u-lock" is deemed the best: hardest to break and quickest to deploy. Some prefer a heavy-duty chain with shackle, but carrying it is an issue: you often see riders with them slung over their shoulder bandolier style. For our purposes, both seemed overkill and inconvenient. That's said, I was tempted by one called the "V2 Heavy Duty Deterrent Bike U Lock with Anti-Theft Chemicals." Its form factor is a u-lock, if a little thicker than some. The reason is that the steel tube is hollow, and filled with the "anti-theft chemical" referenced in the name. Cut it, and it releases its contents on the cutter. As to what that chemical is, it's best defined by the brand name of the device: Skunklock. Or as described by one unfortunate purchaser who experienced a leak, "I know what this lock can do and how my living room smelled after that last lock made me throw up. I pray God's mercy on whoever cuts it." You almost want to buy it and hope someone tries to steal your ride. 

I opted for a simpler solution, a folding steel bar thing that is heavy but packable. Hopefully its mere appearance will ward off any casual thefts, and the pros will look elsewhere. In the meantime, I think we strapped enough stuff to ourselves and the frame to get back to riding. But I have to say: those gloves look cool.

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Marc Wollin of Bedford has loved pedaling since he was a kid, if you'll have it. His column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.