Wheel lock

The main advantage of cable locks over chains is the ease of transporting them. Many cable locks are made of spring cable that automatically coils itself when released. Even a straight cable can be coiled by the user into a more manageable shape than a chain. Simple cable locks, however, are only sufficient for use in low-risk areas. Even the largest diameter unprotected cable can be quickly cut with bolt cutters. Better cable locks such as the one shown on the right have overlapping steel jackets threaded over the cable. This can make it much harder to cut the central cable.

Many cyclists use a long cable to secure bicycle components (such as the wheels or seat) in conjunction with a bicycle lock or padlock, which can be used to secure the frame. Special strong cables are available which are made with a loop at each end continuous with the cable, which enable linking with a locking device. Also, a common defect with cables containing combination locks allows the combination to be deciphered. This is done by peering into the grooves between the disks whilst cycling through the individual numbers on each disk, one at a time.

Also called an O-lock or ring-lock, this is a low security mechanism mounted on the frame that immobilizes the rear wheel by moving a steel bolt through the spokes to prevent motion. It uses a straight or circular bolt which extends from the housing. This type of lock is common in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, China, and Japan. An O-lock prevents riding the bicycle but does not, by itself, secure the bicycle to a stationary object. This type of lock is effective and convenient for securing a bicycle against opportunistic theft, when the bike is left unattended momentarily. It forces the thief to carry the bicycle.The O-lock also conveniently secures the rear wheel: only locking the frame is needed, to secure both the frame and the rear wheel. Some models have an optional cable or chain that plugs in to the body of the lock to enable the bicycle to be secured as well.

Locking skewers

Pitlock brand skewers - use specially-shaped nut/bolt to protect various parts of one's bicycle Locking skewers replace the existing quick release skewers on a bicycle's wheels and seatpost clamp (quick release skewers enable removal without tools). This reduces the need to lock these parts of the bike since now their removal requires tools. One type of locking skewer uses the same design as a normal quick release skewer, except after clamping the skewer the (keyed) handle may be removed.

Another type of locking skewer uses a uniquely-shaped nut that can only be turned using the matching socket/key, which is typically a wrench-like tool that is small enough to fit on a keychain. Though expensive, locking skewers provide additional security and convenience. Locking wheels with an additional U-Lock or removing the front wheel and locking it to the frame and rear wheel would provide the highest security. A disadvantage is that if the owner loses the special tool then they will not be able to undo the skewer, and will need to obtain a spare tool from the manufacturer. The same type of uniquely-shaped nut used for the locking skewer can also be found for suspension forks, V-brakes, and solid-axle wheels in addition to regular wheels and seatposts. Manufacturers such as Pitlock and Pinhead offer services to supply additional lock nuts to an existing key number registered by the owner. Even though a determined thief could eventually defeat the skewer's lock nut by using a power tool, e.g. by grinding a screwdriver slot into it or simply cutting it off, locking skewers provide convenient protection against theft of bicycle parts in areas where locked bicycles should not be left unattended for long periods of time.

Standards and tests

Less expensive options include replacing standard quick release skewers with skewers that need a standard hex key to be opened. Despite hex keys not being very rare, this method still guards the bicycle from casual opportunists, needing the less common tool and more time to be removed. Pentagonal key skewers exist which bring some of the benefit of a locking skewer at a lower cost. Quicker and cheaper yet, and only effective against thieves unequipped with even a screwdriver, quick-release levers can be tied down by a common hose clamp.

Test standards that rate the effective security of bicycle locks are provided by Thatcham and Sold Secure in the United Kingdom, ART in the Netherlands, SSF in Sweden, and VDS in Germany. Sold Secure was set up by the Northumbria Police and Essex Police in 1992 with the backing of the Home Office. It is now a not-for-profit corporation owned by the Master Locksmiths Association. Each model of lock tested requires an initial and ongoing annual payments by the manufacturer of several thousand pounds. In the U.K., a Sold Secure certified lock is usually required in order to insure a bicycle against theft, and a lock that passes the tougher Thatcham standards is usually required to insure a motorbike. Sold Secure certify locks with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold rating, corresponding to an attack resistance of 1, 3 and 5 minutes with various tools.

Tests carried out on behalf of Cycle magazine showed that all of the bicycle locks tested, which had a variety of certifications from Sold Secure, Thatcham, and ART, could be broken in less than 42 seconds. Cables and chains were breached using either small cable cutters or 36" bolt croppers, and D-locks were breached using a stubby bottle jack. Of the locks tested, five had a Sold Secure Gold rating, varying in price from £25 to £100. Two of these Gold rated locks withstood only 10 seconds of attack.

The concept of human-powered

Tests carried out by Almax Security Chains Ltd. and supervised by Readers Digest have shown that most Thatcham and Sold Secure approved motorbike chains can be cut using ordinary bolt croppers. A video of the tests is available online. In similar tests carried out by Motor Cycle News magazine, Almax chains were the only ones to survive a bolt cropping attack. Almax produce a shorter 0.7m version of their chain for bicycles. The tests included chains from Squire Locks, Luma, ABUS, Oxford Products and Kryptonite.

The Dutch consumer news show Kassa 3 published a four-minute show in which a former bicycle thief removed eight consumer-grade locks from a bike in times ranging from 10 to a maximum of 84 seconds. The locks included those from manufacturers ABUS, Hema and Halfords. The first period which may be called a bicycle craze actually refers to a precursor of the bicycle which was pushed along by the feet on the ground as in walking, and did not have pedals. This machine was invented by Baron Karl von Drais, and was called variously a "draisine" (English) or "draisienne" (French) after his name, a "velocipede" from the Latin terms for "fast foot", a "hobby horse", or a "dandy horse", the last name being perhaps the most popular. Drais got a patent for his invention in 1818, and the craze swept Europe and the USA during the summer of 1819 while many manufacturers (notably Denis Johnson of London) either copied Drais's machine or created their own versions, then quickly died out as many pedestrians began to feel threatened by the machines and municipalities enacted laws prohibiting their use.

During the next 43 years, chiefly in England, inventors continued to explore the concept of human-powered transport, but on vehicles with 3 or 4 wheels (called "tricycles" and "quadricycles" respectively), which were thought to be more stable, not requiring the balance that is necessary for 2-wheeled vehicles. But none of these achieved much popularity.

1860s and 1870s

Then in the early 1860s was created in Paris, France, the first true bicycle, by attaching rotary cranks and pedals to the front wheel hub of a dandy-horse. The Olivier brothers recognized the commercial potential of this invention, and set up a partnership with blacksmith and bicycle maker Pierre Michaux, using Michaux's name, already famous among enthusiasts of the new sport, for the company. They began the first mass-production of bicycles (still called "velocipedes") in 1868, as the first real bicycle craze had begun the year before, reaching full force all over Europe and America in 1868 and 1869. But exactly as with the dandy-horse, pedestrians complained about them, and the craze again faded quickly. Another factor in their demise was the extremely uncomfortable ride, because of the stiff wrought-iron frame and wooden wheels surrounded by tires made of iron -- this led to the pejorative name "boneshaker", which is still used today to refer to this type of bicycle.

Again, England was the only place where the concept remained popular during the early 1870s. But the design changed drastically, with the front wheel becoming larger and larger, and with many other improvements making the ride more comfortable. This type of bicycle was known in its day as the "ordinary", but people later began calling it a "penny-farthing" because of the resemblance of its wheel sizes to the largest and smallest English copper coins of the time; today it is most often called a "high-wheel". Front-wheel sizes quickly grew to as much as 5 feet (~1.5 meters), and the bicycles were considered by the general public to be quite dangerous. In addition, they were expensive, and thus riders were mostly wealthy young men who formed an elite brotherhood. However, bicycle races were staged and well-attended by the public, which spread interest for the high-wheeler to the rest of Europe, the USA, and indeed all over the world because of the far-flung British colonies, by the end of the decade. Albert Pope purchased Lallement's original patent and created his "Columbia" bicycle in the USA in 1878, and went on to manufacture thousands of bicycles.

1890s Hotchkiss Bicycle Railroad

However, it was the invention of the "safety bicycle" with its chain-drive transmission, whose gear ratios allowed smaller wheels without a concurrent loss of speed, and the subsequent invention of the pneumatic (inflatable air-filled) bicycle tire, which led to perhaps the biggest bicycle craze of all, during the 1890s. Experiments with chain-drive had been attempted in 1869 and 1879, but the first well known chain-drive bicycle was the "Rover" produced in 1885 by John Kemp Starley. Very quickly, the penny-farthing passed out of fashion, and multitudes of people all over the world began riding the "safety". It was largely the popularity of this type of bicycle at this time which first caused roads to be paved.

September 13, 1892 saw the opening of a Bicycle Railroad between Mount Holly, New Jersey and the H. B. Smith Manufacturing Company in Smithville, NJ during the Mount Holly fair, with 3,000 riders its first week (for amusement instead of commuting).

Coney Island wanted one, and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago featured one. Several others were built for amusement in Atlantic City, Ocean City and Gloucester City, NJ (the first two in 1893 and last in 1894). The application of the internal-combustion engine to the bicycle during the 1890s resulted in the motorcycle, and then soon after, the engine was applied to 4-wheel carriages resulting in the motor car or "automobile". The popularity of the car, and in particular its easy availability due the mass-production techniques of Henry Ford, led to the gradual demise of this largest bicycle craze.

20th century

In the USA, except for a brief period of popularity during the Great Depression of the 1930s, during most of the 20th century bicycles were relegated to the status of children's toys. However, the fuel shortages of the 1970s and concurrent rise of oil prices caused another bicycle craze in that decade. Once again, when the price of oil fell, bicycles largely went out of fashion, except for those who stuck with them primarily for health, pleasure and environmental reasons.

In the bike boom during 1971-1975 in the United States, adult cycling increased sharply in popularity, with sharp sales increases. The bike boom followed a period of several decades in which adult Americans had largely abandoned use of the bicycle in favor of the automobile, during which time bicycles were largely relegated to use by children and youth not yet qualified to drive a motor vehicle. The period of increased sales was followed by an equally sharp fall in sales, resulting in a large inventory of unsold bicycles.

Several factors contributed to the U.S. bike boom:

* The 1973 oil crisis greatly increased the cost of driving an automobile, making bicycle commuting a more attractive option.
* Affordable and versatile 10-speed derailleur-geared sport bikes patterned after racing bicycles became widely available.
* Many post-World War II baby boomers, who were reaching adulthood in this time period, began to demand an inexpensive transportation for recreation and exercise, while preserving the environment.Construction The first bicycle wheels followed the traditions of carriage building: a wooden hub, a fixed steel axle (the bearings were located in the fork ends), wooden spokes and a shrink fitted iron tire. A typical modern wheel has a metal hub, wire tension spokes and a metal or carbon fiber rim which holds a pneumatic rubber tire.