Technical > General Technical

n'lock -- bike security by making the bike impossible to ride

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Andre Jute:
n'lock is a stem which takes a novel approach to bike security: it uncouples the front wheel from the handlebars and thereby makes the bike unrideable. The casual, rideaway thief has no further interest in the bike. n'lock has a version with a plug for a cable so that the bike can be locked to something as well; the cable unlocks with the same key that restores the bike to rideability. n'lock is a wordplay on unlock. Accessories to n'lock build into an impressive security kit. I bought a complete kit for an experiment.

This is an interim description, since there are people currently interested in bike security in a thread that I won't hijack in case someone wants to take it in a different direction. Note that I haven't fitted my kit yet, as I have special requirements; the kit as received would go straight onto your average Thorn or any other bike with either an Ahead or a quill headset.

n'lock http://shop.nlock.ch/ is a product of the Swiss Brain People, manufacturing engineering consultants, reputable people according to my protege Dakota Franklin's husband, an inventor himself. Distribution is via a German company so you escape the high tariff and exchange rate levied on a Swiss product. The design is Swiss, and so is the manufacturing supervision. n'lock tells one that their first attempt at manufacture in China was a failure and that they moved production to Taiwan for better quality control.

I have experience designing very expensive hi-fi components for British, German and Japanese boutique makers. On the whole, because I don't recognise "good enough" as acceptable quality, I prefer the Japanese precisely because they are obsessives. The Swiss aren't far behind.

CHOICE

There are two n'lock stems, adjustable and fixed, each in versions with or without a cable plug. n'lock makes accessories for their stem, a handlebar with a 600mm cable in it which locks to the "Plus" version of the stem, and a 1.5m free cable with a loop at one end and at the other a plug for their stems.

Currently n'lock sells complete kits, assembled by use (city, trekking, MTB -- all that differs is the handlebars), for 99 Euro per kit. Each kit includes an n'lock Plus Adjustable stem, a handlebar with a cable locked into it to suit the stem, and a quill shaft adaptor for the stem, a very useful item as I will explain below. The saving is somewhere between 40 and 70 Euro on buying the parts separately.

I ordered the city kit because even on my country bikes I use North Road handlebars, which have the most ergonomic shape and angles, though the amount of bar given to curves really robs the gadget space; swings and roundabouts; Thorn sells a gadget bar to solve exactly this problem. The n'lock city handlebar is in fact the AL-092 Kalloyuno I already have on several of my bikes. But the n'lock version has the built-in cable that slides back into the handlebar after use.

DELIVERY ADVENTURES
I asked that my kit NOT be delivered from Switzerland or Taiwan, for fear of customs, tariffs and additional VAT, and, most of all, swingeing courier charges for fill in customs forms that can kill the pleasure of the finest components. n'lock is familiar with this request and offered to have my kit delivered from their German distributor.

The kit arrived within two or three days, breathtakingly fast.

I expected a black kit, and the box in which the stem came was labelled black, but the stem was white. Clearly a packing error in Taiwan. When I told n'lock designer Franklin Niedrich of this, he offered me a black stem. Only problem was, they were out of adjustable black stems in Germany. I could have an adjustable black stem from Switzerland or a fixed one from Germany. n'lock would pay for both the delivery to me and the return of the wrong stem. The embarrassment was tangible.

By this time I'd already measured the white adjustable stem. My bikes are very carefully fitted to me, to within millimetres. The adjustable stem was too long by 22mm. (It is approximately 120mm centre to centre.) That's a very long stem even on a big bike for those of us who sit upright.

The fixed stem is 100mm eye to eye. So I chose to have the fixed black stem sent from Germany, and it arrived within the same week. (By comparison, a fortnight later I'm still waiting for a chainring ordered  before the n'lock from a British dealer. The British Post Office can't spell service.)

THE QUILL ADAPTER

The quill adapter is supplied by n'lock for bikes with quills, in both the 22 and 25mm sizes. I shall use it differently, to give a bike which already has a threadless stem further upwards adjustment.

The fixed n'lock stem is essentially a horizontal 100mm stem, give or take only a couple of degrees. The stem currently on my everyday bike, a Utopia Kranich, is 100mm angled at about 30 degrees. The n'lock stem will therefore place the handlebar on the same arc, but too low by something around 20mm. This is where the quill adapter comes in.

***

UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, LET YOUR DEALER DO THIS FOR YOU. DONE BADLY IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE IN WRECKED HEADSETS OR EVEN FRAMES, AND COULD BE DANGEROUS, A FACEPLANT OR WORSE

Once a common Aheadset stem is locked onto the steerer tube of a bike, it holds the fork in place by pressure against the headset, and the star washer can be removed. If you then replace the stem with a locking collar (a seat post collar might do duty, though most have a stopper ridge that must be either planned for or removed), you can use this assembly with a quill inside the steerer, the quill locking itself on by its wedge or expander, NOT by the locking collar. Let me say this again. The locking collar holds the threadless steer tube in place against the aheadset top bearing. The quill holds itself in place inside the steer tube but contributes nothing to the preload on the headset bearings. Confusion of these functions could lead to a nasty accident. In addition, the quill must not be pushed into the steerer far enough for the wedge or expander to coincide with the tube butting at the bottom.

The quill to ahead adapter supplied by n'lock has a ridge around it which I expect can be used with judicious cutting to length of the steer tube, or judicious choice of spacers, to obviate the need for the locking outside collar, with the quill and its wedge or expander then replacing the functions of the locking collar. (BBB sells a quill to Ahead adapter that when used as an Ahead to Ahead lengthening device works in this manner, according to a dealer of my acquaintance.) I'm a belt and braces man, so I'm not about to try it. In any case, this would work only for a fixed handlebar height determined by the extent of the quill above the ridge, because the ridge MUST in this scenario fall on top of the steerer tube to pretension the headset bearings.

In my locking collar and quill plan, the quill can be at any height, but not lower than defined by the butting inside the steerer or the ring around the n-lock quill, whichever touches first.

I still need to decide on a collar before I can fit my n'lock kit. I shall report further when I do.

In the photographs below, the captive cable is shown extended a little from the handlebar but fits in all the way, and the 1.5m freestanding cable is extra to the kit.

n'lock kit of stem, handlebar with captive cable and quill adapter, 1.5m free cable extra

The hole in the middle is where the cable plugs in.

Two hands are required to decouple the handlebars from the steering but locking it up again requires only one hand on the key.

Brain People, Switzerland, a solid metal tag, not a stickon. These are people who take pride in their work.

Andre Jute
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html

Danneaux:
An outstanding report, Andre, and I look forward to seeing it mounted on your steed and for the long-term report to follow.  I am interested in its use to deter theft as well as its everyday workability as a stem.

It has certainly been helpful to read your thorough analysis and see your photos; it makes both the concept and execution more clear than the website portrayal.

You've thought this out well Andre, and can rest assured your concept is sound.  Sheldon Brown did something a bit similar by eliminating the star-fangled nut and spacers, using a seat-tube clamp to hold the steerer in place ( http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html ).  He mentioned rocking the bike back and forth while weighting the steerer to take up play in the headset bearings. Alternatively, one could get the tension adjustment spot-on using a removable top-cap anchor like the one available from Tout Terrain ( http://shop.tout-terrain.de/epages/es117678.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es117678_tout_terrain_Zubehoer/Products/837-011-022 ).  On his own Thorn Raven, Sheldon mounted a quill stem inside the threadless steerer to fix a second (straight) handlebar above the first (dropped) handlebar ( http://sheldonbrown.org/thorn/ ).  

If I may gently proffer the suggestion, I think it is possible to accomplish your goals with less effort and hardware.

Andre, if the quill stem n'lock version doesn't work to your satisfaction, I believe the threadless n'lock could be easily and elegantly adapted to give the height you need using the clamps and adapter tube from a version of the Syntace VRO stem riser: http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=389# Going this route would preserve all the original features of your threadless steerer, while eliminating the problems associated with the loss of a top clamp and addition of a locking clamp, and quill.  Your headset could be adjusted and clamped as originally intended, but with the anti-theft capability of the n'lock. It wouldn't be hard to mill a set of similar clamps from aluminum stock.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with n'lock; can't wait for more!

Best,

Dan.

Andre Jute:
Thanks for that, Dan. I had a bit of a giggle at the idea of spending another 99 Euro to regain 20mm in height... While I don't mind paying for innovation accompanied by solid engineering, as in the n'lock, I wouldn't in a million years give Syntace my money. They're in the fashion business (more precisely in the fashion-correction business) and I'm no one's fashion victim. You're right, I'd design and get something better run up locally. (You might say we're both here because Thorn doesn't mind giving the customer the full length of the steerer tube...)

I've done this business with the quill conversion before. I like quills, particularly Gazelle's toollessly adjustable Switch quill stem. In practice what I propose takes less time than my description. You simply insert and fix the quill in the steerer tube, attach a handlebar, and use this as leverage to get the slop out of the system, then bolt on your collar. As you say, Sheldon was there before us, as he was most cycling places. We'll see how well it goes onto the Utopia when I have a collar in hand and time to fit it, most likely over the weekend when I will have a helper. You wouldn't happen to know of a collar without a stopper lip, preferable with double bolts or, failing double bolts, wide rather than narrow? The Problem Solvers smaller collar isn't available from my parts pusher and the so called micro adjust collar doesn't turn me on as it requires carrying a 32 or 36mm wrench, a necessity I though I left behind ten years ago.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=8213 is what I use for a seat post clamp. In real life it is less garish, all black. But it has a ridge at the top to hold it on top of the seat tube which must be either ground out or planned for by putting the clamp on top of the steerer and arranging spacers under it to leave a small gap on top of the pipe when it is tightened. In fact, at the top of the steerer may be the tidiest place to put it, if not the most convenient from a fitting/working perspective -- see what Sheldon, assuming the collar will rest directly on the headset without spacers intervening, says about sliding the stem right down onto it.

Unfortunately, an in-use report will have to wait for better weather. It is miserable here, rain all the time.

Andre Jute

Danneaux:

--- Quote ---...You might say we're both here because Thorn doesn't mind giving the customer the full length of the steerer tube...
--- End quote ---
<nods>  You're right there, Andre!  Greatly tipped the scales in favor of Thorn when selecting my Sherpa.  A critical point for me.

--- Quote ---You wouldn't happen to know of a collar without a stopper lip, preferable with double bolts or, failing double bolts, wide rather than narrow?
--- End quote ---
Yes, I do: Discontinued most places, seemingly available here but only in a 30.0mm OD: http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/dmr-double-bolt-seat-clamp-id38974.html
Pic here makes it appear lipless: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=135 May be available in other sizes elsewhere.

Have you seen the Problem Solvers Locking Headset Spacers? http://problemsolversbike.com/products/locking_headset_spacers/  <-- This may be the one you can't get? They also offer this double-bolt/double-clamp apparently lipless model: http://problemsolversbike.com/products/double_klamp_seatpost_clamp/

I stacked two single clamps to secure the captain's seatpost on my tandem against the stoker reefing on their extension stem/46cm handlebars and possibly twisting my saddle under me.  I just milled the lip off the lower of the two clamps.  A quick job, soon accomplished with an expanding cylinder hone, though my Dremel would have worked as well or a decent sanding drum or flap-wheel in the drill press.

As for this...
--- Quote ---...assuming the collar will rest directly on the headset without spacers intervening
--- End quote ---
...I would suggest a thin spacer between the clamp and upper headset cup, to serve as a thrust washer if nothing else.  If you place the clamp atop the stem, then I would suggest no washer between clamp and stem.

Sorry to hear the weather has put a hold on things; hope it clears up soon for you.  Keep us apprised; this is interesting.  Knowing your care and attention to detail, I have every confidence you'll come out fine.

All the best,

Dan.

Andre Jute:
Sorry for the long delay. I was in hospital and then had a long recovery, so occasion to photograph the n'lock in use didn't arise until recently.

I decided to fit the n'lock, and its accompanying handlebar, first as a normal ahead threadless stem, without using the custom quill converter that came in the special "all the options" package. By doing so I lost about 10-20mm of handlebar height but for the moment that does not concern me overly much as all my rides are short. Later, when I start taking longer rides again, I shall also be able to fit the quill and raise the handlebars above their previous height as it would be good for me to sit more upright than before. The point is that the full package from Brain People, Switzerland gives you every opportunity to tailor your installation to your needs. (It also saved me about a third of the price by buying the package rather than the component parts.)

The n'lock is fitted like any other stem, the only trick being that you should lock it before you attempt to fit it otherwise you will not be able to fit it correctly. There are no installation instructions as the n'lock is sold mainly to manufacturers who fit it as standard. According to Franklin Niedrich, the designer, the standard bicycle stem torque ratings I applied are perfectly suitable as all the bolts are high-tension parts, and the n'lock stem can be arranged with stem spacers at whatever height you like as long as the steerer has an insertion length of at least 40mm. In short, if you have fitted a stem before and haven't crashed because of it, you can fit an n'lock. Or it shouldn't take your LBS more than 15 minutes to strip your old stem and handlebars, and fit the n'lock and its handlebar, if you're fitting that as well (I did). Just fitting the n'lock in the place of your old stem is probably no more than a five-minute job for anyone who wields a spanner for a living.

The rest of the story can be told in photographs:



Here's my bike wheeled out of my townhouse onto the pavement/sidewalk, n'locked and the key taken inside with me. You'd have to be a right moron to attempt to ride away on so broken a bike. This is the key to the n'lock, that it makes the bike visibly unrideable. A professional thief, with an order for the bits on your bike, will steal it whatever locks you have. This one is very convenient and quick to use.



The n'lock unlocks with two hands, by swivelling the knob and turning the key. You cannot do it accidentally. It locks the steerer and the handlebars together again with only one hand on the key but there are two parts to the process, in that the handlebars must be straightened to 90 degrees over the wheel and click audibly before the indicator shoots fully back to match the green word RIDE to the green dot.



Here the bike is parked on the busiest corner in my town. If the bike locked only to itself, there is the danger (here rather remote, perhaps not so remote in the States) that some chancer will throw your bike onto the back of his truck. The cable is pulled from the handlebar, to which one end remains attached, passed through the frame and around a handy pole, and pushed through the hole in the n'lock, where it is then locked in place (when you remove the key) with the same knob you must swivel to unlock the steerer tube from the handlebars.



The handy handlebar cable, showing where it docks into the n'lock from underneath and is secured by the failsafe/indicator knob.



The cable is returned to the handlebar by simply pushing it back.



This 1.5 meter cable, with a loop at one end, and an n'lock tongue at the other, is extra to the kit I bought; it costs around a tenner. It is probably superfluous on my bike, which is too heavy to pick up and doesn't disassemble anything at all without special knowledge and special tools and much longer undisturbed than I'm ever away from the bike, but might help with a lightweight bike with quick-release everythings as an added deterrent. I bought it as a visible deterrent.



There's a visible indicator of when the n'lock is safe to ride. The knob sits sideways and the green dot matches the green word RIDE. It's a belt and braces job, as you feel the positive click as the handlebars lock on.



n'lock ready to ride. Note the pin beside the hole for locking in the cables. It is typical of the superior engineering of this clever Swiss stem, solid and firm. Amazingly, this n'lock stem is lighter than the (adjustable, solidly German, multi-certified) X-Act stem it replaced, yet, despite being lighter, it feels as firm and positive and secure as the German stem of undoubted provenance.

You can no doubt tell that I like the n'lock. What I like best is a) not carrying well over three pounds of Abus Granit 54 X U-lock, through I shall no doubt miss it the next time an impertinent Range Rover comes too close, and b) not bending over to attach and remove the Abus 54 X, and c) not having my bike's historic and irreplaceable paintwork and coach lining scratched by the Abus 54X.

For a hundred Euro for the complete kit, which is less than roadies pay for grim fashion and boutique stems of doubtful engineering probity, n'lock as a concept and as engineering and as clever security that doesn't weigh extra, rates the full five stars out of five. Recommended.

Andre Jute

Photographs and text copyright © 2012 Andre Jute

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