A whole post on a little lock?

Why yes.

I think something small like a cafe lock likely wouldn’t factor into most people’s decision making on which type of bike to buy, but I do think it should be part of the equation.

What’s So Great About Cafe Locks?

I had never heard of a cafe lock (also known as ring, frame, wheel or circle lock) until I got my trike in 2018. A cafe lock is a circular lock, engaging between the spokes of the front or back wheel. It renders the wheel immobile. I’d seen the locking strategy in practice many times — mostly bike messengers use a U lock to secure their wheel to their frame. Before having a cargo bike, it always felt easy enough to just use my U Lock to secure my bike to a fixed object, so I didn’t really see the benefit of a cafe lock.

The usefulness of a cafe lock quickly made it self known once I made the leap into cargo bikes. These locks are perfect for quick stop overs — running into school, the post office, parked at the playground, and, as the name suggests, a quick cafe visit. Most of my stops to places with my kids are quick, or the bike is within site. I use my cafe lock often.

I’ve also used the cafe lock to make my bike an anchor point. When going on family bike rides with multiple bikes, everyone locks up to my bike with the cafe lock engaged. This was especially helpful on a recent trip to the zoo when the bike rack was full. But it’s also great on outings to big parks when we want to leave our bikes behind and explore on foot.

Before buying your own bike, you may think, ‘whatever…I can just get a regular lock, it’s not a big deal.’ But, I will tell you that having a cafe lock is so convenient when you have a big, heavy bike. Take it from someone who had a cafe lock (with a trike), didn’t have a cafe lock (with a Yuba Spicy Curry), and now has one again on an Urban Arrow. I desperately missed my cafe lock when I was without it.

Cafe locks are also so helpful in the US where we tend to have weak cycling infrastructure. My local grocery store only has bike parking up on a curb without a curb cut…I can’t physically get my bakfiets to the designated storage area. So, I just utilize the cafe lock and take up a parking space.

When deciding between bikes, consider the cafe lock when making your decision. Does the bike already come with one? Can you install one? It may feel like it should be insignificant in your decision making but now that I’ve had bikes both with and without, I really value the convenience it provides.

Cafe Lock Tips

Tip 1: Keep your keys organized! I use a carabiner keychain — most cafe locks require the key to be in the lock for it to remain open. This is called a retaining cafe lock. It takes some adjustment to get used to this, but it’s ultimately the better set up because you’re much less likely to lose your keys, and you always have your key with you when you go for a ride.

That being said, you don’t want your whole key chain set up dangling from your bike while you pedal. This is easily solved with a key ring that allows you to remove some of your key set. I like using a carabiner. It also allows me to clip my keys the handlebars for easy access (see photo below). But, any easy on/easy off keychain would suffice — like this, this or this.

Tip #2: Easily Beef Up Your Security: You can add an optional plug in chain that works with the cafe lock. If you have a cafe lock on a front tire, it’s essential to include a chain whenever the bike is out of site. For box bikes (bakfietsen) and trikes, this is slightly less imperative because the cafe locks are on the rear wheel and they put a barrier through the rear triangle, making it much more difficult to remove the rear tires. Important to note, the Kryptonite 9mm chain (compared to the Abus 6 mm chain that you might be inclined to get if you already have an Abus cafe lock) is a stronger chain works with most cafe locks.

Even if you don’t think you need an additional chain, you should get one. They’re not a huge expense and I’ve found them handy for locking up kids bikes or other mobile accessories to my bike. For example, I use mine to keep my suspension seat post from being messed with.

The rear triangle is the space between the chain stay, seat tube and seat stay. It’s an ideal locking location.

Tip 3: Get Good (Cafe Lock) Habits: You’ll need a strategy to prevent yourself from taking off while the cafe lock is engaged. You don’t want to break spokes by starting your ride with a cafe lock on. I always remove my display (good idea to do anyway), which is my reminder when I come back that I need to also disengage my lock. I know some displays are not removable, so you’ll have to come up with your own little memory trick. Or perhaps you’re better at getting in into the routine because I will still sometimes forget about the cafe lock!

Speaking of broken spokes, my Urban Arrow cafe lock has rubber connectors to help prevent this from happening. They allow for some give with the lock (and also makes it easier to lock up because if your lock aligns with a spoke you can move it a bit to get around the obstruction. These will eventually break, that is what they are designed to do. It helps to have back ups at home beforehand so you’re prepared when it happens. These are the ones I got and they work perfectly.

What if Your Bike Doesn’t/Can’t Have a Cafe Lock?

Yuba sells a pin lock which is a similar concept to a cafe lock, but the lock is straight and removeable from the bike. However, this particular lock is finicky, you have to fish it out from wherever you’ve stored it to use it. I ended up just not bothering and going with a chain instead when it was time to lock up (TL;DR — I DON’T recommend Yuba’s pin lock!).

I recently joined up with the Community Pedal Power E-Bike Lending Library (now with branches in Somerville and Roslindale, MA), and the founders of the group have put together a hack for Aventon owners to add a cafe lock to their Abound bikes. Proceeds from the kits help fund the E-Bike Lending Library. If you’re savvy with a 3D printer you could develop your own mount to enable you to add a cafe lock to your cargo bike. I have not touched a 3D printer, though, so please don’t ask me for advice on how to do it.

Do keep in mind that cafe locks are not intended to act as maximum security, but they are definitely suitable for many outings that folks do by bike. I also love that when I do lock up my bike (sometimes with up to three different locks), my cafe lock is always on hand to add extra security to my full lock up routine.

Using a bike as a car replacement means having strategies in place to make your rides easy and pleasant. A convenient locking strategy is absolutely part of that process, so please do consider purchasing a bike with a cafe lock or figuring out a way to add one to your ride.

Special thanks to the team at Community Pedal Power for their help with this post.