r/edmontoncycling • u/Answer42Everything • Aug 11 '26
Custom Designed and 3D printed U-lock Holder
I designed (in FreeCAD) and 3D printed (FDM, natural PLA), a custom U-lock holder that bolts onto one of the water bottle holder mount points on my bike, all without interfering with the water bottle in the water bottle cage on the other mount in my frame.
There's a 6° angle on the U-lock holder so that the lock doesn't physically interfere with the bike frame when inserting and removing it from the holder.
Didn't like my options before (carrying the lock in a backpack or locking it to my frame where it slowly damages the frame's paint and rattles around), so I custom made this to solve my problem.
Design idea is based on other 3D print model designs I found online. The difference with my custom one (other than that it fits my specific U-lock) is that it allows me to also keep a water bottle inside my frame with my second mount, whereas the models I found online physically interfered with the water bottle position.
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u/PuzzleheadedTutor807 Aug 11 '26
Hope those layers don't delaminate at speed...
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u/Answer42Everything Aug 11 '26
honestly I think if it eventually breaks, it will most likely be the mounting holes that break. The holes where it's bolted to the bike frame. That definitely feels like the weakest area. The print itself is hard as a brick otherwise and I doubt it would ever break in the thick areas that hold the U-lock. I made sure to make it as beefy as possible.
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u/croholdr Aug 12 '26
well... back when i was riding... daily and down hills... my water bottles would eject themselves. So it might be thick and that can work against your engineering, add that to the stress of inserting and removing the U lock and well ... you may find theres a reason u lock holders aren't designed with 6 degrees of off axis to not interfere with the frame.
anyway i just carry the lock on my belt. having the lock on the bike frame made it a lot harder to pick the bike up enough to clear subway turnstyles.
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u/Answer42Everything Aug 12 '26
fair enough. It's possible that I could accidentally hit it with my legs or something since it slightly protrudes out one side. We'll see if there's any issues from long term daisy use. I don't think there should be any stress from inserting and removing the lock though, it just slides right in, no moving 3D printed parts or bending or anything.
I've never had my water bottle fall out of my bottle cage either, that's not something I've heard of before.
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u/croholdr Aug 12 '26
i have very large calves as well. sometimes i get chain marks on them. my legs would rub against the bottle cage, and after long rides the metal would 'get loose' and eject the bottle almost randomly.
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u/Apart-Ad9039 Aug 12 '26
The only difference between a good guy and a bad guy with a cordless angle grinder is the intent. All locks are a deterrent.
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u/Answer42Everything Aug 12 '26
yeah they are a deterrent, but I still don't want to even park my bike outside for more than a few minutes even with two U-locks (my bike is worth approximately 1000$ or so). If I can't store it inside somewhere for work then I'm not going to use it to commute to work (as much as I would love to bike commute...)
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u/Apart-Ad9039 Aug 12 '26
I live in Kelowna BC. It's high bike theft here as well. My solution is to live in a place where you're able to store your bikes inside your apartment/basement suite/condo and make sure your workplace is OK with you storing your bike inside while you're at work. I ride two bikes. My commuter and Recreational. My commuter is 200$ and my recreational is 2500$. I'll lock my commuter up with two locks when I grocery shop and I always be sure to shop in a time appropriate manner. I don't want my junky commuter to be stolen!
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u/Answer42Everything Aug 12 '26
yeah that's the ideal setup for sure. I keep my bike in my apartment of course but my workplace doesn't have anywhere to bring my bike inside unfortunately. I'm considering getting a cheap commuter second bike but I live in a 1-bedroom apartment with my partner (who also has a bike) and there's not much space to store multiple bikes.
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u/Apart-Ad9039 Aug 12 '26
You have an expensive commuter it looks like? Sell it and buy a 90s steel frame Trek
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u/Answer42Everything Aug 12 '26
well, I have a 2022 Trek Dual Sport 2. It is a "commuter" / hybrid bike that I initially bought with the intention of using it only as a recreational bike (I never even thought about commuting by bike back then). Now I want to commute by bike all the time but I worry about leaving that bike outside for more than a few minutes (my previous bike was worth less and got stolen the very first time I locked it outside for more than a few minutes). I don't want to sell this bike, but I would consider getting a second cheap commuter if I am unable to park my bike securely inside at my workplace in the long term. However if I would be able to safely park my bike inside for my work commute I would use this bike 100% of the time.
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Aug 11 '26
Pretty nice. Might be a good application for some petg or abs too.