You and your kid must always wear a helmet whenever you ride a bicycle for safety purposes. It is of great importance when you are going on a long ride, racing, or riding a mountain bike up the mountain.
But the problem is that you cannot leave the helmet with your bicycle when you have to go somewhere or rest for a while.
You cannot hang it on the bike’s handlebar and leave it there since it might get stolen in a moment of inattentiveness.
Taking the helmet with you all the time is a hassle. You can hang it on your backpack or duffle bag but, it can be heavy sometimes.
The only solution to this problem of the helmet is to lock it up with the bicycle.
To lock up your helmet with the bicycle, put a large U-lock through the helmet’s air vents. The U-lock goes around the bike’s frame, back wheel, the helmet’s air vents and, a solid post, securing the bike and the helmet in place.
If your U-lock is not large enough, you can also use a cable (helmet) lock.
Loop the cable (helmet) lock through the helmet’s vents and around the U-lock you used to lock up your bike.
Why Should you Lock Up Your Helmet?
Many of you prefer to hang the helmet on the handlebar of your bike without locking it. Some people tend to buy cheaper helmets so they won’t lose much if the helmet gets stolen. Some places have lockers made especially to keep your helmets.
But what if you own a pretty expensive helmet? What if your helmet is new and you can’t afford it to get lost or stolen? What if the place you’re visiting does not have a locker?
You can’t carry your helmet around all the time. The wise choice would be to lock it up along with your bike and park somewhere safe.
Besides, helmet locks are not expensive at all. So, it’s a small price to pay for the sake of safety.
How to Lock Up Your Bicycle Helmet Using Different Types of Locks?
Similar types of locks work with both kids’ and adults’ bikes. So, you can apply the following locks and lock up both your and your kid’s bike.
In a broad sense, there are two types of helmet locks. They are cable-based and solid locks.
How to Lock up your Helmet using Cable-based Locks?
Cable locks have a central locking mechanism attached to a cable made up of metal, usually steel. They have a covering on the outside made up of vinyl or some other material. So, you don’t have to worry about protecting them from rusting or corrosion.
You can put the cable through any part of your helmet (especially air vents) and around your bike’s frame or any solid irremovable object and lock it in place. This method works with any cable-based lock you own.
However, while learning about helmet security, let me give you a quick reminder about your bicycle security. you can read the article about the safety of your kids’ bicycles for better insights.
How to Lock up your Helmet using Solid Locks?
Solid locks come with a metal ring or D-shaped rings with a lockable opening. You may find them a little hard to attach to the helmet than cable locks because they are inflexible. But they are way more secure than cable locks.
Loop the metal ring through your helmet and around your bike frame and lock it up safely.
Let us take a look at some specific types of locks for your helmet and the procedure to lock them up. Therefore, you can have a clear idea about the helmet lock that works the best for you and the method to use it.
Types of Bike Helmet Locks
There are a variety of bike helmet locks available in the market. I have tried to list them out and working below. I hope you will love the list.
Helmet Lock by Blake Mills
Sometimes, it gets hard to loop your U-lock around the air vents in the bike helmet. Maybe the air vents are in a difficult position or, the U-lock is not big enough. Helmet Lock can save you from all the hassle that ensues in such situations.
A cyclist and entrepreneur, Blake Mills, invented the Helmet Lock around 2009. It costs only $12.95, which is a pretty cheap deal if you ask me.
How to use it?
LOOP IT! LOCK IT! LEAVE IT!
You have to slip the big loop of the helmet lock through a small or medium air vent in your helmet, then loop it through your U-lock. The big vinyl-coated wire loops around the U-lock, and the rubber-coated nut holds your helmet securely.
In this way, you can leave your helmet with the bicycle and go about your business being carefree.
Inbuilt Helmet Locks
However effective they are, locks are still a hassle to carry around. They are heavy for one and take up space in your backpack, which you could use for other necessary items.
Nowadays, you can even find helmets with locks built in them. The in-built lock can secure the helmet in place on the bicycle with ease, saving you the hassle of carrying around a bicycle lock every time you go riding.
How to use it?
You can place the helmet on the back wheel or any part of the frame. Then, you need to press down the locking system on the helmet’s backside to lock it in place.
There is also a keyhole on top of the helmet lock to lock it up with keys. This lock provides extra security from theft.
Cappuccino Lock
Cappuccino Lock is not the one you should choose to lock up your helmet with the bike if you have to leave them unattended for a long time. But it helps if you have to leave the bike for a short time, like when you go to get coffee or shopping for a while.
Cappuccino Lock can be attached to the two ends of your helmet’s straps and locks up your helmet by a coded locking system.
It is cheap as it costs only $20 and is reliable due to the coded locking system. You can register your code at the company’s website: Cappuccinolock.com, in case you forget it.
How to use it?
ROLL IT! LOCK IT! LEAVE IT!
Cappuccino Lock is easy to apply. You have to insert one part of the buckle of the helmet’s strap into the lock and the other part of the buckle into the other side of it. Now, the only thing left to do is to twist the numbers to set a code. Ensure that the locking mechanism is engaged before you walk away.
Piston Lock
Piston lock is another affordable and effective method of locking your helmet to the bicycle. It is available at any bicycle shop.
How to use it?
To lock your helmet with a piston lock, thread one of the buckles of your helmet strap around it and attach the piston lock to the frame of your bike or other preferred areas such as the handlebar.
Make sure that whichever part you have attached the lock to cannot be removed from the bike.
You do not have to worry about the thieves cutting the strap to steal the helmet. The helmet is useless without the helmet strap so, there is no point in stealing it.
Padlock
All of us are familiar with padlocks already. They are used to lock many things, almost a staple part of our daily life. They are also helpful in locking up your bicycle helmets.
A padlock is the easiest to use and most widely used lock for helmets.
How to use it?
To fasten a padlock, pass the helmet buckle through the lock and pin it to your bike.
It is as good as a built-in lock. The thieves would have to break the padlock to steal the helmet, which is a hassle in itself. So, they would think twice before trying to steal your helmet.
Bicycle Chain Lock
Bicycle Chain Locks are one of the most convenient ways of locking up your bicycle as well as your helmet. They are usually long, so you can use them to place your helmet in some other place near the bike, somewhere clean, for example.
They are sturdy as hell and way more durable in comparison to other cable locks.
How to use it?
Using a bicycle chain lock is not complicated at all. It is pretty similar to a helmet lock. You have to run the chain lock through the bottom of your helmet and the bike’s frame to lock it securely.
What to do When you Forget the Pin Code you Used to Lock Your Helmet?
You might forget the lock combination of your helmet lock after not using it for a long time. If the helmet lock is open, you can reset the pin code and use it again. But if you forgot the pin after locking it, you might have to cut that lock and start with a new one.
Read my article on How to Cut the Kryptonite Bicycle Lock Cable? for detailed information.
Conclusion
Your helmet needs as much protection as your bicycle. Just because helmets are cheaper than the bicycle doesn’t mean that the thieves will keep their hands off them.
It is wiser to keep them locked and secured than regret after losing them. I hope that this article proves itself valuable in teaching you the methods to lock up your helmet.
So, you can hang out with friends, go on your date or have fun with your kids with the knowledge that your helmet is safe and secure.
Moreover, check my article on Best kids Bike Helmets. Here we have covered and reviewed the best helmets for kids. You can visit the article and choose one that suits best for your kid.
