Review of the LiteLok Silver

If you have been following me on social media, you would already know I already have & use a LiteLok Gold which I bought to use for the conditions of my insurance as well as peace of mind to know my Cruiser will still be there when I return. And I've had a fair few enquiries of what it is on my bicycle due to how I fit it as I ride not your usual style of bicycle so had to go with a different way to carry it.

Well not long after I started to use my LiteLok Gold, LiteLok came out with the new LiteLok Silver & I definitely liked what I saw of it online.

Photo courtesy of LiteLok

And a few months back I was asked to try out the LiteLok Silver & see what it is like compared to the LiteLok Gold. I was quite pleased to do so as I wanted to see what it was like. And when it arrived in the post, I couldn't wait to get it opened.

First of all it came in a nice sturdy box.

Lock came with its own carry bag,

And of course the lock itself with instructions & 2 straps to hold it to the frame (found these later on as didnt realise they were in the bottom of the carry bag) & a bunch of keys for the lock.

First thing I had to do was to wear it, something I couldn't do with the LiteLok Gold due to my slightly chubby figure.

And happy to say it fit round the waist quite nicely with room for a larger waistline. It didn't feel heavy or bulky having it around the waist.

Now to try it out... Unfortunately at same time to me going out on the bike with the new lock, I had issues with my disability getting worse & soon to be going into hospital in a few months time for a spine operation so lots to prepare for it (The road to recovery has taken a left turn...) & I also had 2 foster cats having kittens which has kept me busy since.

 

But I did take my Cruiser out for rides, mostly to do shopping around town & thus could try out the LiteLok Silver as well as use my LiteLok Gold.

As you can see it is smaller than the Litelok Gold, so I could easily fit the liteLok Silver within the frame with the LiteLok Gold using the supplied straps & the spare one I had as I require 3 to fix the Litelok Gold to the frame.

But also small enough to roll up & put in my panniers.

As for using the Litelok Silver, as I have already used the Litelok Gold I found that the lock itself works differently. Instead of clicking together both ends, the lock on the Litelok Silver slides together.

And unlike the Litelok Gold, the Litelok Silver requires the key to be in the lock when you lock it. With the Litelok Gold you can click it together without the key which I find easier but that is more likely due to being used to it.

But other than the different type of locking mechanism I found the Litelok Silver is no different to use than the Litelok Gold. It is smaller than my Large Litelok Gold so it did limit its use to lock around various parts of the bike &/or what you are locking the bike to. Weight wise it is definitely lighter so will benefit those concerned about weight on their bike when cycling, something that doesn't bother me as my Cruiser is no lightweight cycle.

So my verdict is that it is a good lightweight lock to use that helps give a peace of mind when securing your cycle, had I not used the Litelok Gold beforehand I wouldn't find the differences to be a niggle to me. I would likely have had bought 2 if I was to use the Litelok Silver than the Gold I have already as they are cheaper. 

The downside would be it doesn't have a neoprene skin available so would give me some concern to marking the paintwork on the bike. Also as it is Sold Secure Silver rated, that means for me I couldn't use it alone as my insurance requires Sold Secure Gold rated lock to be used so to be covered for theft, had it been Sold Secure Gold rated or I could use a Sold Secure Silver rated lock for my insurance I sure would prefer to use this lock as it is lighter to carry when cycling.

It's 2018 & it needs to be the year of the eBike Cruiser...

Well it is the 1st day of 2018 & what a year 2017 has been & one focus I have had to deal with is the ever changing disability where not just 1 leg is causing issues but now the other one has joined in & that has effected my cycling. End of 2017 & looks like I have more lifestyle changes to come in 2018. So having to make changes in my life to adapt to these changes, like buying a laptop to carry on doing the stuff I normally do on the PC but can't as it hurts too much sitting at the desk. Which I have to thank my family for helping me with with vouchers & cash for Christmas to afford this lovely inexpensive laptop & this is the first blog I am writing on the new laptop.

And as I couldn't cycle today (thanks to my knee), I couldn't go to work due to no bus services so instead I have been working on my newest bike which I recently bought to become the next ebike (the 2nd Electra Townie) by adding the perfect handlebars for me & that is with the addition of the side folding centre stand & rear rack done weeks ago.

 

But that is just the beginning of the many things I need to do to build the perfect ebike for me & that means I need more funds.

So for this to happen I am trying to save what I can & that is a very slow progress when you're working part time & have limited funds, it took well over 6 months to save up to buy the Townie & that was only possible partly coz it was in a sale. So to get the rest of the funds at the rate its going will mean it won't be until 2019/20 before I get a fully functional ebike Cruiser & quite honestly that is too long. I would like to have it fully complete & up & running in 2018, preferably in the Summer.

So in order that I can make this happen I need to sell some of my stuff, especially my existing eBike 'Dutchess' as I can no longer ride it due to my disability changing. It's a lovely bike & atm is just sitting gathering dust & it really shouldn't be, it needs to be ridden.

More about it can be found here: For Sale! One Awesome eBike, my Dutchess. I am looking for £750 & if you are interested then please make me a reasonable offer, if its a price I'm happy to accept then I be more than happy to sell the bike. Tho of course the more I get, the better chance I have to build & complete the next ebike to replace her.

I also have other stuff available to sell to which will help fund the work needed to be done but not enough to cover the whole process to convert the Townie.

A pair of Schwalbe Land Cruiser (reflex) 700x35 that were used on a bike I no longer have & salvaged them. £15/pair.

 

2 sets of Panniers, the all Black throw over one is Basil & the White panelled clip on roll top one is Bikemate. £10/pair

A bike rack/hanger that can hold 2 bikes & folds down when flat, does need some padding added back onto the area where the bikes sit but is in working order. I like £10 for this.

 

There's also a SKS Chainboard, suitable for upto 48 teeth front Chainwheel & was bought for a previous bike (I no longer have) but never got round to fitting it on the bottom bracket. So is still new & unused & would like £15 for it.

I also have a Proviz Nightrider 30l Rucksack, got it as a gift but it's not my sort of rucksack so stayed in its packaging. Would like £40 for this.

And lastly there's The Jawbreaker Multi-tool, another gift which I rather sell than use. New & unused & like £40.

So if you are interested then make me an offer & if reasonable I be happy to accept it. You can comment on this blog where I can read but not publish it or can contact me on Twitter @2_Wheeled_Wolf or just email me on wolfdragonrider@gmail.com. 

I'm sorry if you have read all of this before but I need to sell these to get the next ebike built. I could sell them online elsewhere but that would likely involve charges & less funds for the ebike conversion of the Townie & these are just some of the stuff I am looking to sell & when I get a chance to raid the attic, I will have more to sell to get the next eBike built.

And if you can, please share this blog & hopefully someone would be happy to purchase something to help fund this ebike project.

Breaking the skewed perception of cycling

As many who cycle will know & those who don't cycle will think, they see people who are cycling just Wiggins wannabes clad in Lycra cycling around in packs! They see cycling as a hobby or a sport so need to be clad in Lycra, helmets & shouldn't be on the road but in Velodromes.

Those who know me know I sure aint no Wiggins wannabe, I aint no sporting person to compete (not with my disability) & I definitely do NOT wear Lycra, I sure hell don't have the figure for it & if I did I would look more like the Michelin Man.

But I do cycle! And strange enough I get all the hatred & misconception claptrap mentioned above I get online coz I cycle but never in person & why is this? Well this photo says it all & yes that is what I wear when cycling at any distance!

Photo thanks to Peter Monk

Definitely don't fit the misconceptions & to be honest most do not...

 

  

 

And when I mention shopping by bike I often get the look of horror as if it is some feat that can only be done by car or possibly by bus. Again I blow this out of the window too...

 

 

But the best one is when I get asked if I went out cycling on my days off during the past few months & I go yeah I went to this place or that place & cycled 30 or 40 miles on my 20+kg Cruiser.

 

And its the OMG moment I get as if I am totally mad (like I had today), as if it is some impossible task & in some cases I've had been mentioned that cycling 5 miles is quite far (REALLY??), its something I can do in 30 mins easily & not break a sweat. And as I have said, I aint fit & I sure don't do those 100 mile rides on lightweight racing bikes (roadies) & go as quick as possible. Why bother? I go at a pace I like in clothes I feel comfortable in, I stop when I want or feel I need to & eat & drink whenever I like & do these rides with friends or alone.

I often get remarks on my feat of cycling on these long rides or when shopping which I just smile & shrug, often tho I get comments on my Cruiser as one person said last week as they went past its a 'Radical bike'. :D

To me it's just a bike that's comfortable to ride, easy to ride & very reliable. I think my limit so far is 50 miles (due to disability) but hope I can increase that in the future (depending on disability) but every time I am out cycling I am showing the world a bike is a mode of transport, nothing special needed to ride one & if you get the right bike for your body you can eventually build up the miles & do what you would never think possible. And I have 4 I can use, all different & all bought for a purpose in mind.

Photo thanks to Ashley Parmenter

Hell, when I got back to cycling I found 1 mile was an effort until I got cycling regularly & it is possible to do far more miles than what I am doing now on any bike. :D

But for now I am happy with how I am doing & smashing the skewed perception of cycling.

It's the end of 2015 & my cycling didn't go as planned...

Having a bout of Flu at the moment & off work, it's clear I wont be doing any cycling for the last week of the year. So I thought I would look over the stats of my cycling for 2015.

After doing so well during 2014 for to then end not as good as I hoped due to left Knee locking up, I thought I could get back to the level I was in during the Summer of 2014 by improving myself again in 2015.

Unfortunately that definitely did not go as planned as my knee locked up yet again in the Spring of 2015 & off the bike. So I finally got to see specialists too to find out after years of being told my knee issues were muscle weakness, my knee wasn't improving when the muscles were. That's when I finally got to the bottom of the issue of my knee & finally found out I have Osteoarthritis caused by decades of low activity & constant stick use.

This meant I will never be fully stick free & I have to adjust my lifestyle to try not lock my knee up again & that includes my cycling. On top of that, my other leg is starting to 'follow in the footsteps' so to speak of my left leg which is making walking & cycling all the harder.

So, despite all this the stats for the year don't actually look too bad considering all that's gone on with my legs...

Not as consistent in mileage month to month but I have managed to cycle every month & you can see April & August is where the legs were playing up on me, December I was busy working extra hours so my days off were actual rest days as I needed them.

But when I compare this year to previous years, I was more happy with what I saw...

Yes it's a lot less than 2014 but still better than the previous years to 2014, far more cycling done than I thought I had done that's for sure.

Of course the mileage & time I cycled is just part of the picture, due to the revelations of my ongoing leg issues & continuing disabilities it was time to re-adjust my way of cycling. So it was time to do that by searching for a more suitable bike.

Meanwhile whilst searching for that bike, I was approached by the English Federation of Disability Sports to create a short film on disabled cycling following the article I did with them the year before (Active Summer Fun: "Cycling is an activity that’s possible for anyone"). So I helped make the film in the Summer & was a joy to do. 

Whilst waiting for the filming to be compiled I continued on my quest on a better bike for my disability, well I found it. I bought an Electra Townie for its unusual but innovative Flat Foot Technology frame at the end of October. This lightweight bike with unusual pedalling ergonomics has made cycling easier, even on day one when I collected from the bike shop & cycled it back home 22 miles away. :) 

Have to thank Cycles UK for suggesting this bike where other bike shops didn't want to really help in my search.

So its now near the end of the year & December was the release date for the EFDS films under their "Me, being active" campaign which I am proud to be part of as I now have seen the positive results & here is my story: "Me, being active" - Wolf's Story but I do highly recommend reading the others who contributed at EFDS marks International Day for Disabled People with Me, being active films.

So 2015 has been a fairly mixed bag of going ons & even tho it wasn't how I hoped the year would've panned out, I sure aint disappointed in how the year went for cycling considering all the factors & have proved quite productive. So what's the plan for next year, well more of the same I guess. My new bike is still need of adding more mileage & see what I can do in long rides on her being she is my lovely 'Cruiser' now.

But I do have a bigger plan which is to get a bike to be suitable to ride to work on every shift & back & still be able to work too of course. For this it'll have to be an eBike, which of course I have found one & it aint cheap. It's the Electra Townie GO, basically same as my new bike but with a Bosch engine in it & a very long range per charge, definitely suitable for the 45 miles commute to work & back each day.

 

But with other commitments & usual living costs, the 2 grand it costs means I wont be getting it anytime soon. It has been suggested I should try crowdfunding for this bike, not something I'm comfy in doing but will think it over. It would be good to find one to try out tho to be sure it would suit me & if so saved up for in time for this time next year but that would be tight to do.

So here's to the approaching 2016 & see what this new year will bring for my cycling. :)