Making my commuting bike squeak-free - part 2

Last week I wrote about how I stopped the rattle from my pannier rack by using Sugru. I made three fixes/repairs to my bike to prevent rattles and squeaks, so here is the second part.

Kryptonite D-Lock

Taking up the slack with a cable tie

My D-lock proved to be a big source of noise, especially after I fitted the after market mount due to the one supplied originally wearing loose over time. I had to cut down the rubber sleeving around the shackle and unfortunately cut too much off.

Far too much sleeving had been cut away

All of this extra space between the sleeving and the mounting bracket meant that the lock rattled about so much on the frame of the bike; it was very distracting. At first I thought it was the bottom bracket that was causing the problem, then the seat post and eventually I discovered where the problem was.

The rubber bumpers no longer sat flush
against the locking bar

Essentially, the rubber bumpers that keep both parts of the lock still by cushioning the gap just were no longer making the right contact.

It was again an easy fix. All it needed was a length of Sugru rolled out and wrapped around the shackle under the bumper and smoothed over to look more presentable.

One thing I would have done differently was bring the bike in the house over night as I waited a couple of hours before using the lock to secure the bike outside, but unfortunately the Sugru had not fully set. This caused it to be deformed slightly, but not so much that the repair did not work.

Of course, if I had been a bit more careful with the knife, I wouldn't have to be doing this, but this post demonstrates how easy it is to rectify small mistakes.

Roll a length of Sugru between your fingers...

Fill the gap between the rubber bumper and shackle sleeving...

And smooth over with damp fingers to get a nice finish