Patent ID: 8776560

Claim:
A method of locking a bicycle to a structure, using a metallic member and locking mechanism comprising: surrounding at least partially the structure with an elastically deformable U-shaped member; further surrounding at least partially a part of the bicycle with the elastically deformable U-shaped member; placing a first end of a first substantially straight piece of the U-shaped member in a locking mechanism that includes a body and a movable bar and a second end of a second substantially straight piece of the U-shaped member in the locking mechanism such that an element on the first end and an element on the second end of the U-shaped member meshes with an interface separate from the movable bar in the body of the locking mechanism to hold the elements of the first and second ends of the U-shaped member inside the locking mechanism in an unlocked state of the locking mechanism; and locking a locking mechanism such that the movable bar in the locking mechanism moves axially substantially parallel with the first substantially straight piece and the second substantially straight piece to fill a void between the first end and the second end of the U-shaped member.