Bicycle steering lock

In a mechanism operated by the motion of a shaft with respect to a housing for the shaft, a lock for preventing operation of the mechanism by fixing the position of the shaft with respect to the housing the mechanism having a perforation through a front portion of the housing, an aligned perforation through a rear portion of the housing, and a perforation through the shaft alignable with the perforations of the housing, the lock comprising:

• a key operated cylinder lock having a barrel and an inner cylinder rotatable within said barrel by turning a key;
• a lock guard affixed to the front portion of the housing and having a bore therein aligned with the perforation of the front portion of the housing, said lock guard further having a shoulder for removably receiving said cylinder lock and means for preventing rotation of said barrel of said cylinder lock while said cylinder is rotated by the key;
• an outer pin affixed to said barrel and having an interior bore;
• an inner pin rotator affixed to an end of said cylinder for rotation within said interior bore by turning said key;
• an inner pin within said bore of said outer pin and axially movable within said bore,
• means for axial movement of said inner pin by rotation of said cylinder;
• said inner pin having a large diameter section and a reduced diameter section;
• at least one ball bearing disposed between said inner pin and said outer pin;
• said outer pin having a wall and at least one opening through said wall, wherein said opening is sized to force said ball bearing to protrude beyond said wall but not pass through said wall when said ball bearing is disposed between said wall of said outer pin and said large diameter section of said inner pin and further wherein said ball bearing is not forced to protrude beyond said wall when said ball bearing is disposed between said outer pin and said reduced diameter section of said inner pin;
• and
• a pin and ball receptacle affixed to the rear portion of the housing, said pin and ball receptacle having a side wall and a closed end defining a cavity therein, said cavity being aligned with the aligned perforation in the rear portion of the housing;
• said pin and ball receptacle having at least one depression in an inner surface of said side wall, said depression being disposed so that when said barrel is seated against said shoulder of said lock guard, said opening in said wall of said outer pin is disposed adjacent to said depression whereby protrusion of said ball bearing through said opening engages said ball bearing with said depression.