Sound Transit is offering a sweet deal on membership to two of its stations’ secure bike cages: Six months free if you sign up for a year.

The catch is that you have to sign up by the end of May to get the deal.

Secure bike cages are an alternative to the fairly ugly and inefficient bike lockers available at many major transit stations across the region.

The problem is that signing up for bike cage access is a huge hassle. You have to write a check for the reduced $25 price (a check is like a paper Venmo), print (yes, like, on paper), fill out (using an actual hand-held pen) and mail (good luck finding an envelope and stamp) the sign-up form (PDF).

After processing your paperwork and exchanging your check for counting stones (or however checks work), Sound Transit will send you an access code for the cage.

The good news about all this is that once you have a code, you can be pretty sure no thief is going to go through all this trouble just to steal your bike. And if they do, Sound Transit would know who they are because everyone gets a unique code.

More details on the deal from Sound Transit:

How about six months of free secured bike parking at the Beacon Hill and Angle Lake bike cages? Sign up before the end of May for a year of bike cage use at both stations and get six months for free! May is a great time to try riding your bike to the train and as part of our celebration of Bike Everywhere Month, we’re making it even less expensive to have a covered, secured spot to leave your bike at these two stations. Here’s how the limited-time promotion works: By May 31, send in the form and your $25 (normally $50) payment to sign up for bike cage access (Yes, it’s an actual paper form you have to fill out with a pen and mail with a stamp and envelope.)

Receive your individual access code to the bike cages.

Ride bike to station, lock bike in cage (Check out our video about how to use a bike cage.) Imagine the freedom when you know your bike is stowed at a Link light rail station bike cage! Turn that last mile or two into the best part of your commute! Here’s more information about combining bikes and transit to take you farther.