Poundland locks

thelawnet
thelawnet Posts: 719
edited June 2009 in Commuting chat
Just wondering how much to spend on a lock. Not actually doing any commuting, most of the time going to be on a track in the woods or whatever.

But occasionally might want to pop into Sainsburys.

Obviously not going to leave it unlocked, but there's locked and then there's locked. Poundland lock is obviously better than nothing, but how far should I go?

Bike is a £250 Giant.
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Comments

  • b0y1nterupted
    b0y1nterupted Posts: 124
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....
    FCN 4

    thereback.jpg
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 719
    b0y1nterupted wrote:
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....

    On what basis? I mean ANY lock will deter 'hop on and ride away', but if you're out to steal what kind of tools do they need/carry, and how much difference does it make the weight of the lock?
  • greg66_tri_v2.0
    greg66_tri_v2.0 Posts: 7,172
    b0y1nterupted wrote:
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....

    Think I'd need a lock for my lock on that basis. :shock:
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Mine's locked in my car. Actually that works about right with the 10% rule right now... :shock:
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    lit not that safe. is it also locked too the car? if not then you will find you have no cover.

    Pound land locks. not really worth a pound. very easy to remove.

    Buy one and see.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    It's in a locked car, which is in a locked garage in a garden with 7ft walls and a locked gate.

    I reckon it's pretty safe. For now. Tomorrow I'll bring it indoors and sling the tifosi out in the cold...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    It's in a locked car, which is in a locked garage in a garden with 7ft walls and a locked gate.

    I reckon it's pretty safe. For now. Tomorrow I'll bring it indoors and sling the tifosi out in the cold...

    Ahhh that's better. :wink:
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    A poundland lock, or indeed most under £30 (though can't take price as any absolute guide) can be cut in 5 seconds (that is literally 5 seconds) with a small set of bolt cutters that are routinely carried by thieves.

    The 10% value thing doesn't really have any bearing on the security, if your £250 bike is nicked AND your £25 lock broke like a twig, you lose £275. Think how much you would miss the bike and the £250, then spend a decent amount on a lock - to me that would be an Abus Granit 54 X Plus or Kryptonite New York - nothing less.

    Finally, having a lower value bike does not make it less likely to theft, a lot of thieves don't know what they are dealing with and will often nick something familiar rather than something more exotic and unfamiliar to them.
  • neil_sheehan2000
    neil_sheehan2000 Posts: 529
    b0y1nterupted wrote:
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....

    I can't actually find a lot that costs that much, and my bike isn't remarkably expensive.

    (I mean, it was a lot of money, but it wasn't, y'know, silly money...)

    Maybe I need two locks...
    Meta
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    This one: Abus Granit 54 X-Plus

    Cycling Plus review
    The Granit X Plus is a long time favourite in Cycling Plus tests. It has a very usable size and a reasonable weight, and a simple but clever bracket is included too. Under our first test(use of an extending bar for leverage to twist locks, a hammer, pliers, mole grips, wire cutters, chisel, axe and large bolt croppers), the Abus is simply brilliant the clever design of the shackle(square profile) means it simply will not twist or turn under leverage. The lock mechanism is protected with hardened steel, which blunts a hand hacksaw and the shackle resists this type of cutting just as well; it sailed through the five minute attack with a bit of cosmetic damage. Under test two(use of a quality battery drill rated to 12000rpm with a 30 minute battery life on max output - drill bit and metal cutting disc)the power tool took about a minute and a quarter to get through one side, but again due to the clever design and the double-bolt lock we still couldn't free the bike. This meant we had to cut through the other side too, leading to a very impressive time of over two and a half minutes. If you lock your bike with this lock, cleverly keeping one side of the shackle out of the way, this wouldn't be possible. Simply put, this is the best design available, and backed up by Abus's quality control makes the Granit X Plus the best U-lock you can buy
    Conclusion: Only the most equipped, professional theives would stand a chance
    Rating: 10/10
  • gb155
    gb155 Posts: 2,048
    I used cheap locks when I had a Giant Yukon, Over the winter one of them seized up due to the rain etc (No not frozen, I had deicer for that) I was lucky that it happened while the bike was attached to it, No more nickle and dime locks for me, Its just not worth it from a point of lack of security and reliability.
    On a Mission to lose 20 stone..Get My Life Back

    December 2007 - 39 Stone 05 Lbs

    July 2011 - 13 Stone 12 Lbs - Cycled 17851 Miles

    http://39stonecyclist.com
    Now the hard work starts.
  • RedGT
    RedGT Posts: 238
    A lock for a pound, I'd be worried the mechanism would fail and the inconvenience
    of smashing my own lock to free my bike. :oops:
  • andy83
    andy83 Posts: 1,558
    i have the abus granit x plus and must say its a fantastic lock

    although do usually take my old coil lock with me aswell to lock up the front wheel lol
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    b0y1nterupted wrote:
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....

    So if your bike is £250, buy 25 locks from poundland. No theif is gonna bother cutting that many.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    will3 wrote:
    b0y1nterupted wrote:
    10% of what the bike cost is what is usually recommended....

    So if your bike is £250, buy 25 locks from poundland. No theif is gonna bother cutting that many.

    :lol::lol::lol:
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Great idea, that would give you up to 2 minutes and 5 seconds of attack protection. :lol:

    (You may need a trailer for the locks however).
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    I have two locks - both worth about 10% of my bike's value. 8)
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    It's in a locked car, which is in a locked garage in a garden with 7ft walls and a locked gate.

    I reckon it's pretty safe. For now. Tomorrow I'll bring it indoors and sling the tifosi out in the cold...

    What is the car locked to?

    If you draw a diagram, you will notice that there are several integers not locked to each other.

    Its even worse when you are riding the bike.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Always Tyred wrote:
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    It's in a locked car, which is in a locked garage in a garden with 7ft walls and a locked gate.

    I reckon it's pretty safe. For now. Tomorrow I'll bring it indoors and sling the tifosi out in the cold...

    What is the car locked to?

    If you draw a diagram, you will notice that there are several integers not locked to each other.

    Its even worse when you are riding the bike.

    I think I need a flow chart or a venn diagram or something to fully understand this...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • richk
    richk Posts: 564
    Poundland bolt cutters will probably cut Poundland locks...
    There is no secret ingredient...
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    RichK wrote:
    Poundland bolt cutters will probably cut Poundland locks...

    Actually they probably won't... you'd probably need £2land ones.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    If you buy a poundland lock, and then go and buy another poundland lock (bear with me)...

    ... what are the odds that your first poudland lock will be opened by the key to your second poundland lock?
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Always Tyred wrote:
    If you buy a poundland lock, and then go and buy another poundland lock (bear with me)...

    ... what are the odds that your first poudland lock will be opened by the key to your second poundland lock?

    Ooooh I tried this with locks from Roy's (essex equivalent of... I don't know actually. Very budget supermarket)

    Although the keys looked very similar they were not in fact interchangeable... although I reckon if you bought enough locks you'd end up with a matching pair, if you see what I mean.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • Gilbie
    Gilbie Posts: 99
    RichK wrote:
    Poundland bolt cutters will probably cut Poundland locks...

    LOL :lol:
    On road
    Or off road?
  • tiny_pens
    tiny_pens Posts: 293
    I bought a lock from poundland once. The key bent and broke in the lock soon after.

    Fortunately I didn't need to resort to finding how strong the cable was but its worth bearing in mind.

    Tiny
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    Mine's locked in my car. Actually that works about right with the 10% rule right now...

    You mean it's locked in a Bentley?

    Oh your other bike....
    :lol:

    J
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    actually that would have been mildly amusing if I hadn't inverted the numerator and denominator .... as it is the general retardedness more than outweighs the weak attempt at humour.

    I'll get my coat
  • LDN-Flyer
    LDN-Flyer Posts: 97
    Some string and a plastic bag over the saddle should do it.
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 719
    Went back to poundland, they've obviously got high stock turnover, all the locks, waterbottle holders, etc., all sold out.

    So perhaps not a poundland lock.

    Can't help feeling cycling accessories are a scandalous rip-off though. £90 for a lock?
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    thelawnet wrote:
    Went back to poundland, they've obviously got high stock turnover, all the locks, waterbottle holders, etc., all sold out.

    So perhaps not a poundland lock.

    Can't help feeling cycling accessories are a scandalous rip-off though. £90 for a lock?
    You may wish to go for something intermediate in price.

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