So angry - locked bike

Feltup

Any news? The suspense is killing me!

Headhuunter

It was still locked on Sun from Thu evening/Fri morning? :shock: I would defintely have hacked through the other lock by now. I couldn't manage without the bike for 3/4 days like that. I would just assume that someone had decided to dump their bike and lock it to mine out of spite... If it's a D lock, get a car jack and slowly jack it open - eventually the car jack will just tear through most D locks...

DonDaddyD

I probably would have called the police or demand the station help free my bike or did what headhunter suggested.

Only thing is, I would have been doing that on the very same day I found it locked.... :shock:

_Brun_

I've often wondered what happens to the pieces of a d-lock when it fails under the pressure from a jack. Not the sort of things you want flying around at high velocity.

Headhuunter

_Brun_ wrote:

I've often wondered what happens to the pieces of a d-lock when it fails under the pressure from a jack. Not the sort of things you want flying around at high velocity.

Well I've never actually tried so I dunno. Just heard that it's one of the most effective ways to break them. Other than spraying them with liquid nitrogen which just causes them to shatter, just make sure yuo don't spray the bike frame as well!

will3

For anyone who's thinking of stealing a bike, please note that the tequniqiies listed above only work if it's your bike you're freeing.


FFS guys :roll:

Mike400

Id also be curious to hear the outcome, though thankfully the only place I leave my bike is in the basement at my office

Oddjob62

_Brun_ wrote:

I've often wondered what happens to the pieces of a d-lock when it fails under the pressure from a jack. Not the sort of things you want flying around at high velocity.

Nah it's mainly metal so not much "elasticity" or shattering properties. Just stretches then snaps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoqNC7aUeXI

secretsam

Good news: bike has been released by the junk machine

Even better news: the junk machine has been locked by Chiltern Railways' staff, for not displaying a registration tag (without which you can't park at the station)

Phew

ride_whenever

battery operated angle grinder is quick and easy for most locks other than the really expensive ones, where you end up needing a couple of discs and a spare battery...

Feltup

Good to hear you've been freed. PITA though for you.

MonkeyMonster

So the whole bic pen and kryptonite thing? I've got a new yorker so think it don't count for me anyway but rather entertaining.

Headhuunter

MonkeyMonster wrote:

So the whole bic pen and kryptonite thing? I've got a new yorker so think it don't count for me anyway but rather entertaining.

I think that's old info now. I think Kryptonite have updated their locks since that was a problem a few years back.

will3

ride_whenever wrote:

battery operated angle grinder is quick and easy for most locks other than the really expensive ones, where you end up needing a couple of discs and a spare battery...

#

You sound a bit too experienced at this to me.
Perhaps you could all write a "how to nick a bike" thread and put it as a sticky while we're at it?

_Brun_

Perhaps you should give it a rest with the insinuation that people learn how to steal bikes by reading the BikeRadar forums?

:roll: indeed.

will3

Really?Why? Doesn't seem like a terribly clever thing to be discussing on a forum to me, sorry if you all think it's great to show off your lock breaking knowledge, but personally I'd prefer it if there were fewer 'how to' instructions of this type on titnternet, not more.


:roll: :roll:

wheezee

It's all part of the arms race. We need to know what the bastards are doing, so we can stop them.

MonkeyMonster

will3 wrote:

Really?Why? Doesn't seem like a terribly clever thing to be discussing on a forum to me, sorry if you all think it's great to show off your lock breaking knowledge, but personally I'd prefer it if there were fewer 'how to' instructions of this type on titnternet, not more.

There are really SO many places out there mate that contain worse - youtube vids of exactly what to do. A few lines extra won't break ye olde camels back.

ride_whenever

meh, i work in a bike shop and often do the call out lock cutting.

ride_whenever

tbh you can learn a lot more from the police about how to steal a bike, they practically write the handbook for it under the guise of how not to have your bike stolen...

wheezee

Regarding the car jack opening the D-Locks:

They use small bottle-Jacks to do it, and a good way of preventing this is to fill the lock U-bend with as much bike/wheel /post as you can fit in. This way, there's no room for the jack.

Simples.

Wallace1492

_Brun_ wrote:

Perhaps you should give it a rest with the insinuation that people learn how to steal bikes by reading the BikeRadar forums?

:roll: indeed.

And there is the internet search phrase that will bring them straight to this thread!!!

will3

Wallace1492 wrote:

_Brun_ wrote:

Perhaps you should give it a rest with the insinuation that people learn how to steal bikes by reading the BikeRadar forums?

:roll: indeed.

And there is the internet search phrase that will bring them straight to this thread!!!

indeed, that phrase inside "" is #6 on google uk

wheezee

So we shouldn't share prevention tips, then?

_Brun_

If you're so paranoid that we're empowering the thieves, maybe some disinformation will stop them in their tracks?

D-locks are vulnerable to attacks by electricity. Take a car battery and attach the terminals to either end of the lock's shackle using jump leads. If the lock doesn't fail immediately, you can improve the conductivity by urinating on it while the battery is connected.

lost_in_thought

By my reckoning, talking about the more common techniques of thieves is a good thing - that way bike owners can take them into consideration when locking their bikes.

I, for example, would never have thought that someone locking their bike to mine would be a way to nick my bike before I read this thread. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

I've had to cut a coil lock off my bike, a combination-type one that someone had obviously tried to open (unsuccessfully) and broken - I had to carry it to a friend's house and bring a sharp knife and a hacksaw. The lessons I learned? Always lock your bike TO something, coil locks are rubbish, combination coil locks are even rubbish-er.

Aidy

lost_in_thought wrote:

By my reckoning, talking about the more common techniques of thieves is a good thing - that way bike owners can take them into consideration when locking their bikes.

And to be fair, there's nothing that's been said here that couldn't be found within 5 minutes of googling.

It's a fairly common concept within computer systems that security by obscurity doesn't actually work. I kinda figure the same applies here. Thieves will know all the techniques (and a few more), anyway.

downfader

SecretSam wrote:

Good news: bike has been released by the junk machine

Even better news: the junk machine has been locked by Chiltern Railways' staff, for not displaying a registration tag (without which you can't park at the station)

Phew

Just curious... does the tag have the frame number on and what the bike looks like? Otherwise whats to stop people stealing tags? Like I said, curious how it works.

DonDaddyD

Oh my god now your encouraging "tag thieves" and giving them ideas...

This thread is the Devil!

downfader

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh my god now your encouraging "tag thieves" and giving them ideas...

This thread is the Devil!

Tag Thief.. theres a name for a band.