What kind of lock is best?

Hyufsko

I have a cable and it doesnt look very "secure". Infact i could probably smash the lock open with a rock and some perserverance. I need a better one for when im out and about. There are a lot of junkies in the city along with thieving chavs. You often see a stripped frame locked onto a post. Maybe a wire and d combo?

When my bike is in my garage i have a chain and keylock.

alfablue

Cable locks can be cut in 5 seconds with small bolt cutters that thieves go equipped with. Even Sold Secure Gold chains can be broken quite quickly with large (not very portable) bolt cutters.

This video is enlightening.

Chains need to be high quality and in excess of 13mm (though this is alone is no certainty), and they are likely to need to weigh 4-5kg. Almax are considered to be the best. These aren't practical for use away from home though, so a D lock is probably the only practical solution. I think for D locks the minimum for me would be an Abus Granit X-Plus 54 which Captain Cropper (in the video) has said good things about. How and where you lock it also contributes to security.

nicklouse

Hyufsko wrote:

What kind of lock is best?

whatever your insurance say you should have.

if a thief wants your bike they will take it whatever lock you have fitted.

Mickey Eye

Pretty much what Nicklouse said. I have a New York Fahgettaboudi 14mm thick chain but I'm under no illusions that a thief that wants my bike won't be able to take it anyway. At best I'm putting off the opportunists.

I think the best lock is really location. I never lock my bikes up on the street, have secure parking at work and a relatively secure 5th floor cycle storage at home.

giantculler

i could answer: how many locks is the best for keep my bike safe? so...

ride_whenever

nicklouse wrote:

Hyufsko wrote:

What kind of lock is best?

whatever your insurance say you should have.

if a thief wants your bike they will take it whatever lock you have fitted.

^this. They will cut anything given the opportunity, so get it insured with GOOD cover and use the cheapest lock on the list.

nicklouse

and make sure you read ALL of the small print.

Northwind

nicklouse wrote:

if a thief wants your bike they will take it whatever lock you have fitted.

But, they're more likely to take it if it has a poor lock- a good lock will stop most unskilled thieves dead and can complicate matters enough for the pros that they just look elsewhere. It's a bit like swimming with sharks, you don't have to outrun the sharks, you just have to outrun the other people you're swimming with

As far as best, don't know myself, the big Pragmasis and Almax chains are fantastic- impervious to manual bolt cutters, which are the tools most thieves use as a matter of course. Realistically you need a decent grinder or a hydraulic cropper to cut one of those, and few thieves use grinders as they're so noisy.

Pretty impractical though and I don't know if they're commonly insurance approved, so ironically your insurer may well want you to use an inferior lock. For more portable locks that are generally insurance approved I'd look at quality u-locks, they're convenient and they're strong.

Anonymous

I wish some boffins would get the whole carbon nanotube thing sorted, so we could actually have bike/motorcycle chains that stood a chance.

nicklouse

sorry disagree.

if they want it they will take it.

look in the stolen sections.

as good as some chains are they are not invincible. when the thief knows what they need they will come back.

which is why i always say read all the insurance small print and comply.

Northwind

nicklouse wrote:

if they want it they will take it.

look in the stolen sections.

as good as some chains are they are not invincible. when the thief knows what they need they will come back.

If they want it enough, they'll take it. But when most bikes are so poorly secured they need to want your bike a lot in order to take it, rather than just going and taking another one. Basically the golden rule of securing anything, same with everything from garden sheds to banks, just don't be the easiest target. The crime stats back this up, the overwhlming majority of bikes stolen are either unsecured or barely secured and stolen with hand tools.

Hyufsko

I'm aware its like parking your car in a dodgy area. You just dont do it. The malls in the city centre here have bike parking that looks pretty good.

Someone should invent a lock that alarms when broken. Or releases a nerve agent.

I'll ask the guys in the LBS's what locks they use.

That dude cut them locks in seconds. He looks like a thief in those denims :twisted:

Anonymous

what about an electrified lock? hmm :twisted:

chedabob

Saw this gem today:



Might as well secure your bike with a piece of string :P

Hyufsko

Imagine doing 3 monthes in your local "community centre" for nicking that masterpiece.

I could land a backflip onto boulders with that.

lol