Bike U lock
obi604
Posts: 7
In regard to trying to prevent bike theft
Would I better off buying :
a ) 1 X fairly decent U lock = 60 Euro roughly
OR
b ) 2 X average u locks = 70 Euro roughly
Would I better off buying :
a ) 1 X fairly decent U lock = 60 Euro roughly
OR
b ) 2 X average u locks = 70 Euro roughly
0
Comments
-
Abus Granit 54 or better for frame and rear wheel. Second D lock for front wheel.0
-
If you can only afford 1 lock, get the D lock an when you need to lock the bike, remove the front wheel and put it next to the rear one then put the D through the 2 wheels, frame and the bike rack...obi604 wrote:In regard to trying to prevent bike theft
Would I better off buying :
a ) 1 X fairly decent U lock = 60 Euro roughly
OR
b ) 2 X average u locks = 70 Euro roughlyDo not write below this line. Office use only.0 -
Mr.Duck wrote:Abus Granit 54 or better for frame and rear wheel. Second D lock for front wheel.
To be honest I think the general advice is to have a good d lock as your main lock (for frame and rear wheel) and a different type of lock for the front, as not all theives will have tools to easily cut both0 -
0
-
supersonic wrote:
Really!? That's pretty cheap.
(Just had a look, it's 16mm thick which is good, but it's round section so once one side is cut, it's basically open. The good Abus locks are square so a thief would need to cut through both sides, which will take a while.)
Def one good main one I think like the Abus Granit mentioned above.
I think there's something in the 'two different types of lock because they need different tools to break' advice.
Cable locks are garbage though, they're only a token deterrent.FCN 7
"Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson"0 -
So if the main lock is broken with large bolt cutters (what else would they use?), what type of lock for the front would be able to withstand the bolt cutters?CookeeeMonster wrote:To be honest I think the general advice is to have a good d lock as your main lock (for frame and rear wheel) and a different type of lock for the front, as not all theives will have tools to easily cut both
It's probably cheap for a reason. Sometimes the size quoted includes the outer plastic. So if it says 16mm thick, it could really be 14mm thick for example. Or they use a cheap steel that's too easily broken. You can't really tell unless it is tested properly.rustncogs wrote:Really!? That's pretty cheap.0 -
So if the main lock is broken with large bolt cutters (what else would they use?), what type of lock for the front would be able to withstand the bolt cutters?Mr.Duck wrote:CookeeeMonster wrote:To be honest I think the general advice is to have a good d lock as your main lock (for frame and rear wheel) and a different type of lock for the front, as not all theives will have tools to easily cut both
[/quote]
You wouldn't get through a good U-lock with a bolt cutters, you're talking angle grinder or power drill, which takes time and makes a lot of noise. It does happen but your average scumbag won't bother or risk it.FCN 7
"Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson"0 -
If the diameter of the metal bit of the u-lock is 14mm + then it won't get cropped unless it's made out of cheese.0
-
Not true. You can bolt crop most D-locks on the market because they are not strong enough. See here for example (mostly high end chains but D-locks too).
Or look at other videos like the Almax Security tests. They break 16mm chains with just bolt croppers. Very few D locks are as tough as that. The Abus Granit 54 is the bare minimum because even though it's only 13mm, it has a square shackle (which gives it a higher cross sectional area and a higher strength than a 13mm round shackle), and the quality of the steel is very high. It has to be a very hard steel (but not through hardened because it would be too brittle) to resist cutting, except from diamond cutting disks, not much you can do about that because nothing is harder than diamond.0 -
Depending on where the bike will be locked up, sometimes just making it impossible for them to ride away will be enough deterrent.
Buy a decent D-lock, Remove the front wheel and place it under your desk at work. Fit a vibration sensitive alarm, I got one dead cheap on Ebay, runs on a 9v battery, nice and loud.
Thief isn't going to want to run down the road with a bike on his shoulder and 100db+ alarm going off.
Do enough to make it a PITA and they'll pick another bike.0 -
I'm so dim. I totally forgot that you could take off the front wheel with a quick release, and lock it with the back.
For days I've been grumbling to myself about carrying two heavy locks to the shop.
I'd gotten so used to riding a bike you need a spanner to get a wheel off.
One of the best approaches though is to have a scrappy bike to leave locked up places AND good locks, and save your nice wheels for the weekend.FCN 7
"Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson"0 -
Mr.Duck wrote:Not true. You can bolt crop most D-locks on the market because they are not strong enough. See here for example (mostly high end chains but D-locks too).
Or look at other videos like the Almax Security tests. They break 16mm chains with just bolt croppers. Very few D locks are as tough as that. The Abus Granit 54 is the bare minimum because even though it's only 13mm, it has a square shackle (which gives it a higher cross sectional area and a higher strength than a 13mm round shackle), and the quality of the steel is very high. It has to be a very hard steel (but not through hardened because it would be too brittle) to resist cutting, except from diamond cutting disks, not much you can do about that because nothing is harder than diamond.
Are you sure about that? I work for a a reinforced concrete firm with guys who use bolt croppers to cut steel reinforcing bar. Even the big boys who do it every day won't get through a 16mm bar and that's not heat treated in any way.
I can't check the links at work but I don't recall Almax trying to crop any 16mm chains apart from their own.0 -
Lol, thanks for the mental imageMOARspeed wrote:Thief isn't going to want to run down the road with a bike on his shoulder and 100db+ alarm going off.
.
Err, I remembered it slightly wrong. They break 13mm (or smaller) chains. The Almax chain is 16mm (there is a 19mm version too) and could not be broken.monkimark wrote:Are you sure about that? I work for a a reinforced concrete firm with guys who use bolt croppers to cut steel reinforcing bar. Even the big boys who do it every day won't get through a 16mm bar and that's not heat treated in any way.
I can't check the links at work but I don't recall Almax trying to crop any 16mm chains apart from their own.
1) Here is the video where they destroy 3rd part chains.
2) Here is the video where they try and break their own chains, and destroy their very expensive bolt croppers in the process.
So a 13mm round shackle is just on the limit of what can be bolt cropped. The Abus Granit 54 13mm square shackle is equivalent to a 14.7mm round shackle based on my calculations. I did loads or research before buying a lock earlier this year. I think the Abus Granit 54 can just about withstand a portable angle grinder attack too (without a change of battery).0 -
The EBC locks are 16mm metal, I bought one - is the best budget lock out there, but I would spend more.0
-
Mr.Duck wrote:Abus Granit 54 or better for frame and rear wheel. Second D lock for front wheel.
+1 for the Abus Granite X-Plus D lock. I have 2.
Cable locks, you might as well use cheese.Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
Think how stupid the average person is.......
half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.0 -
dilemna wrote:Mr.Duck wrote:Abus Granit 54 or better for frame and rear wheel. Second D lock for front wheel.
+1 for the Abus Granite X-Plus D lock. I have 2.
Cable locks, you might as well use cheese.
Bought one of these recently, spur of the moment Ebay purchase (unused for £40 ), I plan on leaving under my desk at work and using just my cable lock (Abus steel'o'flex Centuro) for the 2 minutes it takes to go fetch it.
BUT I have a problem...... It won't fit around the frame (seat tube) and rear wheel, as the Sirrus has quite deep rims.
Does anyone know if wrapping it around the seat stays is actually just as effective?? (even though it doesn't feel like it)0 -
Round the seat stays and some spokes for me - just as effective.
Would deffo say 2 U locks AND a cable, based on experience. After my MTB got stolen from work with just a cable lock, I went mad and bought loads of stuff. My Boardman Hybrid now gets locked with these, which I leave at work: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004 ... FS5W3CD0IU
And an Abus D Lock that I carry with me.
Mate at work had a much older Boardman Hybrid parked next to mine with a single, higher model Kryptonite super lock - thieves tried to break the lock but bent his seat tube and wheel rim failing to do so. Bike was knackered but not stolen. They hadnt even tried mine, which was a newer, higher model and much more shiny. I assume that was because my array of locks looked like harder work than his single U lock. Even though his lock did what it was supposed to, he was not best pleased...
By adding a cable to my 2 D locks, I can loop it through loads of other bits on the bike if I want like the saddle etc. Also makes it look more impressive!
There is a well used phrase to the effect that the key is not to make your bike theft proof (as this is not really possible in a practical way if you need to transport the locks) but to make it look less interesting than other bikes around it or too much hassle to bother.0 -
apreading wrote:There is a well used phrase to the effect that the key is not to make your bike theft proof (as this is not really possible in a practical way if you need to transport the locks) but to make it look less interesting than other bikes around it or too much hassle to bother.
Which is why i'm going to fit a set of SKS Chromoplastic mudguards
My Sirrus looks like some expensive hardtail mountain bike, so this'll kick it's image down a bit.
I also (in the many years of not following the bike world) hadn't realised that Specialized had gone from being low/mid range to one of the top end manufacturers.
A friend saw my bike parked up in my garden last night and said "wow a Specialized, that must have cost a bit!!!".
Back in the day (mid-90's) it was all Marin, Orange, Kona and some of the more obscure custom builders, nobody really knew much about Specialized back then.
I'm kicking myself now for not spending any time catching up on whats what in the bike world before setting out to buy one. I didn't want to be a target for thieves.......0 -
A cable lock can be cut in 3 seconds. The Abus steel'o'flex maybe 5 seconds. So don't waste your time with cables.
It's better to get a smaller size lock like 230mm instead of 300mm so that these lever attacks that bend the frame are less likeley. Another thing that happens is if they try and fail to steal it, then they just kick the bike in. You need 2 tough looking locks to discourage them. Locking skewers like pitlock are not good enough on their own.
If you park in the same place every time, you could get a really serious lock like a 19mm thick, 3KG+ D-lock or chain and leave it there. A real beast that's too heavy to take with you.0 -
You could get a can of pink spray paint and cover up all the Specialized branding. It won't affect the performanceMOARspeed wrote:I'm kicking myself now for not spending any time catching up on whats what in the bike world before setting out to buy one. I didn't want to be a target for thieves.......
. It would make it super identifiable too. 0 -
MOARspeed wrote:Bought one of these recently, spur of the moment Ebay purchase (unused for £40 ), I plan on leaving under my desk at work and using just my cable lock (Abus steel'o'flex Centuro) for the 2 minutes it takes to go fetch it.
BUT I have a problem...... It won't fit around the frame (seat tube) and rear wheel, as the Sirrus has quite deep rims.
Does anyone know if wrapping it around the seat stays is actually just as effective?? (even though it doesn't feel like it)
An old flatmate of mine had that exact Abus Centuro lock, he left his bike locked up for 2 mins on Brick Lane and... well, you get the idea.
Cable locks are crap. Like Trading Standards should be involved kind of crap.
Like one of the other posters stories, I've had a frame and wheels bent by someone trying to break my Abus Granit.
The thing about having two locks (like the crappy cable lock I had on the front) is this limits the amount of leverage the thief can apply so they can't do like these Dublin scum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOk3cnUKdY
If you can't fit the lock around the seat tube, even just through the back wheel between the seat stays and lower stays is very effective. This way the wheel isn't going anywhere, neither is the frame and I think it might make it more difficult to apply leverage to the lock as well.FCN 7
"Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson"0 -
To be honest, locks are are a deterrant, and at best a hard life for a moderate thief. A pro will have it no matter what you use.0
-
One good D lock, ( over 13mm thick with safety key something like Kryptonite NY) and Pinheads. Great combination and if someone manages to break the D lock, he wan't be able to unlock the wheels so the bike becomes unusable. The Pinheads key can be used as a proof of the bike ownership as it has an 8 digits coded key for each set of Pinheads, 11.500 combinations, so it is rather impossible for someone else to have same set with the same key. The one that has the key unlocks the bike's wheels. (the key works as a beer bottles' opener too).0
-
Well technically, yes. But maybe you can get through it with several snips instead of 1 or 2.MOARspeed wrote:I've seen the YT video, but the steel'o'flex I have is 20mm thick, unless im mistaken that's too big all but the biggest of bolt cutters?
Unless you are watching the bike constantly without even taking your eyes off it for more than 20 seconds, I woudn't rely on the cable lock. Unless the bike is only worth £10, and/or you are in a low crime area, then you could probably relax about leaving it for 20 mins.
I don't understand what they do here to break the lock :?.rustncogs wrote:The thing about having two locks (like the crappy cable lock I had on the front) is this limits the amount of leverage the thief can apply so they can't do like these Dublin scum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOk3cnUKdY
It won't become unuseable. Pinheads are only an extra, they are not good enough on their own. I'd get 2x D-locks and a 110dB disc alarm lock before getting locking skewers.Alitogata wrote:One good D lock, ( over 13mm thick with safety key something like Kryptonite NY) and Pinheads. Great combination and if someone manages to break the D lock, he wan't be able to unlock the wheels so the bike becomes unusable.0 -
Best thing to do as I had my last bike nicked is to DEFINITELY use 2 locks. I use a U lock and a chain lock, both require different tools and would slow the thief down quite considerably. So far, touch wood, but set up has been fine. You may want to look at Insurance too and tagging your bike too.0
-
Mr.Duck wrote:It won't become unuseable. Pinheads are only an extra, they are not good enough on their own. I'd get 2x D-locks and a 110dB disc alarm lock before getting locking skewers.
I mean that the thieve will have in his hands a bike which bike's wheels is not possible to be removed from it. In order to unlock the pinhead locked wheels, ( let's say in order to change a flat tire) you have to have the key that corresponds to these specific set of pinheads that you purchase. ( and you must keep always the key with you).
Pinheads is not the kind of lock that will not allow someone to take your bike, you rely on your D lock, but is the kind of lock that will not allow someone to remove at least the front wheel and the fork from the bike while is locked or after. So you can lock the bike from whichever part of the frame you want. Then by having the key you can easily prove that the bike is yours. Nobody else has it and nobody else can unlock the wheels and the fork.
Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit Mini cannot be cut in a reasonable for a thieve time, not even with hydraulic cutter. We made a D locks test here, where we tested lot of mainstream D locks, and this one was the stronger. With lot of persistent efforts and different ( huge ) tools we managed to cut this specific lock after one hour. I doubt if the usual bike thieves can bring with them, the set of tools that we used in order to cut it.
It it meant of course that you never lock a bike unattended in very dangerous areas. All locks can be unlocked, what good locks do is to need a lot more time to be unlocked so someone who wants to steal your bike will not get in trouble or risk to bother with it for that long.0 -
I'm not so sure about never being able to remove the pinhead locked parts when the stolen bike is in a garage somewhere...30 seconds with a grinder would make short work of the fancy locking nuts. It does look like a good way to prevent the opportunist thief making off with an expensive wheel though.Alitogata wrote:Mr.Duck wrote:It won't become unuseable. Pinheads are only an extra, they are not good enough on their own. I'd get 2x D-locks and a 110dB disc alarm lock before getting locking skewers.
I mean that the thieve will have in his hands a bike which bike's wheels is not possible to be removed from it. In order to unlock the pinhead locked wheels, ( let's say in order to change a flat tire) you have to have the key that corresponds to these specific set of pinheads that you purchase. ( and you must keep always the key with you).
Pinheads is not the kind of lock that will not allow someone to take your bike, you rely on your D lock, but is the kind of lock that will not allow someone to remove at least the front wheel and the fork from the bike while is locked or after.0 -
No, large bolt croppers can break the chain even easier than the D-lock.tianuk3 wrote:I use a U lock and a chain lock, both require different tools and would slow the thief down quite considerably.
They can sell the bike as it is or just drill out the locking skewers or something like that at home. Locking skewers won't stop your bike being stolen AT ALL.Alitogata wrote:I mean that the thieve will have in his hands a bike which bike's wheels is not possible to be removed from it. In order to unlock the pinhead locked wheels, ( let's say in order to change a flat tire) you have to have the key that corresponds to these specific set of pinheads that you purchase. ( and you must keep always the key with you).
According to the bikeradar review, the Fahg Mini can be broken in under 3 minutes. That requires a power outlet though.Alitogata wrote:Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit Mini cannot be cut in a reasonable for a thieve time, not even with hydraulic cutter. We made a D locks test here, where we tested lot of mainstream D locks, and this one was the stronger. With lot of persistent efforts and different ( huge ) tools we managed to cut this specific lock after one hour. I doubt if the usual bike thieves can bring with them, the set of tools that we used in order to cut it.0 -
Are we talking about this D lock? I mean for the same model?
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/Pro ... ber=997986
Because we tried to cut it and it took us one hour and four different tools.
As I said above Pinheads is not something that locks the whole bike and of course is not going to protect it from being stolen. It will protect though your wheels and fork and will help you to lock it with less D locks and more convenient way. So you don't need to carry two locks with you, something that it is really a problem for commuters who hold a load of other stuff on they every day commute.
There are no unbreakable locks. Whatever can be locked, can be unlocked as well. The point is to lock your bike with the most difficult way. Thieves aren't stupid. Don't bother and don't loose time on well locked bikes when there are other that are not so carefully locked. They go for the most easy, less time consuming target.
0
