Bike locks and security

jeremyrundle · October 2010

I have two locks but only ever use one, a Magnum Plus.

However I read many times that people carry an extra lock and or attachment for wheels.

When in Tavistock the other week a chap rode up, chained the bike with a D lock, took another lock out and did the same with the front and back wheel and then walked off with his saddle. !

Am I missing anything, first Tavistock by day is hardly London, sorry.

I use the one Magnum Plus, and my wheels and headset are secured with Pinheads.

Now I accept that nothing is 100% but where do you stop, surely it is as much about where you leave the bike as what you use. I have heard someone complaining that their £150 bike was stolen when they used a Halfords £9 lock, well duh...... :?

Please tell me if I am too naieve and what more I should do, I guess my Saracen, customized is about £1k thanks.

nicklouse · October 2010

it is making your bike (parts) harder (less appealing) to take than the next bike.

If they want it they WILL take it.

rf6 · October 2010

I'll take reasonable steps, which will vary according to where I am. That said, I won't be beholden to goods. LIfe's too short.

arthur_scrimshaw · October 2010

you can make life easier, e.g. if you don't need a qr on the seatpost replace it with a bolted type, get a decent d lock and a cable to secure your wheels.
My main strategy is that if I'm out on my best bike it stays in sight all the time. If that's not going to be possible I take my commuter.

ooermissus · October 2010

I wouldn't want to leave a grand's worth of bike secured with a lock slated by Bike radar's reviewer as "completely unreliable" and whose cable is 8mm thick (beneath all the padding) and can be cropped in seconds.

djrock · October 2010

Armoured cable locks are a joke. Yes they are abit more secure than just a cable lock but not by much since you can't get straight to the cable inside.

It's amazing the amount of owners that still only use cable locks.

If your bike is worth about 1k I would be looking at the Abus Granit Extreme 59 d-lock and a almax chain 16mm or 19mm.

Don't be fooled into buying 8mm chains offered by the big companies. Yes they are much better than a cable lock (needs different tools) but does not take much to cut them.

You want to make them hopefully walk on to the next expensive bike with crappy lock(s).

Blue Meanie · October 2010

My GF works for a LBS and she's noticed a lot of custom from people who've had components stolen. Forks are a favourite as they're only attached with two allen bolts and a brake cable/hose.
If you're going to swop allen-headed bolts for torx-headed make sure they're of a decent quality.
Personally, I use a heavy chain lock (Abus), fits round my waist like a belt when riding, when securing one of my 'desirable' bikes. Otherwise my hack bike is more like an antique and quite safe

kieranb · October 2010

Best security is ride a cr*p looking bike and lock it near nicer bikes. That's what I do for my commute.

ooermissus · October 2010

djrock wrote:

If your bike is worth about 1k I would be looking at the Abus Granit Extreme 59 d-lock and a almax chain 16mm or 19mm.

This is completely implausible advice if you're on the move. A short 19mm chain, plus a reasonable padlock, is going to weigh 7.5kg, while the Granit Extreme weighs 2.75kg. Big fat chains are only suitable for home security (where a high proportion of thefts happen).,

If you read this very good thread on LFGSS (http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html), the consensus seems to be for a Kyrptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini, backed up with a light d-lock and pinheads. Some people are also trying alarmed disc locks, though I am sceptical.

Perhaps the most important thing is to know how to lock your bike in a way that makes it harder to steal.

Blue Meanie wrote:

Personally, I use a heavy chain lock (Abus), fits round my waist like a belt when riding, when securing one of my 'desirable' bikes.

Don't you worry that your 'belt' is going to mash up your internal organs if you crash? They're probably worth a bit more than your 'desirable' bike...

The Rookie · October 2010

Most the commuters here have 2 locks, one for at home and one gets left at work, that way it can be as heavy as you like, but I do so little point having a good bike and carrying 10Kg of security when a cheap beeter is lighter and still less attractive to thieves!

Most Thieves don't know about bikes, they will steal what they can and what they think will sell, often a cheap full sus BSO will be nicked in preferance to a good but not 'stand out from crowd' sparkling roadie, as they can shift it quicker.

Simon

jeremyrundle · October 2010

ooermissus wrote:

I wouldn't want to leave a grand's worth of bike secured with a lock slated by Bike radar's reviewer as "completely unreliable" and whose cable is 8mm thick (beneath all the padding) and can be cropped in seconds.

Yes but as I said it is a lot to do with where you are, if you know Tavistock, Devon you would know what I mean, if I went to Plymouth or Bristol I would use a D lock. And perhaps my other lock.

Bike radar rate this 5*, Abus Steeloflex Granit 1000, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFaLmVqQibo It lasted FIVE SECONDS.

By the way, slated by Bike Radar it may be but check out other sites, of all the reviews you read, what one likes another does not. As Arthur and Nicklouse say here, and quite right it is common sense.

Oh and I don't know where the "8mm" comes from, not counting the plastic outer the cable inside my Magnum Plus is 15mm

jeremyrundle · October 2010

Blue Meanie wrote:

My Personally, I use a heavy chain lock (Abus), fits round my waist like a belt when riding, when securing one of my 'desirable' bikes. Otherwise my hack bike is more like an antique and quite safe

That may be ok for you but they don't do a 6' lock to go round my waste!

The Rookie · October 2010

My Daughters friend had a cheap cable lock wound round his frame that he had lost the key for, took me no more than 20seconds with a hacksaw to get it off, and that was being careful not to mark the frame!

Simon

djrock · October 2010

ooermissus wrote:

djrock wrote:

If your bike is worth about 1k I would be looking at the Abus Granit Extreme 59 d-lock and a almax chain 16mm or 19mm.

This is completely implausible advice if you're on the move. A short 19mm chain, plus a reasonable padlock, is going to weigh 7.5kg, while the Granit Extreme weighs 2.75kg. Big fat chains are only suitable for home security (where a high proportion of thefts happen).

No pain no gain

The Abus seems better since it looks like you will need to cut it twice to remove it. It maybe overkill all that weight but how much do you want to keep your bike?

Lowride · October 2010

I had my GT Avalanche stolen last year from behind my apartment. I had two very strong padlocks thru cables, the cables were covered with a hard plastic. They just cut thru the cables. The padlocks are hardcore so they just went for the cable, looked like they`d used bolt croppers..

Luckily the bike was worth very little as it was quite old. Not nice having a bike stolen all the same. My good bikes are kept in my Dad`s house, with the rottweiler/german shepherd

jeremyrundle · October 2010

I know it may sound heartless but I don't mean it to, could you not have in some way had the bike indoors.

From reading here, it appears most bikes are stolen from outside of a property, outside work, at a station where no one appears to be.

I used to (many years ago) live in a one bedroom flat up three flights, but still took the bike up.

OldSkoolKona · October 2010

Some useful info on LCC's website as part of their Beat the Thief Campaign:
http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=389

Headhuunter · October 2010

I only have a Ribble 7005 worth about £570 new but I lock it with 2 D locks - a Kryptonite and a Squire. Between them they probably weigh in at 2-3kg but I like the security and you know that some other poor sod nearby will always have a bike locked with something less suitable.

I have a Focus Cayo with upgrade which is worth about £1.5k new replacement cost and I would NEVER lock that ANYWHERE, I never let it out of my sight basically. If I had a £1k I would feel the same. AFAIC, anything over about £800 is too good to be left locked anywhere...

Anyway, my security has worked for me so far. 6 years cycling in London and nothing stolen yet.

Bike locks and security

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