"Make" your own bike lock? Have we been ripped off

Alison · Feb 5, 2013

greenstiles":2wne7lo0 said:
If i was a bike thief and there was a lot of bling and good forks....i'd just hacksaw the frame and strip the bits off the frame later..............

as an ex bike shop worker i often see bike locked up with disc brakes and forks i could undo in a few minutes...claim it was my bike and just adjusting/setting things up better, then walk off with hundreds of quids worth of fork and/or brakes............a lot of frames are generic and not worth much these days.........

I once, many moons ago, D locked my bike to the college railings and lost the key. The metal workshop part of the college tried may things to remove the lock to no avail, as a student I could not afford to call the fire brigade to do the job. Two days later it was amazing how much got stripped off the bike, the frame remained for years.

Alison

rosstheboss · Feb 5, 2013

The problem with payouts from companies is you normally need the lock as evidence, the same evidence that would possibly convict the bike thief, so they get rid of it.

If you want to see how easy it is to defeat a bike lock, do a youtube search for 'bike lock picking' it will open your eyes!

saltyman · Feb 5, 2013

If someone really wants to steal your bike they will find a way......

Opportunist thief's will always be there mind.

The main worry is a mugging or similar, but they risk being ID'd then.

I have the huge 36" bolt croppers in my van for work, they will snip most locks but weigh a ton....if you can carry those you can carry an angle grinder or stihl saw too!

xerxes · Feb 5, 2013

Worrying viewing: http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=19

You may as well use string as those 8 and 10mm chains. :shock:

I've got one of these: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=994589, it's very beefy, but at 2.5kg/5lbs, not something you'd want to carry on a super-light bike, my "shopping bike" weighs 40lb anyway, so an extra 5 isn't going to make much odds. With rack, mudguards and a good layer of dirt it's also pretty fugly, so I'm fairly confident that a thief will likely pick something prettier and less well secured.

theproudhighway · Feb 5, 2013

xerxes":1v99i06p said:
Worrying viewing: http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=19

You may as well use string as those 8 and 10mm chains. :shock:

I've got one of these: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=994589, it's very beefy, but at 2.5kg/5lbs, not something you'd want to carry on a super-light bike, my "shopping bike" weighs 40lb anyway, so an extra 5 isn't going to make much odds. With rack, mudguards and a good layer of dirt it's also pretty fugly, so I'm fairly confident that a thief will likely pick something prettier and less well secured.

I think you've got the right idea. Make it as unappealing as possible. Where and how you lock your bike is key too. Make sure there's plenty of foot traffic where you lock-up. Then again, not that many people would try and stop a thief if they saw one in the act.

Barneyballbags · Feb 7, 2013

I read somewhere that most bike theives are only equipped for one kind of bike lock at a time, so 2 different standard locks (ie. a D lock and a Chain lock) can be just as effective as one single, expensive one.

theredchili · Feb 7, 2013

Barneyballbags":3tomct33 said:
I read somewhere that most bike theives are only equipped for one kind of bike lock at a time, so 2 different standard locks (ie. a D lock and a Chain lock) can be just as effective as one single, expensive one.

Also different brands, as these too require different tools.

B77 · Feb 7, 2013

An 1980s Volvo jack will open a D Lock in about 15 seconds flat or so I have been told.
I had a sort of chain covered with steelwires that ended in eyelets and went in and out of the chain cobered with a spirally metal thing and an Abus disclock, it was nicked....got it from a military surplus yard, never seen one before or since

sylus · Feb 7, 2013

On some bikes I use multiple locks purely the wheels aren't cheap but am now tempted to fit pitt locks skewers? so then I only need a chain/lock for the frame to a stationary object

I often use a motorcycle lock on the high end bikes but it's a pain even with a rucksack.

xerxes · Feb 7, 2013

Not as secure as pitlock skewers but will deter a casual theif and a lot cheaper: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=6282 - they require a special allen key with a hole in the centre.

I've always though that quick release skewers are pretty pointless unless you're road racing and being followed by a support car.

"Make" your own bike lock? Have we been ripped off

Alison

rosstheboss

saltyman

xerxes

Old School Grand Master

theproudhighway

Retro Guru

Barneyballbags

Old School Grand Master

theredchili

Old School Grand Master

B77

Senior Retro Guru

sylus

Old School Grand Master

xerxes

Old School Grand Master

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