Security and Covers

[RoadieRoger]

Some good offers on chains and bike covers from Aldi and Lidl . On Thursday 3rd March Aldi have a Motorcycle chain/lock for £9.99 and a cover for £7.99 .On Monday 7th March Lidl have their cover for £8.99 and a slightly different lock for £14.99 .
My lightweight bike cover for 99pence from Poundland was found to be tasty to mice , although after countless attempts to catch the culprit with chocolate and cheese I failed .
Someone posted recently asking whether a Motorcycle Jacket was suitable wear for an Electric Bike , well here`s a chance to try it out for not much money . Aldi have a black one with hi-vis panels for £39.99 . My similar design one in Korean Cordura is still advertised on the Silverman`s website for £89 . If you really are fast and want to scare small children and their Mothers , how about the flip front full face helmet from Lidl at £39.99 ?
Sorry to sound like a Salesman for these Organisations , but I know on this site we love bargains and we boys also like toys , as do some girls on here !

 

[Pinbin]

Worthwhile buying a decent lock- this £9.99 lock I could probably chew through

 

[RoadieRoger]

Chain

The Lidl one is hardened .I`m afraid all you can do is deter the casual thief and slow down the more determined ones who arrive with angle grinders etc. We are talking Motorcycle chains for bicycles which are more substantial than the normal fare . Having to tow a trailer with a heavy lock contained in it or wearing it around your neck motorcycle style would put many off the pleasures of E biking .

 

[Pinbin]

I've been using a Magnum Plus chain bike lock- it's heavy alright, but once you start using the power assist it really is a drop in the ocean- lose half a pound and you'll be back in eqilibrium
Also- I wrap mine round the seat post, tight enough so that it doesn't rattle and I really don't notice it.
BTW mine is for sale- see classifieds....

 

[allen-uk]

Six pages of detailed reviews of many locks:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested locks part 1.pdf

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested locks part 2.pdf

Shows how long a PRO would take to demolish each one, and how long a chancer might take, plus weights, plus price ideas. Also shows the ones that even a dedicated professional might fail to crack.

Very useful stuff. (ADMIN: could this be made a stickie to save me dragging it out each time security comes up?)


Allen.

 

[Streethawk]

The Kryptonite "New York" range have been top of the tree for over a decade. Although it took me over a decade to be able to stump up that much cash for a bike lock! Looking back, a fair price for peace of mind.

 

[allen-uk]

Yes, the New York range is excellent, and according to those reviews, it will completely foil the scallywag level of thief.

But against the professionals, it helps, but only in terms of delay. The review says that the Fahgetaboutit (eh?) takes a man with a cutting disc about 3 minutes. Mind, you've got to have loads of bottle to park your van, get the gear out, stand there cutting a bike lock for 3 or 4 minutes, before loading it up and scarpering.

I don't think anything stops the dedicated professional, apart from not taking your bike out of the house!


Allen.

 

[peasjam]

I've been using a New York Fahgettaboudit short length D-lock and an Abus Granit chain/padlock together.
All in all about £140 worth of locks but I've still got my Cannondale and I live in Cambridge which I reckon is about about as good a test as you can get.
It's not about making it impossible to steal; you can't. It's about making the bike next to to it/round the corner a safer target.

 

[Mussels]

The Lidl one is hardened .I`m afraid all you can do is deter the casual thief and slow down the more determined ones who arrive with angle grinders etc. We are talking Motorcycle chains for bicycles which are more substantial than the normal fare . Having to tow a trailer with a heavy lock contained in it or wearing it around your neck motorcycle style would put many off the pleasures of E biking .

A hardened chain is not a good thing as it's brittle, the better chains are part hardened. It's almost impossible to tell by looking at a lock how good it is.
The exception to that is cable locks, they are all poor including the armoured ones.

 

[Scottyf]

I use mainly motorbike locks on my ebike. I.ve got an oxford magnum d lock thats thatchem approved. Ok its heavy but does the job.

I wouldn't want to wear my motorbike gear on a push bike. Far to big and clumsy and i would be too hot. Not to mention the drag it would cause.

Although if i fell off i'd be pretty safe. Seen me off a few times at 3 figure speed's on track days so would be ok at 20mph.

 

[allen-uk]

One factor that needs considering IS weight, even though a decent e-bike can carry loads more than a push-bike.

I happened to take my pannier bag off the other day, containing my Abus Granit and Bulldog D, and my various 'essential' tools (which I've never used on the road), plus a few other things, and the weight of it! Probably 4kg+, which added to my (cough) large number of kgs just adds to the strain on the motor and battery.

I'm trying to rethink my carrying, so that I only take the heavy locks when I'm going somewhere that I'll need them!

Allen

 

[Streethawk]

I always carry a short thick Abus cable lock, just in case i need to leave the bike somewhere for short periods. Planned stops or longer stops i use the Fahgettaboudit.

I think the professional thief is more likely to target bikes he sees in the same place each day. He'll have a good idea of the quiet times it'll be unattended and come equipped with the right tools for the particular lock.

Luckily at work we have a secure car park so its not an issue for me most of the time.

 

[eTim]

This subject should be made into a sticky because it is raised periodically.

I believe that you need to base a lock/chain purchasing decision on your own risk assessment and value of the bike you are wanting to protect, so factors to take into consideration would be:

Value of bike
Desireability
Inconvenience factor if stolen
Insurance requirements
Local level of crime
Convenience (weight, carrying, aesthetics, practicalities)

So for me: I am currently working away from home, staying away 2/3 nights a week, my accomodation is a caravan in a small, quiet, country location with an awning. I want to use my bike for commuting and leisure purposes which means I have to store my bike in the awning and locked to the caravan. All day, everyday, the van is unattended and is unattended for 4/5 nights of the week.

So my risk level has jumped from very low to very high based on storing my bike in a garage at home = very low risk, to the caravan = very high risk. I am about to purchase a lock/chain combination from the ALMAX guys which I believe offer the best chains considering they have cropped just about every other chain on the market (check out their videos):

Almax Security Chains Limited

I'll be buying a long chain for chaining to the caravan, they do shorter chains which would be good for leaving at locations where you leave the bike on a regular basis ie for work or at the rail station. I'll be running the chain throught the caravan chassis, so if they manage to cut through the chassis they will still have a half-ton lock and chain to lug around with the bike and I will have lost an expensive bike and expensive lock :-( but my assessment of this hapening is very low (but anything is possible).

For temporary mobile use; my risk assessment will be medium and will require a device that is lighter and less secure for practical reasons only and I'll base that decision on the reviews provided in this thread which are very useful

 

[Streethawk]

Almax chains are the best, without a shadow of a doubt, but they're not for carrying on a bike. I can't even carry mine on my motorbike. The link diameter is exactly the same as the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit, so I'd expect similar security. In both cases, what you lock them too is probably weaker than those super-locks.

 

[Supermack]

After a bit of cutting plastic - I have managed to allow space to fit an alarmed Disc Lock to my bicycle...

Feels a lot more secure now..

 

[eddieo]

After a bit of cutting plastic - I have managed to allow space to fit an alarmed Disc Lock to my bicycle...

Feels a lot more secure now..

Link please...

 

[Supermack]

I fitted it to my Gocycle -

Kabrus Disc Padlock.

...I have further mods in mind...