May 23, 201114 yr I recently read on here about a cycle security lock that (alegedly) deflects power tools. If I remember correrctly it cost £25. I have searched and searched this morning but cannot find the post about it. Anyone know what it is? Many thanks, Penny
May 23, 201114 yr Security lock manufacturers make loads of claims, if there was something that good for £25 I expect I'd know about it.
May 23, 201114 yr Author I did wonder about that! Any suggestions then folks? I need to order a good lock urgently. I've got an old D lock (if i can find the key) and a coiled up lock for my normal bike but I need something better for my new bike.
May 23, 201114 yr Just recently, I was looking at some of the stronger locks available out there and there was a thread on here which came up with some heavy-duty tackle if one wants to make one's bike really secure. It's probably worth mentioning that the real tough locks and chains are intended for motor cycle security rather than the bicycle-based machines we choose to ride. The weight of the best stuff is a hindrance on a bicycle. For that reason, most cyclists choose from the "compromise" range in the bike shops, ie, not the cheapest and not the most expensive. If you look around places like Cambridge with loads of bikes chained up or shackle locked against railings, etc, the typical kit used would never deter a serious bike thief but it might well stop thrill-seeking kids. There's a judgement to be made and a balance to be struck in bike security and different solutions will suit different circumstances, geographical location not being the least important criterion. If you're going to the trouble, (and cost) of insuring your bike, provided you can demonstrate that you took reasonable steps to secure the bike, (receipt for decent lock/chain/cable) you should be ok if you have it stolen. If, on the other hand, you are determined that no-one can ever remove your bike, the cost and weight of the equipment you'd need to carry around will be considerable. I have middle-of-the-road security on my bikes and that suffices for me but others will describe kit that they feel comfortable with in their sphere of activity. The final decision will be yours Penny. Regards, Indalo
May 23, 201114 yr Above all you need decent insurance! Then perceived wisdom is 2 different types of lock (thief needs to carry different tools for different locks being the idea) If commuting and leaving bike same place every day leave a motorbike lock from someone like ALMAX at the work place. If just for genral use about town a decent D lock (19mm the best but heavy) from Abus/kryptonite etc.... We also use kryptonite cables to go between wheels. I also use a predator 13mm chain and squire close shackle lock when we go out together. short version but it still weighs 3.5kg BUT it does give a certain amount of peace of mind..... Use the forums search function if you can find it......I cant! - lots of previous stuff on locks Edited May 23, 201114 yr by eddieo
May 23, 201114 yr Not many actual suggestions so far... so here's what I use. On the bike, a Kryptonite New York 3000 U-lock. This comes with a bike mount (that is OK but not great), and is a heavy beast, but appears to do the job. I carry this with me and put it through the bike when I get to the office, and supplement it with a long cable lock and padlock that I leave on the office bike stand. When I get home, the U-lock is fastened to the bike and also a Kryptonite Fahgeddaboutit chain and disk lock combo. The chain is fastened to a security loop that is blind bolted to a wooden fixture in my back yard. Some points to note: - That lot was not cheap. You need to spend properly on security - if you cheap out your bike is at risk - There is NOTHING that will stand up to a thief with power tools and time - Power tools aren't the only way to compromise a bike lock, depending on its design. Bottle jacks, pry bars, bolt cutters, liquid nitrogen - the inventiveness of the criminal mind is endless. Bear all of that in mind. My strategy is to make my bike look more difficult to steal than any others in the area. I try and lock it up in an open, public place, near others, and I make sure I position the locks as tightly on the bike as I can - if power tooling it means damaging the bike, they hopefully won't bother, and the smaller the gap the lower the chance of prying or jacking. David. Edited May 23, 201114 yr by DBCohen
May 23, 201114 yr I recently read on here about a cycle security lock that (alegedly) deflects power tools. If I remember correrctly it cost £25. I have searched and searched this morning but cannot find the post about it. Anyone know what it is? Many thanks, Penny It's been said already, there is nothing that will stop a determined thief with power tools, even the best motorcycle chains can be cut with a grinder, what you are aiming to achieve is to buy time and put off opportunists. Best thing is to risk assess the situations that the bike will be left in and then choose the appropriate security for that assessment, then add in convenience factor and you will end up with a good compromise security strategy, 2 different kinds of locks usually providing the best compromise. Edited May 23, 201114 yr by eTim
May 23, 201114 yr I bought one of these - mainly because it makes a loud noise if tampered with. It's quite heavy to carry around in a backpack is the downside. Kabrus Alarmed Cable Lock for Securing Bike Bicycle Garden Gates Motorbike Bicycles Motorcycle Scooter Motorbike accessories / Secure Motorbike helmets with Alarm Coil Lock / Motorcycle spares / Bike Accessories: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
May 23, 201114 yr I recently read on here about a cycle security lock that (alegedly) deflects power tools. If I remember correrctly it cost £25. I have searched and searched this morning but cannot find the post about it. Anyone know what it is? Many thanks, Penny not for 25 more like 125 Almax Immobiliser Series III --- Almax Security Chains Ltd heavy.... but i dont notice when in panniers !!!! regards
May 23, 201114 yr not for 25 more like 125 Almax Immobiliser Series III --- Almax Security Chains Ltd heavy.... but i dont notice when in panniers !!!! regards You shouldn't be in the panniers......that's what the saddle's for! Regards, Indalo
May 23, 201114 yr These types of posts always astonish me. I do not know where some of you live but if it were me I would move........ In fact I did. Has the UK changed so much in 8 years that all the chavs are walking around with cutting gear? I do not think so. I was a police officer for 8 years and was stationed in Reading, Milton Keynes and Hull. All of them pretty rough places and I think 95% of bike crime was kids stealing a bike and then dumping it or stripping it for bits. I never once came across cutting gear. Most of the time, if your bike is secured to something solid with a decent lock, it will be there when you get back. I would not even secure my motorbike with some of the devices mentioned on here. In Denmark they leave bikes all over the place, usually not locked to anything and I have never known anyone here who have had their bike stolen. Thank god I moved. Steve
May 23, 201114 yr Bike theft in our cities is now a massive industry Steve. Thieves will even operate with vans and all the necesary gear to purloin bikes.
May 23, 201114 yr Author The Police now operate sting operations to catch the bike thieves too. Stay in Denmark if I were you! Lovely country!
May 23, 201114 yr Stay in Denmark if I were you! Lovely country! Having visited again recently after a 17 year absence, I second that bit about it being a lovely country. I couldn't live there though! Regards, Indalo
May 23, 201114 yr Indalo, I couldn`t move back either, neither could my brother. If I am going to be a foreigner in a country, I would prefer not to be one in my own country. When I post the photos you will all want to move here....so maybe I shouldn`t do that. I do miss the pub and fish and chips occasionally. I am thinking of setting up a sting operation with my Bacchetta Giro 26. I would love to see someone jump on and try to ride off on it. Steve Steve
May 23, 201114 yr I have a pretty good U lock (Magnum Plus, it has 4 locking points. Quite heavy at 1.3 kg) which came with a 1.2m 12mm cable . I also have a remote control motion activated alarm (and considering a paging version).The brushless hub motor I'm fitting can also be locked into position so that it doesn't turn- it uses a little battery power but worth it.
May 23, 201114 yr A couple of links, which may or may not be useful:- http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/8413-latest-lock-suggestions-please-new-ebike-owners.html How to lock your bike Keeping your bike safe - South Gloucestershire Council
May 23, 201114 yr These types of posts always astonish me. I do not know where some of you live but if it were me I would move........ In fact I did. Has the UK changed so much in 8 years that all the chavs are walking around with cutting gear? I do not think so. I was a police officer for 8 years and was stationed in Reading, Milton Keynes and Hull. All of them pretty rough places and I think 95% of bike crime was kids stealing a bike and then dumping it or stripping it for bits. I never once came across cutting gear. Most of the time, if your bike is secured to something solid with a decent lock, it will be there when you get back. I would not even secure my motorbike with some of the devices mentioned on here. In Denmark they leave bikes all over the place, usually not locked to anything and I have never known anyone here who have had their bike stolen. Thank god I moved. Steve you been away a long time......just look on you tube to see how bikes are nicked in all cities in the uk.... yes there are people who go around with bolt cutters and angle grinders to nick high value bikes.... you are lucky to be in denmark to do your cycling.... regards
May 24, 201114 yr not for 25 more like 125 Almax Immobiliser Series III --- Almax Security Chains Ltd The 0.7m version must be one of the best chains for peace of mind when the bike is left in high risk areas, unlikely for anyone to tackle that on the street! Better for static locations visited everyday, but if you can carry it, then surely worth it.
May 24, 201114 yr These types of posts always astonish me. I do not know where some of you live but if it were me I would move........ In fact I did. Has the UK changed so much in 8 years that all the chavs are walking around with cutting gear? Yes, it has. Social respect has plummeted, drug use has gone up, and the Chinese dragon economy means that getting tooled up to go robbing has never been cheaper. Ever see a door get sledgehammered so that car thieves could get the keys? Happened to a neighbour of mine, with a nice threat of stabbing when he tried to intervene. I've seen laptops stolen from train tables when someone turns their back, LCD TVs smashed and grabbed from living room windows while the owners watched them, and since the price of petrol went through the roof fuel pipe disconnection underneath cars to drain the tank is making a "greatest hits" comeback. Britain is not a nice place any more.
May 24, 201114 yr I've used a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit short-length D-lock in combination with an Abus Grannit chain/padlock. Not sure which chain/padlock the abus I have is, but it's the sort of size you'd expect to see on the front wheel of a moped. It's kept a grands worth of bike safe on the streets of Cambridge, which has to be about as tough a test you could think of. Has the UK changed so much in 8 years that all the chavs are walking around with cutting gear? It's not the chavs that have the cutting gear, there are organised groups kicking around now with pre-stashed equipment, spotters... Cambridge is renowned for it, hence I have locks on my bike worth more than a lot of people would spend on a bike to begin with. It's the only way of keeping it safe unfortunately. Edited May 24, 201114 yr by peasjam
May 24, 201114 yr It's not the chavs that have the cutting gear, there are organised groups kicking around now with pre-stashed equipment, spotters... Cambridge is renowned for it, hence I have locks on my bike worth more than a lot of people would spend on a bike to begin with. It's the only way of keeping it safe unfortunately. Correct me if I'm wrong peasjam but isn't there quite a bit of secure bike parking available in Cambridge? I'm sure I've seen some adjacent to the Crowne Plaza but I wasn't really paying much attention to anything beyond the bikes for sale there. If I'm correct, I'm curious as to how much it costs and how it stacks up against the need to purchase top end security equipment yet still worry about losing one's bike to the organised bike thieves. Regards, Indalo Edited May 24, 201114 yr by indalo
May 24, 201114 yr My wife and I often park our bikes in Cambridge under the Grand Arcade next to Station Cycles. You can either pay £1.50 all day to park it within the shop/workshop premises or park it outside which is monitored with cameras and readily visable from the shop and workshop. Regards Jerry
May 24, 201114 yr Cycling Plus, in their lock review of the Masterlock Magnum, which took 4.6 seconds for a Halfords-type bolt cutter to demolish it, said: A 2m long armoured cable with a 30mm diameter for £25 sounds almost too good to be true. Sadly that's exactly how it proved to be. .... http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested%20locks%20part%201.pdf http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested%20locks%20part%202.pdf If you click on those PDF documents, you'll find reviews of most popular locks; the results aren't encouraging! It is often said that you should spend 10% of the value of your bike on security measures, but that must obviously be modified according to where you use it, where you park it, and so on. Allen. (PS And don't forget, Steve in glorious Denmark, that we've all been watching Forbrydelsen, and therefore know ALL about Copenhagen's crime wave...)
May 24, 201114 yr My wife and I often park our bikes in Cambridge under the Grand Arcade next to Station Cycles. You can either pay £1.50 all day to park it within the shop/workshop premises or park it outside which is monitored with cameras and readily visable from the shop and workshop. Regards Jerry Jerry, please excuse my confusion. I don't know why I mentioned the Crowne Plaza but I meant the Grand Arcade as you have described. I was in Cambridge last week and walked through J Lewis before catching the Trumpington P&R bus. Had I had a bit more time, I would have wandered round to Station Cycles to see if they had anything of interest in the shop. £1.50 per day seems very reasonable to me for peace of mind when any bus ride seems to cost in excess of £2.00 these days......free for me, I'm delighted to say! Regards, Indalo
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