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Old 03-12-06, 12:12 AM
  #19  
v1nce
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Hey Guys, i hope you people don't get bummed out by the following, but i am not posting to try and be a wiseguy, but because i hate anyone to lose his bike to theft.

The Steel o Chain is not only excellent but affordable.. About 34 to 38 Euros retail. Compare that with their Krypto equivalents that despite of/because of their huge links, hefty weight and often faulty cylinders weigh almost double and are only half as strong and cost 60 to a 120 dollars! Bad metal and inferior hardening and faulty cylinder can't be compensated for by brand recognition or more 'beef'

Even their top of the line Faghetaboutit (that could be used as the Titanic boatanchor in terms of weight) is vastly inferior to the Abus. I forget but i think it costs in excess of a 100 dollars.
If people really can't source the Abus and want them i'd gladly send out a couple.

@ Yan, really interesting idea though it would not be practical for my use. People do steal seatposts and seats here and the municipal services will cut locks and remove bikes with longer term flats or other small problems that suggest they are not in operating order. They do this so the city doesn't look 'messed up'.... Pretty messed up policy if you ask me. A set of wheels and seat wouldn't stand a chance, Big Brother would take them quick and they would likely get vandalized by the natives as well.

Lastly it involves not only folding the bike and often bagging it but removing and re installing vital components every time you want to do even a minor errand. Then when you come out you have to make sure the post is set to correct height and straight, that your rims don't scrape the V Brake. To me personally it seems like way more hassle than carrying around one good lock. Especially as you still need to lock up your components, even with a very light cable lock.. But if it works for you i am not arguing with that!

As for the cable locks, not to piss on anyone parades but they are really the very very worst locks out there. If you just lift one you know they have no substance whatsoever. Give me 1 to 4 minutes i can even break/cut it even with my Multi Tool, no exageration. A discarded stick that is twisted around will often even make the alleged cylinders pop. A thief with a bolt culter is going to simply crack up and have a field day.

@ kpinvt, if your son likes his bike and wants to keep riding it i really suggest you toss (or use it for the shed or something) and replace that lock asap. It is almost akin to locking your bike with a sturdy Nylon Rope, i am utterly serious.

I am not just making this stuff up. In the aforementioned authorative test (and a few more like it) the 'Fietsersbond' tested all the lock types and interviewed (proffesional) thieves at length. I know some shady characters (not friends, acquintances) myself and have very extensive experience with locks and breaking techniques (mostly house locks about 400 but also some 20 bike locks i cracked and the techniques are very similair) due to my squatting background (no, i am not a bike thief). All this confirms what i write about cable locks.

The very best cable lock, the Trelock, SK626 (probablu unavailable in the states as well) had needed only 11.6 Kilonewton of force in order to be cut. The Abus chain needed 51 and additionally had a rockwell hardness of 66 C, this is harder than even the very best boltcutter. The Trelock cable is only 10 Euros cheaper than the ABus chain and this TreLock is probably between a quarter and twice as strong as the cable locks that are mentioned in this thread. I can't make it any more plain, cable locks are utter Rubbish.

Additionally i see cable locks lying cut or broken open on the street every day. More than any other type i see these locks lying useless and a testament to someone's totally misplaced trust in them..

The conclusions of the test were: Only good hardened chains (see the top 7 below, some of the better ones are easily available in the US as well) and the best U locks were worth spending any cash on.

All the rest were next to useless, the types included but were not limited to: Badly or non hardened chains, cable lock, cable and segment locks, extra thick cable locks etc etc.

It is my belief that if you are going to employ a lock (rather than carrying in a bike or Yan's strategy of course) your lock needs to be the very best possible/the most important component on your bike. What use is a DT, or a Litespeed or a Phil Wood hub or anything else you love for that matter if you scrimp on the lock and it is all stolen from you...!

1 Abus Steel-O-Chain 810 51,0 66 8,1 € 34,75
2 Cordo kettingslot Stone (910/100) 48,8 64 8,1 € 37,50
3 Abus Winner-Chain 92W65/8KS ** 48,3 66 8,0 € 41,95
4 Bumper Chain 31, 90 cm 47,0 59 9,6 € 29,90
5 Blue Chain (Königline), 90 cm 41,8 64 8,0 € 39,95
6 König Blokker, 60 cm 41,3 56 7,9 € 39,50
7 Red Chain (Weissenfels), Tiptop

Last edited by v1nce; 03-12-06 at 12:31 AM.
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