General Cycling Discussion - Best Bike Locks - 2005 Tests

A good bike lock reminds honest people against temptation and deters 99% of the amateur bike thieves who will look for something easier to steal. No bike lock on earth is going to stop a professional thief. If he wants a bike badly enough, its good as gone.

Exactly. For a pro thief, he will either have power tools and be able to cut the lock in seconds, have a dedicated tool that can easily pick open the lock (most bike locks uses the same style of Abloy/Abus double-sided cylinder), or have another unknown method for opening the lock fast.

The other two types of thieves to worry about are vandals and crackheads. Neither will get the bike off, but will cause damage either intentionally, or in an attempt to. The rest of the thieves will just see the lock and find easier pickings.

Bike locks don't have the price range though.

Yeah they do, and it happens to be within the price range at the online shop linked in a&jbikelocks's signature...

:lol:

(you'd think that shills would learn to be a little more low-key than that...)

He does have a good price on the Abus Granits... $30 cheaper than I've found other places. I need to defer to the expert... or at least the person who is selling them and knows what people are buying. I am biased though... I have lived in Austin all my life, and this is a place that just recently left Kryptonite's Top 10 beefed bike list. This is why I always recommend going with a top of the line lock... the $50 difference may save the owner the cost of a new steed.

I'll bring this thread back from the dead because I'm in search of a nice bike lock to hold my bike on campus for hours at a time. Seeing as how I'm in the same building for 3 classes in the morning, then head across campus for my later classes, my bike will be locked up in the same spot for about 4 hours.

Most stores locally sell OnGuard locks and not Kryptonites, and I think I want a mini u-lock but I'm not sure how well that will work if I need to lock to a thicker object.

Regarding earlier posts in this thread stating that the "Bulldog" and the "Pitbull" mini's were the same lock... maybe in 2005 when this thread was started but from what I've read not any more.

The Pitbull has the X4 bolt with 13mm shaft. The Bulldog has the X2 bolt with the same 13mm shaft. So really, the difference is in the added security of locking mechanism.


Pitbull mini: http://www.magnum.ws/OnGuard/5006.htm
Bulldog mini: http://www.magnum.ws/OnGuard/5013TC.htm

Maybe this is old news to you guys, but there is now a BRUTE mini out too. It has the same X4 bolt as the Pitbull, but with a 18mm shaft.

BRUTE mini: http://www.magnum.ws/OnGuard/5112.htm

http://www.magnum.ws/OnGuard/Products/U-Locks/Products/5112.gif


I think the Pitbull will be fine for my 30 year old roadie, as it fits the bill nicely and is pretty secure as people have proved; but if I road a newer road bike that was upwards of $700 I would get the BRUTE.

I have mixed feelings about the so-called "Sheldon-Brown locking technique": On one hand, it will effectively combat theft and prevent a bike's frame from being warped in an attempted-jacking. On the other, though, part of bicycle-protection is theft-deterrence, and a U-lock running through the wheel and part of the frame looks more secure than one threaded through just the wheel — I don't want my bicycle stolen, but I also don't want to re-attach the rear wheel (assuming I have a back-up screw [or whatever I need... I admittedly know little about bikes and bike-mechanics]) every time a would-be thief tries to get the wheel out of the rear-triangle until he realized it's impossible to do so. As well, concerning the mangling of the frame, perhaps a thief frustrated by a wheel that won't come out of its place, will mangle the wheel, whereas one who sees a "more securely" locked bicycle just won't touch it.

Your thoughts?

I have mixed feelings about the so-called "Sheldon-Brown locking technique": On one hand, it will effectively combat theft and prevent a bike's frame from being warped in an attempted-jacking. On the other, though, part of bicycle-protection is theft-deterrence, and a U-lock running through the wheel and part of the frame looks more secure than one threaded through just the wheel — I don't want my bicycle stolen, but I also don't want to re-attach the rear wheel (assuming I have a back-up screw [or whatever I need... I admittedly know little about bikes and bike-mechanics]) every time a would-be thief tries to get the wheel out of the rear-triangle until he realized it's impossible to do so. As well, concerning the mangling of the frame, perhaps a thief frustrated by a wheel that won't come out of its place, will mangle the wheel, whereas one who sees a "more securely" locked bicycle just won't touch it.

Your thoughts?

Jaa, I totally agree. I've never liked the SB method. I prefer that my bike not only be secure, but also look secure.

I have mixed feelings about the so-called "Sheldon-Brown locking technique": On one hand, it will effectively combat theft and prevent a bike's frame from being warped in an attempted-jacking. On the other, though, part of bicycle-protection is theft-deterrence, and a U-lock running through the wheel and part of the frame looks more secure than one threaded through just the wheel — I don't want my bicycle stolen, but I also don't want to re-attach the rear wheel (assuming I have a back-up screw [or whatever I need... I admittedly know little about bikes and bike-mechanics]) every time a would-be thief tries to get the wheel out of the rear-triangle until he realized it's impossible to do so. As well, concerning the mangling of the frame, perhaps a thief frustrated by a wheel that won't come out of its place, will mangle the wheel, whereas one who sees a "more securely" locked bicycle just won't touch it.

Your thoughts?

I agree. I understand how you can't take the bike or wheel without breaking the lock, wheel rim, or frame, but like you say, it just doesn't look secure. I guess that it's the only option if you're stuck locking a long-wheelbase bike to a thick post, but if possible, I put the lock around the seat tube, rear wheel, and whatever I'm locking to.

I ended up buying a Pitbull Medium u-lock today. Its a pretty good size IMO and is just long enough to lock up my frame/rear wheel using Brown's method and my front wheel next to it to a standard bike rack.


http://www.magnum.ws/OnGuard/Products/U-Locks/Products/5006M.gif

Experienced crooks KNOW the "Sheldon Brown" method works,and leave bikes using a "top" u-lock around the rear wheel and a beefy steel post alone. If you put a u-lock around any part of the frame, dumber crooks use the bikes frame as a lever to break the u-lock. If the bike has a K-Mart frame and the u-lock is a Masterlock or K-Mart quality lock, using the bike as a lever can in fact break the lock. If the bike is worth more than about $200 and you have an OnGuard or Kryptonite u-lock, using the bike as a lever will NOT break the lock, but turns the frame into a pretzel.

If your bike is worth more than about $200 and will be out of your sight more than ten minutes, using TWO locks is a good idea. A high quality u-lock around the rear wheel. A second lock to secure the front wheel to the frame or to a locking post. And, lock up next to a bike that looks shiny and new, but is secured only by a cable lock.

Are U-locks supposed to have a tight fitting at where the shackle meets the crossbar? I bought an OnGuard U lock but that area is loose, so the shackle rattles a little. Does this affect the security? My other U locks are all very tight fitting.

It shouldn't effect the security at all.

The best, most secure lock is the one accepted by your insurance company.

In other words, when the bike is insured, the insurance company will pay out because it was secured by an approved lock.

Hairytoes: which insurance company do you use? Is it renter's insurance? I am interested in getting a plan.

I'm in the UK, and we have several companies to choose from. I use one called EA - the theft insurance includes breakdown cover and third party insurance. It's more expensive than some other companies (8% of value per year), but the sum insured is the sum insured - if the bike gets nicked then there won't be any reduction in payout due to depreciation. Also covers me for the bike being left for more than 12hours in a public place.

A lot of people here rely on home insurance, but typically that won't cover your bike for more than a few hours away from home.

Are U-locks supposed to have a tight fitting at where the shackle meets the crossbar? I bought an OnGuard U lock but that area is loose, so the shackle rattles a little. Does this affect the security? My other U locks are all very tight fitting.

I felt the same way upon getting my OnGuard U-lock (comparing it with Kryptonite's New York U-Lock, which had a tighter fit between the shackle and the bar), but found it makes no real difference in security: there's so way the shackle would "slip" out of the bar more easily because of the greater play (at least, not according to the locksmith and the bike-shop mechanic I consulted).