Advocacy & Safety - Still deciding on which lock

Okay I got my bike (expedition, specialized) but i'm still deciding on a lock. I'm going to be on a big college campus.

The place I bought the bike suggested the Big Rapper

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=10073

Anyone have used this before? Its a circle key, is that a problem? Also I have to pop the front wheel and put it with the bike wheel. Is it easy to take off the front wheel, and on again?

Any other locks I should consider? What locks do you guys use? Thanks

Assuming your bike has quick-release skewers, it's easy to remove the wheels.

However, I have sworn off locks that use keys in favour of combination locks, just because I lose my keys once every couple years. With a combo lock, no key to lose!

I use some sort of Kryptonite combination U-lock at work and keep a cable combination lock that I think is made by Performance in my backpack for locking up elsewhere.

Theft is a major problem on college campuses. If you want to keep your bike, then you should take security seriously. Forget about cable locks. Get a Kryptonite NYC3000 ULock and Kryptonite or OnGuard chain and padlock. Use both locks and be sure to lock both wheels and frame to a sturdy object.

These locks are not cheap, but it's better to have excess security than not enough. Get the best and the bike next to yours will be the one stolen.

Use combo locks if you like your bikes stolen.

I did a quick search of cable versus u-locks and found this:
http://www.mscd.edu/~themet/TheMetropolitan/semesters/fall01/Vol_24_fall01_issue10/news.html

I use the hardlock rapper for my bike. It seemed like a good balance of security and weight. I don't have to leave my bike for an extended period of time in a high theft area, though.

Campuses are notorious for bike thefts. I'd be inclined to follow the advice of the police on an urban campus and use a u-lock.

There are two ways to deter theft of your bike. The easiest way is to buy a junker and take that to school and leave your good bike at home to be used on weekends. If that is not possible then you should use two different type of locks. One of the best is the U-bolt by Krypto. But I disagree with the article in the site mentioned above. U-bolts have been defeated and quite easily-though not as easily as the cable style. The Krypto NY Chain is a the best but the weight of the chain and lock is quite a bit. If your going to lock up a bike and want something that is fairly light and offer a degree of difficulty then you should use two different type of locks that would require two different type of tools to open. The Krypto U-Lock and the Master Lock Cuffs are examples of two difficult locks to open. Both of these two companies offer different levels of protection and price-the higher the price the higher the protection.

Also the bike loss protection warranty these locks offer is tricky to get to pay off in the event the bike is stolen. First you need your receipt, then a police report, then a picture of the thing you locked your bike too, then you need to have the defeated lock. But here's the other trick that most don't realize, those loss warranties are only good for 1 to 2 years and the only way to get a new loss warranty is to buy a new lock! Homeowners insurance or renters insurance will cover the loss of your bike but those usually have a $500 deductable.

Awesome, i'm glad you all replied.

Ya I think two different kinds of locks will be the way to go. A thick cable and a u-lock.


But now I'm wondering about a saddle lock, and a bar lock. Anyone use these? I hear people just steal those parts and ebay them. :eek:

For the saddle, don't use a quick release type of seatpost clamp. Unless you put a high dollar saddle on the bike, it is unlikely to get stolen. Even if it does, saddles and seatposts are pretty cheap.

I would not worry about your handlebars getting stolen. A thief who would do that is more likely to steal a whole bike that is secured with a simple cable lock than go though the hassle of unbolting the stem and cutting the brake and shifter cables.

However, if at all possible, don't leave your bike locked up outside all night. Keep it in your room and there is less chance of parts going missing or someone coming along and damaging it just for the heck of it.

Cable locks are NOT a security device. They are billboards that say "Free Bike Here".

If you have a bike worth more than $75 or so, buy a lock listed on the "Sold Secure" website at the "Gold" level for large cities and urban colleges, or at the "Silver" level for low-crime towns and small, rural colleges.

www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm


A $30 OnGuard Bulldog Mini U-lock attached around your rear wheel (ONLY the wheels, NEVER the frame) protects the frame and rear wheel. Use a cable lock or small U-lock to secure the front wheel. Replace the quick release on the front wheel and the seat with bolts.

If you live in a big city, or go to an urban university, you need the Kryptonite New York 3000. It is twice as heavy as the OnGuard Bulldog Mini, but that's life in the big city.

Lock your bike next to a bike that is "locked" ONLY with a cable lock...crooks are lazy and will always go for the cable-locked "gift" bike first.

OnGuard sells U-lock/cable combos that are pretty decent. I wouldn't use it on campus though...I would go for much heavier protection for a place like that.

I have been knwon to use my u-lock/cable and a heavy chain in high risk areas. The cable secures my bottle cages and seat, while the u-lock secures my bike and wheel to the post, and the chain re-secures it to the post.

Last thing to be stolen off my bike was the air from it's tires....stupid kids will mess with anything. A hand pump seems overkill, but it's not much to carry around in case someone thinks it's cute to deflate tires.

I did a quick search of cable versus u-locks and found this:
http://www.mscd.edu/~themet/TheMetropolitan/semesters/fall01/Vol_24_fall01_issue10/news.html

Campuses are notorious for bike thefts. I'd be inclined to follow the advice of the police on an urban campus and use a u-lock.

The article in your link indicates that of twenty bikes stolen at that college, all twenty used cable locks. That is because crooks ASSUME U-locks are hard to open. Actually, the U-locks sold at Wal-Mart under names OTHER than Kryptonite are as easy to open as cable locks - but most crooks are too dumb to know the difference between a Wal-Mart brand U-lock and a REAL U-lock from OnGuard or Kryptonite.

So, campus police generally agree that the bikes using only a cable lock are the bikes that get stolen. But, "discount" store U-locks are junk. Stick with OnGuard and Kryptonite U-locks.

Awesome, i'm glad you all replied.

Ya I think two different kinds of locks will be the way to go. A thick cable and a u-lock.


But now I'm wondering about a saddle lock, and a bar lock. Anyone use these? I hear people just steal those parts and ebay them. :eek:

Go to a 99cent store and get a cable lock of some sort. Lock the seat to the frame. Even if it's unlikely to get stolen, if it does, it is a PITA, especially if you don't remember your seatpost size. Or, if you get the Onguard doubleteam, you can loop the cable through both your seat and rear wheel and hook it to the ULock.

I've heard on this forum that some put wax/glue in the allen bolt on the stem to make removal harder.

Okay I already purchased the OnGuard Pitbull Double Team (u-lock and cable combo).
I would have gotten the best from OnGuard, but I didn't want anything too heavy.

Anyways why do you put it threw the rear wheel? Wouldn't it be easier to saw through the wheel instead of the frame?

Okay I already purchased the OnGuard Pitbull Double Team (u-lock and cable combo).
I would have gotten the best from OnGuard, but I didn't want anything too heavy.

Anyways why do you put it threw the rear wheel? Wouldn't it be easier to saw through the wheel instead of the frame?

I mean, put the U-lock through the front wheel and frame, but loop the cable through the seat, through the rear, and then to the u-lock. Then both wheels, frame, and seat are protected.

[QUOTE=alanbikehouston]
A $30 OnGuard Bulldog Mini U-lock attached around your rear wheel (ONLY the wheels, NEVER the frame) protects the frame and rear wheel. Use a cable lock or small U-lock to secure the front wheel. Replace the quick release on the front wheel and the seat with bolts.
QUOTE]


This guy said through the rear wheel only, Wouldn't it be easier to remove by taking off the wheel?

The idea with the rear wheel only is you lock the rear wheel to a pole/post/bike rack through the rear triangle. So the only thing inside the rear wheel is the wheel and the post, but there is no way to remove the wheel from the frame because it won't fit through the rear triangle.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

If I have room I tend to lock the frame/wheel/post all together, just because then there is less room inside the u-lock for tools. The disadvantage to including the frame in the lock is then if they /do/ try to break the u-lock, it might damage your frame, rather than just damaging your rear wheel.

If you have bike insurance, check it: often they have lists of approved locks and if your lock isn't on the list, it can complicate any claim you make.

Speaking of claims through lock companies I forgot to mention is that if the lock is not broken and no signs of picking, which means that the pole or tree (yes some people use small trees that the crook simply saws off) or the lock is missing and the object to which the lock was supposely secured to was broken due to not being adequate for securing purposes, then the lock manufacture will DENY the claim! No police report- denial of claim, no receipt for lock or bike-denial of claim. Get the idea? In other words you have to go through a lot of red tape to get them to pay a claim. Insurance companies are little less problematic, but they still need a police report and a receipt for the bike for proof of ownership and information on whether it was in (or locked) a secure location; but they don't care what kind of lock you had.

I still think that if you have a nice bike that your worried about is to go and buy a used garage sale bike, or a thrift store bike, or a Walmart special, and get a less grade lock and use that for your college commuter. Then the hassle with the lock company is no longer an issue, and if you can't afford renters insurance or can't justify spending $500 for a deductable to get the balance of your bikes worth back is eliminated. When I was in college I had a beater Puch I bought used that looked like crap and well didn't work that well either, but it got me class, and no one bothered it...they did steal bikes around mine! Another secret for not attracting attention to it was I never washed it! The lock I used for that bike was a cheap small gauge chain lock with a cheap combo lock! A pair of pliers or a hammer might have overcame it. But I only paid $20 for the bike and if someone wanted it bad enough then I would buy another $20 bike. My good bike was left at the apartment locked inside. Speaking of apartments, don't get a ground floor apartment-their too easy to break into.

The idea with the rear wheel only is you lock the rear wheel to a pole/post/bike rack through the rear triangle. So the only thing inside the rear wheel is the wheel and the post, but there is no way to remove the wheel from the frame because it won't fit through the rear triangle.
Yeah, but the clever thing to do is stick the staple 2" further along, so it also goes eather side of the rear triangle, very little extra affort, and if you dont, they can cut the rear wheel and get the whole of the rest of the bike. Although that would be a fair bit of effort, and unlikly.


Daniel

I doubt insurance pays for replacement of a bike, depreciated price maybe.

To deter thieves start with a cheaper bike, remove seat, skewers, and maybe pedals, then lock with U + cable locks.

BTW what happens if your lock jams, possibly because of a theft attempt?

I had three comments to add to what others have already said:

1. Make your bike look like crap. Cover it in stickers, purposefully rub it against metal things, get grease on it liberally. Don't damage anything, but make it look like this bike is such a piece of **** its not worth taking care of or stealing. Fenders seem to go a long way to making a bike unattractive. Personally I use fenders with a diy mudflap that looks fugly!

2. Find the place on campus that people are parking the really nice bikes. I start near the chemistry department, there always seem to be nice bikes outside there. The idea being, why steal yours when right next to it is one worth twice as much (or in my case 8 times as much). Of course if your bike is one of the ones at the top don't take it to campus I guess.

3. If you live off campus, check if you can get a renters policy that covers your bike. (not so important on campus, as that wouldn't get above the deductible) but if someone were to break into my house and take my computer and bike I'd be damned happy I could get both back. I'll include here an admonishment to lock your bike up at your apartment/house to. I lock mine to a 24 foot ladder in my garage. At some point I'm going to sink an expander bolt into the concrete and lock it to that.

If you live on campus your parent's Homowners policy may cover the property in your dorm room, you should have your parents ask.

4. Okay just remembered the 4'th thing: a little F-you to the future thief of your bike (learned this one on bikeforums) undo the quick releases on both brakes / and /or pull the rear wheel slightly out of the dropout.

I see a lot of support for the D-lock the rear wheel only practice. I would strongly advise against this. I know one person whose rear wheel has been snipped and replaced with one from another bike. It would seem that once a tire has been deflated the tube and rim can be snipped with a bolt cutter in about 20 seconds.. If you're going to lock the rear wheel, also do the frame as well, That way it's either the lock, the post to which you are locked to or the wheel and the bike frame that need to be busted. Taking out the frame and the wheel will render the bike virtually useless.

I use a OnGuard Bulldog Mini and a Planet Bike chain when I'm downtown/in high risk areas. For distance rides or in lower risk places I swap the chain for a Kryptonite cable.

As for combination locks: Other locks require either talent (picking), brute force (breaking) or chemistry to break. Combination locks are just a matter of time. An experienced thief can crack a late code 10x4 ring combi in under ten minutes.