General Cycling Discussion - Best Lock

After glancing through the thread about opening locks with pens, what kind of lock do you guys recommend? I just bought a Trek 7300FX and I sure as hell don't want it stolen.

A Kryptonite NY3000 U Lock is about as good as it gets.

HA! If you want a chain lock, I've got the best one! I ordered, sight unseen, a highly ranked, security approved, fancey schmancy Onguard Beast. When it came in, I was shocked! That sucker weighs 10 pounds!!! :eek: My mountain bike only weighs 28 pounds! What was I thinking? People laugh when they see that "motorcycle" lock on my baby, but hey, it's not going anywhere!! :D Oh, by the way...to transport it, you have to ride with it around your waist. If you wrap it on your bike somewhere you might tip over.... :rolleyes:

You know there's about 50 different threads labled "Best Lock" Try doing a search
http://img245.echo.cx/img245/9869/search7ro.gif

abus makes the best... but very spensive!

onguard brute ls

Abus German locks, $200+ but worth it if you have invested a lot of money into your bike.

http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLang=us&sid=907863795073401020320056215375196&select=0106

Go to the motorcycle section, much better locks.

I use this Abus lock. It's their top of the line motorcycle lock. A bit of overkill perhaps, but I'm reasonably sure this chain is not going to be cut. I'd go for a strong chain from Kryptonite, Abus, or OnGuard if I were you.

I perfer chains as they give you many more options of where to lock up to. In many cases with a U-Lock you are SOL if there isn't a parking meter around. With a chain you can lock up to light posts, traffic lights, supermarket overhang posts, etc. Try that with a U-Lock!


http://www.abus.de/images/prod/zweirad/Motorrad/5912.jpg
http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLang=us&sid=522119411034382907200581198150250&select=0105b02&artikel=4003318248481m

Nice choice with your lock Ziemas, that's the one I'd go with, in fact that's the one I'm going to get when I get my Vespa, insane lock for sure..

abus makes the best... but very spensive!

The Abus locks in the "portable range" of two to four pounds are not superior to the New York 3000. No "portable" Abus lock did better in the "Cycling Plus" tests than the Kryptonite New York 3000. And, the New York 3000 is among the lightest locks to earn a "Gold" rating in tests by Sold Secure.

And, the four pound New York 3000 did better in the CP tests than $100 chains that weigh eight pounds.

Having a "theft proof" bike is really a "no brainer". A four pound New York 3000 attaching the rear wheel to a steel post set in concrete. A two pound OnGuard Bulldog Mini attaching the front wheel to the frame. The OnGuard Mini works well as an "only" lock if you are going into a coffee shop for five minutes.

I have a good low priced Cable Lock (Kyptonite) from Home Depot.
If you (or I) had a more expensive bike, I would get the high dollar U-lock...
But a Cable lock you can lock your bike to about anything.

Good Luck

i'd stay away from onguard. i had one of their brute's. the keyhole fouled up and they never returned my e-mail. they replied once but after that they just ignored me.

i'd stay away from onguard. i had one of their brute's. the keyhole fouled up and they never returned my e-mail. they replied once but after that they just ignored me.

OnGaurd is ok.. and only ok.

Abus on the other hand, oh so nice.

Abus uses 12-13mm links for their chain locks with a special hardening technique, where as OnGuard only uses 10mm, the 3mm can make a huge difference.

i'd stay away from onguard. i had one of their brute's. the keyhole fouled up and they never returned my e-mail. they replied once but after that they just ignored me.

The new "flat" keys from both Kryptonite and OnGuard require that the key be inserted ALL the way to the bottom before turning the key. There are about five to eight moveable plates inside the keyway, and if you turn the key before reaching the bottom of the keyway, the plates go out of alignment, and the lock will not open.

This is explained in both the instructions and on the "red" sticker on the locks. If you have misaligned the plates, just shine a bright light into the keyway. Use the key to realign the top plate to the second plate. Then, the second plate to the third plate...When you have ALL of the plates aligned the lock opens easily.

The purpose of this design is to make the lock very difficult to pick. After you have learned how to use the lock properly, you can do easily, without a second of thought.

yeah.. my kryptonite fagedaboudit ain't failed on me so i'm blamin' onguard.

OnGaurd is ok.. and only ok.

Abus on the other hand, oh so nice.



Check out the tests published by "Cycling Plus" and by Sold Secure. The OnGuard Brute U-lock and the best OnGuard chains are equal to, or better than the majority of Abus locks of a similar weight and price.

The Sold Secure ratings are published "on line"...you will see that Abus has made some mediocre locks, as well as some good ones.


www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm

www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm

Where am I supposed to be looking to see comparisons between the locks?

Where am I supposed to be looking to see comparisons between the locks?

Sold Secure rates the best locks as "Gold", the second best as "Silver", and the lowest approved level is "bronze". You can get the weights for each lock at the company websites for Kryptonite, Abus, and OnGuard.

The "lightest" lock on the "Gold" list is the Kryptonite New York lock, at four pounds. Many of the other "Gold" level locks weigh five, six, eight, and even ten pounds. Yikes.

That Magnum UL1 that earned a "Gold" is the much cheaper brother of the OnGuard Brute. It is probably the cheapest lock on the "Gold" list, but seems hard to find outside of the United Kingdom.

Check out the tests published by "Cycling Plus"

Do you have a link to these tests? I can't find it on their website:
http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk

Nothing. Any lock might protect the bike, but here it is vandalizing danger. The bike thief is frustrated over not getting the bike and takes his anger out on the exposed bike!

More important than the lock is how you use it.

Rear wheel, through the rear triangle. If you wish to secure the front wheel, either another U-Lock or a very thick braided cable lock, with a separate captive shackle lock (abus makes one that is possibly the heavily amrored captive shackle I have ever seen). If you run the braided cable through the u-lock arms, it just means they only have to break one lock to ride off with it, but with a separate lock on that cable, it makes the number two locks, and two types of tools to ride off with your stuff.

I've had good luck here just using the cable through the u-lock, but I tend to lock my bike in places where theft is pretty low. If I go into a shadier area, the 7lb chain and the captive shackle lock comes out...the u-lock becomes my front wheel lock.

Do you have a link to these tests? I can't find it on their website:
http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk

I have this issue of Cycling Plus right here beside me. What do you want to know, ibike?

I have this issue of Cycling Plus right here beside me. What do you want to know, ibike?

Is it the "new" 2006 test issue? Which two or three locks, of those tested, lasted the longest under attack?

hell, just give us all the results.

I perfer chains as they give you many more options of where to lock up to. In many cases with a U-Lock you are SOL if there isn't a parking meter around. With a chain you can lock up to light posts, traffic lights, supermarket overhang posts, etc. Try that with a U-Lock!


Nothing against chains (will get one one of these days), but 95% of the time I park my bike, there's something secure enough to ulock it to within 20 feet of wherever I'm going. And this is in Columbia, SC where bike racks might as well not exist - in Portland, that number's more like 100%. The other 5% of the time, I have to go as much as 50 feet away. Not a big deal, and in most areas a u-lock is more than good enough. Outside of the biggest/most bike-friendly cities, I doubt most bike thieves even carry bolt cutters (much less know how to bust u-locks), there just aren't enough bikes locked up in public to make carrying specialized tools/having specialized knowledge lucrative.

Hi, sorry to be unclear -- I have the 2005 issue here.

For info: both the Kryptonite NY 3000 and the AXA Secu-city Plus scored 9 out of 10 and passed both tests. The AXA gets a "Best Buy" for its £40 price tag, while the NY 3000, at £60, is "Recommended".

Other "Cycling Plus Recommended" locks include the On Guard Rottweiler 5023 (8/10) (£35), the Squire Paramount Plus (9/10) (£50), the On Guard Bulldog Std (8/10) (£27) ("best sub-£30 lock" in test), and the Magnum UL1 (8/10) (£30).

If you have a chain lock or braided cable lock....aren't they both quickly beaten by a decent pair of bolt cutters and trench coat?

It was my understanding that u-locks were superior? (ones without the circular key that is)

I remember someone posting something about chaining their pitbull to their bike while they go into convience stores. I think that would be pretty effective (especially if its a mean 'sum beotch).

If you only have a pug or something, I'd go for a big U-lock or chain. I have an Onguard Brute (the older square shackle one) and frankly I don't think that thing is getting broken without some powertools.

If you have a chain lock or braided cable lock....aren't they both quickly beaten by a decent pair of bolt cutters and trench coat?

It was my understanding that u-locks were superior? (ones without the circular key that is)

Regular chains like you find at the hardware store and used to be commonly used for bikes, yeah. They're basically worthless.

We're talking about a different kind of chain, like these: http://lockitt.com/chain.htm

Two advantages they have over U-Locks:

1. They're flexible and therefore practically impossible to pry apart. It takes heavy equipment to do so, but U-Locks can be pried or bent. Pro bike thieves know how to do this.

2. It's easier to lock up both wheels and the frame

But its still just a chain? Ultra hardend steel it says, but does that mean that a good quality bolt cutter ($50 rigid ones for example) couldnt cut through it?

http://www.ridgid.com/CatalogDocs/boltcutters.jpg

But its still just a chain? Ultra hardend steel it says, but does that mean that a good quality bolt cutter ($50 rigid ones for example) couldnt cut through it?

http://www.ridgid.com/CatalogDocs/boltcutters.jpg

Doubtful, unless it had at least 6' handles and a proportionally large jaws. At least. If you could squeeze hard enough with normal oneson this kind of chain, the blades would get goughed out and eventually either the hinges or handles would bend and break.

There is a reason they charge over $100 for a what amounts to few pounds of steel: it is a very, very special kind of steel.

I favor Steven Roberts' system. He wired a motion detector to an early GPS system to a satelite phone programmed with the number of the local police. If someone stole his recumbent, the bike called the cops and told them where it was.:D See his story "Computing Across America"

depends on where your parking the bike. If your parking the bike at a school or work site you don't trust it would be cheaper to buy a cheap used bike for $25 to $50 and lock that at those locations where no one would want and if they do they get a cheapy. If your parking it outside where you live then get two locks the Krypto NY U and their heavy chain lock since you won't have to carry the chain around you just leave it at home.