Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - lock(s) suggestions?

got a bike being delivered soon-ish and pretty much everyone i know has had at least 1 bike stolen around here (cambridge/boston, ma) so i'm rather concerned with getting some good locks and wanted some suggestions if anyone had any here.

i'd heard it's good to use more than 1 kind of lock (as then the potential bike thief would need more than 1 kind of tool with him/her to steal it) and that it's a good idea to lock your wheels up too. i plan on not having quick release for this reason. i'd also heard smaller U locks are good as they're harder to pry open than the larger ones (but also harder to lock to larger objects of course too) so i was leaning towards a good smaller U lock and some sort of chain lock for the wheels, but i haven't seen one big enough to lock both the wheels up with.

anyways, suggestions and or insight would be most appreciated.

small u lock from rear wheel to frame, big chain through front wheel and frame to what ever your locking it to

There comes a point where it just isn't worth it to be lugging around 20lbs worth of locks on a 20lb bike. I've been using a mini U-lock (Kryptonite) with a thin cable securing the wheels to the U-lock. My bike has Surly hubs, so if someone with a bolt cutter wanted my wheels, they would also have to have a 15mm wrench with them as well. It is harder to lock the bike to parking meters (although this wouldn't be a problem on a smaller frame than my 59cm) but overall the light weight is nice and so far I still have my bike. (This is in San Francisco, where bike theft is rampant).

If you get a chain, make sure it's a "real" chain and not a hardware store chain. Think about it - how long does it take the guy at the hardware store to cut the chain to the length you want?

Kryptonite and Ongaurd both make quality chain locks, but they aren't cheap.

i'm using one of these Abus citychain locks. it fits through both wheels when locked to a thinner pole.
won't fit around both wheels and a lamp post though. It's a little lighter than the krypto ny chain and the locking mechaninsm is nice. they are a little tough to find though.

NYC chain and mini U. Mini U secures headtube to parking meter or whatever. NYC chain through both wheels and frame (its a tight fit)

regardless of locks, never assume you're safe. I snapped a Krypto mini in about 15-20 seconds with some 30" bolt cutters. Mid day in San Francisco. No one around seemed to care. (it was my partner's bike...someone tried to jack it the night before and broke the tumbler mechanism.)

i use a combonation lock,w/o a prob.

don't lock your bike overnight, keep it inside. i use some old drivetrain chain looped around my saddle rails and seatstays to make sure nobody jacks my saddle. if you're getting a chain, make sure it doesn't have a round cross-section--those are easily cut by bolt cutters.

i remember this i used to see in HS, he would tie a chain around his waist and the attach that to his top tube, aint no body jackin his ****!

A lightweight rope with a stout Boyscout knot... but I don't think I would try that anywhere "urban!"

You can find strong chains in hardware stores.

I have a CHP-grade chain that can't be cut with bolt cutters (trust me, I had them demonstrate in the store that it's impossible). You can take a hacksaw to the links, but standard blades won't do it (and it still takes about 10 minutes). $3 a foot.

My trick has been also to find a padlock that 1) is case-hardened and 2) has a small enough shackle so that when two links of the chain are passover it, no shackle is exposed (the round padlocks seems to work the best). $20.

Basically, that leaves the attacker with freon. If they have freon, you're not going to stop them anyway.

For added security, I take my front wheel with me when I'm leaving it for more than 5 minutes. I got this idea from a friend who said, "If they're going to steal my bike, they're going to have to carry that shiz."

Anyway, I live in LA, which isn't terribly theft-prone for bikes that are decently locked.

Kryptochain through the front wheel and frame, draped over a parking meter.

Erm, I mean, mini-u through the back wheel to parking meter. Cable through the front wheel if I'm feeling nervous.

Destroying a lock by cooling it with freon is larely a myth. Although certain metals can become extremely brittle when cooled below a certain temperature, freon is not a compound that can sufficiently cool a hardened steel lock to that point. Liquid nitrogen or liquid helium are possibly the two most accessable compounds that would be able to cool metal to that temperature. And, to do this effectively, the metal should be submerged within the liquid for a few minutes. Maybe, only after that would the metal be brittle enough to 'shatter'. However, access to liquid nitrogen and especially liquid helium is very limited. and the further application of these to a bike lock would be more trouble than it is worth.
If you can get your hands on some though, I suggest freezing bugs, spiders, etc. and hitting them... that's fun, albeit a little gross when everything thaws out.

Newer kryptonite locks should be good now that the 'bic scare' is over.

"bic scare?" Do tell... ?

the kryptonite (as well as others i believe) locks with barrel type keys can be opened by jamming a bic pen into the barrel while twisting it around. there was a huge recall and they changed all their locks.

"bic scare?" Do tell... ?

The older style Kryptonite locks used tubular keys. These types of locks (not just kryptonite) can be "impressioned" (making a key using a soft pliable material) with a tube of plastic. By coincidence, many kryptonite locks used keys that were the same diameter as a bic pen.

In other words, you could open the lock by sticking a bic pen in the key hole.

yes, i win

gah, that's not so good.

he's a stoooopid question for yall. When wrapping chain what is a good alternative to using an old tube? Getting the black stuff from the tube on you when you have some place to be doesn't work out so good.

gah, that's not so good.

he's a stoooopid question for yall. When wrapping chain what is a good alternative to using an old tube? Getting the black stuff from the tube on you when you have some place to be doesn't work out so good.

tubular webbing. The climbing stuff.
like this, except you might want the 1.5" or 2" wide stuff if your chain is fat.:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441773615&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302691525&bmUID=1128361819586

Nice!

Destroying a lock by cooling it with freon is larely a myth. Although certain metals can become extremely brittle when cooled below a certain temperature, freon is not a compound that can sufficiently cool a hardened steel lock to that point. Liquid nitrogen or liquid helium are possibly the two most accessable compounds that would be able to cool metal to that temperature. And, to do this effectively, the metal should be submerged within the liquid for a few minutes. Maybe, only after that would the metal be brittle enough to 'shatter'. However, access to liquid nitrogen and especially liquid helium is very limited. and the further application of these to a bike lock would be more trouble than it is worth.
If you can get your hands on some though, I suggest freezing bugs, spiders, etc. and hitting them... that's fun, albeit a little gross when everything thaws out.

Newer kryptonite locks should be good now that the 'bic scare' is over.

This is a good point. I think, however, the attack is most commonly performed on the tumbler mechanism, which is often brass, no? Does this change much?

Liquid nitrogen, it turns out, is a whole heck of a lot easier to get than freon. I wonder if pouring liquid nitrogen into the tumbler mechanism is a viable option?

I lost the key to my lock, and now it's just sitting on the chain. Maybe it's time to get some liquid nitrogen and an ice pick!

This is a good point. I think, however, the attack is most commonly performed on the tumbler mechanism, which is often brass, no? Does this change much?

Liquid nitrogen, it turns out, is a whole heck of a lot easier to get than freon. I wonder if pouring liquid nitrogen into the tumbler mechanism is a viable option?

I lost the key to my lock, and now it's just sitting on the chain. Maybe it's time to get some liquid nitrogen and an ice pick!

I want to say that because brass is a softer metal, it would be less susceptable to an impact. However, I have nothing to back this up and those properties of different alloys goes far beyond my knowledge base. You should try and see what happens. I am assuming that you would need the ice pick to directly impact the tumber mechanism... banging the outside of the lock may not be enough to break the inside. Otherwise, a powerdrill and a reasonably sharp drill bit worked well for me when I needed to remove a lock. Just drilled a series of holes around the tumbler and then used a pair of pliers to rotate what was left. Unfortunately the bit got a little fcked up, but such is life. Let me know if you try the N2.