General Cycling Discussion - what bike lock?

hey everyone.. a newby to the site, but an old one to riding. Im currently going off to college here in a few months, and i plan on taking my bike as my main mode of transportation. The only thing that scares me is getting my bike stolen. Its a nice bright ass yellow gary fisher kaitai. ive had it for 5 years now, and i dont plan on having it replaced in the near future. or throughout college to be honest. I was wondering if someone could give me some advice on which bike lock would be the best for not getting my bike stolen while in an hour and half class, or while sitting in my dorm room. My brother had some kind of U lock, but i forgot the make and model.. just looking for some advice.

Nabil Imam

Get the Kryptonite New York U-lock and the New York Chain lock, you're bike is fairly safe with both on you're bike. That is if cost is not a problem.

There are a couple things to consider. I'm not sure on the value of your bike, but there is a ratio of the cost of the lock to the value of the bike (like 10 to 1 I think).

Personally, if you are going to be using this lock nearly all the time, you may as well fork out the big money to get the best lock you can. One of those Kryponite whatsits. Perhaps even double it up with some sort of wire also.

Is there no way you can keep the bike in your room? Thats where my 2 reside!

Also, the position of the bike and its lock are also important. It sounds like you are going to be leaving that bike overnight outside every night. This could be dangerous because a theif could have undistrubed access for hours at a time at night. Perhaps there is some sort of storage shed or room that you can use. I would personally be very wary about leaving it outside on such a regular basis.

Can't go wrong with Kryptonite. Make sure if you go with a u-lock you get a cable to run through your front tire, attaching it to the u-lock.

Also, don't depend just on the lock. Use your creative intelligence as well.

Nashbar's got U-Locks on sale for $10.

Originally posted by Chi
Nashbar's got U-Locks on sale for $10.

:lol: Take this advice at your own risk!

Hey, cool it with the hate man ... Check it out. Looks genuine Kryptonite to me. You might wanna ask em though.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=8940&storetype=estore&estoreid=36

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=8941&storetype=estore&estoreid=36

Kryptonite is a great brand. Just remember, they make several types of locks at different prices. The toughest are the most expensive.

Any Kryptonite is better than a Chinese no-name lock. All u-locks are not created equal, even among Kryptonites. But Kryptonite offers a warranty with some of their locks, and they rate each of their locks according to their ability to resist tampering.

The best lock is the one on the door of your room. If you can't do that, lock it up with a Kryptonite U lock, the thickest one. Remove your front wheel, put it next to the back wheel and run the U thru both wheels, the frame and what you are locking it to, This makes it harder to defeat the lock. Put it in an open well traveled spot, reduces the chance of someone hanging around long enough to steal something. Remove your seat and post, then go to a hardware store and get a rubber plug for the frame to help keep out rain.

It just occured to me with Rev.Chucks comments. Instead of putting the front wheel next to the back, take it into your dorm with you. Makes it impossible to ride it away. It also looks very suspicious somebody walking around with a bike without a front wheel.

Originally posted by Rev.Chuck
The best lock is the one on the door of your room.
Yup. Or the door of your business.

Get the strongest Kryptonite locks, and with each lock, make sure you fill out the information they request and send it with a copy of the receipt. They assure you that if you fill out the information and send the proof of payment, if the bike gets stolen, they will pay for up to $1500 worth for your bike. I believe that's per lock, but don't quote me on that. I had several friends who got lazy with locking their bikes and ended up getting their bikes stolen. If you do anything right at all, it's be diligent with locking up your bike every time you're out, keep an eye on it- don't just prop it up alongside the wall to run into the store for a minute to get a juice- a quick moving thief will jump on your bike and ride away faster than you can pop open a can of juice. Be careful ALL THE TIME. College is the perfect scenario for a thief who wants to clean up and get away with a lot of theft.

Also, check and see if the college dorms have bike rooms. They are not that secure- other college students can still steal your bike, but I believe that they are still lower grade criminals than the criminals who walk around with the bolt cutters and heavy duty lock cutters. If you use the bike room and religiously lock your bike with the strongest Kryptonite locks, you'll probably be ok. Then when you get out of living in dorms and get your own apartment, always bring your bike upstairs, and even if you're keeping your bike inside, have a way of securing your bike inside your own apartment, in case your apartment gets broken into.

Good luck, man!


Koff

Oh- I like that idea of taking the front wheel and seat with you... how many thieves would be walking around with a spare wheel AND seat so they can steal a bike and ride off with it?

I'd do that even if you're riding between classes.

How about getting a large sharp spike the same diameter as your seat tube, put that in whenever you park your bike :)

LOL.. i love the sharp spike on the seat post idea or maybe have a tazor in there too. nice quick and painful. thanks for the advice.. ill contact the college and get the info you all adviced me to get

Here are my thoughts.

1. Kryptonite's Warranty - It's a joke. You need to get an appraisal from a dealer now that your bike is used. In other words, you'll get close to nothing. Also. The crooks have to leave the broken lock behind for you to get anything.

2. Junk bike - You better seriously think about getting a junk bike like a Roadmaster and make look it worthless as colleges have the best crooks in the land. Seriously. The Kryptonite U-Lock and New York Chain have been compromised long ago and crooks can walk away with your bike in minutes. A four foot clipper and it's gone 60 seconds.

3. Folding bike - This one everyone left out. How about getting a folding bike. Seriously. You can put the bike in a bag and bring it inside the dorm room. No one will know the difference. I know folders aren't the best ride but they're not bad and the quality's never been better. Look for the Dahon Presto 16' inch wheel model. I promose you, it will be a big time conversation piece and will certainly draw lots of attention. (Did I mention girls?) I wish there were folding bikes when I went to college.

4. Girls bike - A pink girls bike with streamers and a picture of Barbie on the basket would be a perfect bike to take to college. Within days, you would be the most recognized face on campus. Since guys don't steal girl bikes and girls don't steal cycles, your ride would be safe day and night. OH. I almost forgot. Guess who's going to be asking you for rides? Girls. Lots of em too. I wish I had done this when I went to college.

i've thought about going the crap bike way, or the girls bike.. thats a "cute" idea.. but what about my fisher that im going to take so i can do some trail riding or single track while im in college.. i still cant store that in the dorms, and im not trusting it at anyones apartment... so anyone got ideas for my Kaitai if i do go dohan.steves way with the streamers?:beer: what an interesting icon to have on a bike forum... :confused:

Originally posted by Dahon.Steve
4. Girls bike - A pink girls bike with streamers and a picture of Barbie on the basket would be a perfect bike to take to college. Within days, you would be the most recognized face on campus. Since guys don't steal girl bikes and girls don't steal cycles, your ride would be safe day and night. OH. I almost forgot. Guess who's going to be asking you for rides? Girls. Lots of em too. I wish I had done this when I went to college.

My gf's bike was stolen out of a selection of several really nice road and mountain bikes, including a fully suspended Specialized, a Santa Cruz Superlight, and an older HT Trek 6500.

I got her that bike (which was teal green) for $50.

Crooks may be good with cutters, but they aren't real smart.

However, a pinkie is a great idea ... I woulda been the most popular guy in my dorm. heh ;)