teacher
10-10-07, 11:30 AM
I want to take my new bike to the store, the library, etc... but am afraid of it being stolen. Is there a foolproof/robberproof lock out there?
thanks!
thanks!
Living Car Free - I need a great lock for my new bike
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Newspaperguy
10-10-07, 01:34 PM
Go down to your local bike shop and tell them what you want. There are a number of options out there that are incredibly difficult to destroy. I'm using a thick and heavy cable lock from Planet Bike and I'm happy with it. There are also some good D-ring locks on the market.
If you're in Vancouver, go to Mountain Equipment Co-op. They have a good selection and their prices are very reasonable. There are also a bunch of other shops with cycling equipment in the area.
A few years back, there was a trick circulating on the Internet on how to open a D-ring lock. However, the design of those locks has changed since then and the problem has been eliminated.
If you're in Vancouver, go to Mountain Equipment Co-op. They have a good selection and their prices are very reasonable. There are also a bunch of other shops with cycling equipment in the area.
A few years back, there was a trick circulating on the Internet on how to open a D-ring lock. However, the design of those locks has changed since then and the problem has been eliminated.
Marrock
10-10-07, 01:35 PM
No such thing, the best you can hope for is to make someone else's ride look easier to steal.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/sub_4684.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/bike_lock.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/welllockedbike.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/sub_4684.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/bike_lock.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/MarrockV/bikes/welllockedbike.jpg
2manybikes
10-10-07, 01:49 PM
I want to take my new bike to the store, the library, etc... but am afraid of it being stolen. Is there a foolproof/robberproof lock out there?
thanks!
No foolproof/robberproof locks. Some very good ones are on the Kryptonite web pages. There is a lot of good information about locking bikes there.
thanks!
No foolproof/robberproof locks. Some very good ones are on the Kryptonite web pages. There is a lot of good information about locking bikes there.
Abneycat
10-10-07, 03:51 PM
No foolproof/robberproof locks. Some very good ones are on the Kryptonite web pages. There is a lot of good information about locking bikes there.
Kryptonite locks are good. Their coverage that you can get with them, situationally, can be good as well. But,
Any working lock should stop someone from simply walking away with your bike. Any good lock should stop someone from defeating the lock with a lightweight, concealable hand tool. But no lock will stop a skilled thief with powerful equipment. What a good lock does however, is buy you time and lose the thief stealth.
The best security you can get is a good lock in tandem with good placement, put the lock in a way that it makes life difficult for the thief, put the bike somewhere the thief is going to be sweating over getting caught.
I personally think it takes a fool to lock their bike behind a building with a $10 cable lock. It takes a bigger fool to go try and steal the one at the front with the u-lock/cable lock combo, and the pedestrians walking in and out of the building. Thats your protection, right there.
Kryptonite locks are good. Their coverage that you can get with them, situationally, can be good as well. But,
Any working lock should stop someone from simply walking away with your bike. Any good lock should stop someone from defeating the lock with a lightweight, concealable hand tool. But no lock will stop a skilled thief with powerful equipment. What a good lock does however, is buy you time and lose the thief stealth.
The best security you can get is a good lock in tandem with good placement, put the lock in a way that it makes life difficult for the thief, put the bike somewhere the thief is going to be sweating over getting caught.
I personally think it takes a fool to lock their bike behind a building with a $10 cable lock. It takes a bigger fool to go try and steal the one at the front with the u-lock/cable lock combo, and the pedestrians walking in and out of the building. Thats your protection, right there.
MyBikeGotStolen
10-10-07, 04:39 PM
My trick is to not have the most "prized possession" bike on the rack. Who would want to steal a MTB with fenders, trekking bars and a handlebar bag?!
fat_bike_nut
10-10-07, 07:10 PM
Ah, locks. These types of threads always pop up, and eventually someone is going to relate this to the story about the two campers being chased by a bear ("I don't need to outrun the bear. I just need to run faster than you"). No lock is foolproof, as other posters have stated already, but you just have to make sure that your bike looks like it's gonna be harder to steal than the one you lock it next to ;)
Oh, and the bear/camper story also applies to MyBikeGotStolen's post. If your bike looks crappier than the other ones on the rack, AND is locked up with better locks, chances are that bike thieves will go after the other bikes instead.
Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit-level locks are the best, of course :D
Oh, and the bear/camper story also applies to MyBikeGotStolen's post. If your bike looks crappier than the other ones on the rack, AND is locked up with better locks, chances are that bike thieves will go after the other bikes instead.
Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit-level locks are the best, of course :D
Nycycle
10-10-07, 09:45 PM
"NEXT" stickers
bragi
10-10-07, 10:37 PM
Kryptonite "New York" U-locks are quite good. If you're in a sketchy area, maybe think about a U-lock with a cable lock as a backup; that way, potential thieves have to bring more tools. However, and it must have already been said here, if a thief really, really wants your bike, they'll figure out a way to get it. That's where insurance comes in handy. Personally, I bought a beater, and replaced some of the components, so it still looks like a beater at first glance, but still rides and shifts nice. I also have a newer Kryptonite Evolution lock, one that can't be picked with a ball-point pen. (I'm pretty sure, though, that anyone who's taken a locksmith course at a community college could still pick it in about 30 seconds if they felt like it.)