bikingit1973

Ok so I've got my bike and ready to start riding, both work and pleasure!

I don't have much cash but found this one used locally.

It's here: Amazon.com: Master Lock 8218DPS Quantum 30 Armored Cable Lock, 6-Foot: Home Improvement

Note: The reason why I like these types is because I can secure both wheels. Around here bikes get stolen a lot.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

- Mike

GuyDebord

I live in NYC and commute with an expensive bike. This is what I use:
ABUS folding lock and ABUS U-lock
I find ABUS locks to be far superior to Kryptonite. Master doesnt have a reputation of being too safe.
I also use pitlocks on the front wheel and the accesories are secured by Atomic22 fastners. A bit overkill, but I love my bike!
Spend as much as you can on the lock, dont skim on this very important accesory.

bikingit1973

Great tips, thanks!

I'll have to settle for a cheaper option for now, but can upgrade to something like you suggested in about a month when I get the finances.

- Mike

chaadster

Yeah, I agree it's hard to get lock security on the cheap, but I suppose an armored cable should provide some additional security over a regular cable, unless the critical vulnerability is elsewhere, say at the lock body, crimp, or elsewhere. I also wonder how the armor can articulate enough to provide the flexibility of a cable without exposing cable at the joints/hinges? There's always psychological deterrence, too, so if hou've got that and the next bike just cable, well, you may look like a less attractive target.

tcs

chaadster said it: cheap and good is hard. In the USA? Got a Harbor Freight nearby? Buy two!

OP:

Old school way of locking both wheels:



Street price on these and these is similar to the lock you posted, which seems to have extra weigh and cost vs. a regular "won't even slow 'em down" cable without offering extra protection.

yankeefan

Not recommended if you have a carbon fork.

fietsbob

of the Type Abus make theirs a lot more resistant than the cheaper Master Brand

https://www.abus.com/us/Recreational-...ex-X-Plus-1025

I own one of the type I got years ago, Specialized sold it, used a Kevlar Cable inside so It rolled up smaller [My Touring bike]

But now I use a hardened Chain Axa + a ring lock , and an Abus with an integrated Lock..


Pit Locks and atomic22 Bolts will make stripping a locked bike less likely as they have unique Keys for Wrenches ..

Better
Folding Bike You Dont have to leave locked on the street... Bring it in With You..

tcs

Okay. Umm, why not?

I remember Grant Petersen's infamous 'sword fight', pitting a steel fork against a carbon fork. Result: carbon fork undamaged, steel fork looked like a pretzel.

joeyduck

I have a question. Does anyone make a sleeve for locks of the material they make chainsaw pants from. The pants that stop the chain immediately. How effective would that be against grinders and saws?

I would like this to be my official claim to the idea if no one else has done it.

If I was in a high they area I would consider the atomic 22 stuff it kicks nice, but it could add up fast. I am in a low theft area and am happy with Pinhead's wheels skewers and a U lock through the rear triangle

yankeefan

In a situation like the one above the fork is resting on the sidewalk and the front end of the bike can pivot about the post. An accidental kick from a pedestrian and your bike will be swinging with the fork dragging on the sidewalk. I've actually seen this happen numerous times. I probably should not have singled out carbon as this can damage any type of fork, but people tend to be more sensitive about carbon parts.

fietsbob

a stolen fork can be resold on Ebay. people Posting here buy 2nd hand carbon forks off ebay.

all you need is a few Hex L wrenches in your Pocket. stripping would take 1 minute.

chaadster

Chainsaw pants? Gotta google that one...

Trakhak

If the OP comes back to his own thread, he should read the user comments at the bottom of the Amazon page at his link. Several reports there that the cable was cut easily; the bulky outer sheath evidently conceals a much thinner inner cable.

joeyduck

STIHL Chain Saw Protective Apron Chaps - Protective Apparel | STIHL USA Mobile

fietsbob

Beats cutting into your thigh with the saw chain

Archwhorides 

I'm liking the Abus Granit X-plus Mini-54 to lock up the frame only, along with a steel cable to secure the wheels. According to to bike security reviews I have read, it's harder to break D locks that fit snugly with little room to insert a car jack, have not tested that theory myself.

Bikerdave222

I have an ABUS U-lock and think highly of it. Your combination of the two locks is brilliant! Its like having a u lock and a chain but without the added weight.

I agree!

Master lock is crap!


I would love to know your method as to how you lock up your bike with these two locks?

Hangtownmatt

Umm, I think you've got that backasswards,

Why would Grant promote carbon when all he sells is steel. Here's the video to refresh your memory:

Rivendell Bicycle Works - Fork Wars on Vimeo

Matt

bikingit1973

I'm all set, thanks to everyone for the advice!

I got this bad boy, so I think I'll be alright

Vespa Chain Lock: https://members.modernvespa.net/pixel...ds/524_674.jpg

Found it on Craigslist. They guy paid $85 for it, used it once, then sold it to me for $25.

CliffordK

The most secure thing for a bike is to never leave it in an unsecured location, especially overnight.

I've just been using a self-coiling ½" cable combination lock. Perhaps not the most secure, but I never leave the bike unsecured at night. And I never worry about keys.

What about the Kryptonite New York locks? Other than the chain being very heavy?

tcs

Here's what Mr. Petersen wrote in his Rivendell Reader in 2009:

"Carbon (sic) is amazing, unpredictable stuff About two years ago we had a fork fight, like a sword fight. Not the people-poking kind just whacking a carbon fork against a steel one while pretending they were swords. After about fifteen blows, the steel fork dented, and repeated whacks folded it over 90 degrees. At that point the carbon fork appeared unharmed, so I threw up."

But you're right, in the years since he's figured out how to dramatically stage carbon fiber failure by cutting through the tubes before whacking them.

"I notched the carbon fork and the steel one, and one more whack sent a ten-inch section of the carbon fork flying."

Sorry, don't mean to derail the OP's lock question.

tcs

fietsbob red herring! A fork could be stripped off in exactly the same way with the front wheel in the fork dropouts and secured with a cable.

fietsbob

Threaded forks wont. need those 32 or 36 MM spanners to take the headset apart ..





My solution was Move .. to a Place that doesn't Strip Bikes locked on the street..

+ I dont go Cheap on My locks ..

chaadster

Ah, I see...then yes, sorry, the idea is taken:


The creator of The Hench Lock, Felix Ure, posted to these forums not so long ago. Perhaps a search would yield something interesting.

Reynolds 

+1. That kind of lock looks strong, but it isn't. I use a 3/8" case hardened chain with a 7/16" pin block padlock. Would take a really big cutter or an angle grinder to cut it. Of course it can be picked, but bike thieves very rarely do that AFAIK.