bike_girl

hi everyone.

Whats everyones experience of good bicycle cables? For example like this one on this padlocks website. Just I heard loads of my friends have had their bikes stolen around Uni even with a bike lock.



Thanks

Claire

oneredstar

Cables are not good at all, even a nice braided cable like that Abus lock you have pictured can be cut real easy. Get a u-lock for your frame, and a cable, if you have to, for your wheels.

alanbikehouston

There are dozens of threads about bike locks in the Forums. Many of them are lengthy and detailed.

But, the bottom line is that cable locks are not actually locks. They are advertising that says "Get your free bike right here". The cheapest, smallest, and lightest u-locks from Kryptonite and OnGuard provide better security than most of the heaviest, and most expensive cable locks.

If your bike is worth $200, you can do well with a $30 OnGuard or Kryptonite u-lock. If your bike is worth $1,000, you need the most expensive u-lock on the market to secure the rear wheel, and a $30 u-lock to secure the front wheel.

Read the thread titled "Best Bike Locks - 2005 Tests" for a more detailed discussion of specific locks and locking methods.

AndrewP

Use cable and U-lock as they need different tools to break. You can save weight by leaving the locks at the places where you lock your bike. Keys are a lot lighter than locks.

Lambo

Where I live, all the pawn shops sell bolt cutters for cheap. Bolt cutters cut through cable like buttah.

maranen

Don’t use a cable, but a hardened chain with a padlock which has been tested according international standard EN12320 for example ABLOY PL362. I would choose a lock that is not widely used in your country – because local criminals know how to pick popular locks.

maddyfish

^^^^Nothing wrong with a really good chain, and a good lock. Certainly better than a cable, but good u-locks are relatively inexpensive, and readily available.

Bookman

I'll add my general refrain: use more lock than you need and park near better bikes than yours. Because the thief is going to steal a bike. You want it to be somebody else's. Make it worth the thief's while to find a better bike for the same risk or less.

itsthewoo

Just got myself a Kryptonite Evolution Series 4. Built well, very strong, with a good locking mechanism.

My only issue is the bright orange bar... why the hell would I want to call attention to my lock/bike? I just wrapped it up in black electrical tape.

twiggy_D

just keep in mind good locking practices, don't leave your bike in some dark corner, find somewhere that's open and well trafficked, in other words, where someone will notice if someone starts taking bolt cutters to your bike.

Any locking method can be beaten given enough time/research/effort, D-locks are heavy but as long as you get a properly keyed one they are good, but then again, only as good as how you use them. Clamping your front wheel to a wheel rack only stops them running off with your front wheel.

PunkMartyr

Twiggy D I can't believe the stupidity of the guy in your signature (Meanwhile). Theres stupid and then theres that.

donnamb 

Seriously, if you are going to use a cable lock around a University, you might as well leave it unlocked and post a "FREE" sign on it.

ochizon

I would say he is absolutely right. The driver of the car gains no benefit from wearing a bike helmet.

PlayNurse

Got a U-Lock from kryptonite (TREK) and key is jammed 3 days after I bought it. I hear that is pretty common from that company even with their cables... so ya. dont go that direction...

itsthewoo

Never had this problem with my Kryptonite locks.

Did you even bother calling them to get it replaced?

alanbikehouston

Kryptonite's 2008 locks come with a "sticker" that explains HOW to use the lock...follow the directions, everything is fine, if you don't the lock will jam.

Both OnGuard and Kryptonite u-locks use rotating "anti-pick" plates in the keyway. The correct way to use the lock is to insert the key until it seats against the bottom of the keyway. At that point, the key will rotate easily and smoothly.

What many people do is rotate the key HALF-WAY to the bottom of the keyway. They turn the key, which will resist. They are not opening the lock, they are rotating the anti-pick plates. At that point, the key may get stuck, and it will take some "wiggling" to get the key out of the lock.

The problem is easily corrected. Just put the tip of the key into the keyway and align the rectangle open box on the first rotating plate with the rectangle on the second plate. Then align the third plate, and fourth plate, until the keyway is properly aligned.

Practice this at your kitchen table for ten minutes. Mess up the pick-plates and realign them. With practice, you will be able to realign the plates in just fifteen or twenty seconds.

This is NOT a defect in the lock. It is a design feature that makes it close to impossible to pick the lock. A bike lock that does NOT have anti-pick plates is not really a lock, it is simply a heavy chunk of metal in the shape of a lock.

wiggles

I use a cable for when my friends and I go mountain biking. They're not as good as locks, but they're great for winding through 3 or 4 bikes and bunching them together. If the thief can figure out how to get 4 bikes with their frames cabled together in the middle of the woods, they deserve the bikes.

Everywhere else, I either park my bike where I can see it, or I don't use the store. Most stores tend to yield when they see you regularly and know they will lose your business if you can't park your bike somewhere where it can be seen at all times. Locks can be picked and cables can be cut. Even good locks can be picked.

I'll still look into the ulock thing though for when I'm out of my area/at the market. Seems like it'd be a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion

wheels53

I'd never leave a bike on the street unless it was one you did'n't care about or a cheapo. I take my bike into my apartment. I've seen a guy do an experiment on how easy it is to steal a bike, with nobody caring. The guy took out a whizzer saw, people passing by, and drove away. Trust no one.

mlts22 

People are more familar with Abloy style disc locks now, but its a type of lock that is still not encountered in the US often. People expect that a correct key will turn the lock more than a trivial amount, and the wrong key will not budge the lock any degrees. However with detainer disc locks, they will always turn 90 degrees regardless if the key is right or not. Abloy has mitigated this problem with newer lock designs (the Exec and the Protec have this) with a disc steerer mechanism that won't allow the lock to turn unless the key is completely inserted. However, bike lock cylinders are still in the Stone Age, so people insert keys part way, the lock won't turn past 90 degrees, and they are not used to aligning all the detainer discs.

This isn't to say that some locks don't break. I've heard of cases where even used correctly, some cheaply made bike locks will have trouble and break at the cylinder linkage (where the cylinder turns, but won't unlock). To prevent this, go with a known good brand that has been around a long while.

rat_factory

OnGuard Mastiff

maddyfish

I read this or similar thoughts pretty often. Park next to a nicer bike.

What if there is not a nicer bike? My bike is nicer than 99% of the bikes out there.

rkpol7

then obviously you can afford a bike 49% crappier than yours!

Bookman

If your bike is so much better than anything else within eyesight, you shouldn't leave it unattended, even with the greatest lock on the market. Never take a lock with you when you ride that bike, only stop to use the bathroom, and then take your bike into the stall with you. Buy a crummier bike you can leave unattended, and when you park it, lock the hell out of it.

Robert Foster

Bike locks, as any other lock is only to keep honest people honest. I think most bikes are taken by opportunists so most locks will keep you safe from them. If someone wants your bike and they are in the business of taking bikes all you can do is slow them down. The best lock is the one that you will use every time you are away from your bike. I have a pad lock that will chip the blade on a 36-inch bolt cutter and have found that a frame straightening chain is resistant to bolt cutters as well. But neither will stop a good angle grinder. With the increase of 18 to 24 volt power tools it is pretty hard to get anything that will stop someone if they have time.

All you can do is try to find a place to lock your bike where people can see it and lock the wheels and frame whenever you can. For people that have to leave their bikes for a longer period of time getting a big U lock or ultra heavy chain with huge pad lock most often works the best. But remember this. If you get a lock that needs a cutting torch to get by it what will happen when someone puts super glue in your key slot? Don’t laugh, people do things like that.

twiggy_D

Superglue in the keyway?

Hit it with a hammer, superglue hardens brittle so with enough solid hits it'll shatter out slowly, but can take time. If they stick milliput in though it's easier to just go get an angle grinder.