agent pombero

My guess: wire lock.
What do you think?
I'm always curious about how peoples expensive bikes are stolen. I always shoot an email asking what kind of lock they used. I mean, if someone is sinking $1k-1.5k+ into a a bike, are they really using wire locks? I'd like to know if the $80 Ulocks are being defeated. All the stolen Surlys on CL have me worried (2-3+ a week here). Doesn't make sense that all those Surly owners, whoknow their value, would risk a crappy lock...

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/3790349144.html

Wire lock? U lock?

Update 5-10-13: Colin responded. He was using a Ulock with a cable.

cdonges

Blaming the victim?

There isn't a single lock that can't be defeated. I hear that co2 works really well on most locks.

erig007

Co2 doesn't work on all though.
Not well on the Sergent & Greenleaf 951C nor on the PL350 and PL362 padlocks from Abloy


maybe on some cheap locks
https://gizmodo.com/5945871/reminder-...-is-never-safe

knobster

Maybe he didn't use a lock. I see many bikes locked up downtown in Portland that aren't locked.

agent pombero

agreed, I've seen many bikes downtown unlocked as wellbut never $1k+ bikes.

The person still hasn't gotten back to me yet on what kind of lock was used.

and No, not blaming the victim. I wouldn't say: What were you thinking Colin! Okay maybe I would. I'd be thinking that for sure.

But the real reason I email Craigslist posters asking what kind of lock they used is for my own curiosity and fears. I really want to know if U-locks are being defeated commonly. I have two bikes with over $2k in them each. I can't afford to replace either one of them easily which is why I never lock up except for at work (secure bike garage, keycard access, and cameras). Surlys are very popular, great bikes, and they are one of the biggest brands reported on Bikeportland as stolen. But is my fear reasonable that my bike is such a high risk target? I'd like to know if I can relax a little...and allow myself to lockup outside of the grocery store of movie and things will be okay with my kryptonite fahgettaboudit U lock, and 2 cables for the wheels and saddle. But I doubt I ever will, not sure. Might just have to cruise Craigslist in the fall/winter, when the bikes are cheaper and harder for folks to sell, to find a decent lockup bike and stop worrying about this troubling theft trend.

GeraldF

I really don't think you should worry about locking up a Surly with a Kryptonite lock if you're just going to a grocery store. It's clear that you're seeking to alleviate your fears, however, so I'd recommend getting a beater bike for utility cycling. I'm sure you can find something for short trips in the $50-$200 range. I have a friend who has locked up a $99 Magna bike outside 24-7 on the streets of Philly for three years straight using a $30 Kryptonite Lock and he's never had any theft problems. If you are willing to get a department store bike you could always upgrade certain parts like the tires, brakes, derailleur, etc and still have a bike that is much, much cheaper than a Surly and a whole lot less appealing to thieves. Not having to worry about bike theft is a true blessing.

groovedachshund

Have you considered getting a lock with a warranty? I know kryptonite has "up to $X" refund if your bike is stolen (you will need to register your bike and file a police report if it is stolen, and have your broken lock as proof). Then you can go about relatively worry-free.

You can also usually get your homeowners/renter's insurance to cover the cost of your bike for very little to no extra charge.

agent pombero

No such thing as a free lunch. The Kryptonite warranty is known to be worthless. I hate to get a cheap "beater/lockup" bike for utility purposes. Those kinds of bikes for me are not enjoyable to ride. I have nice bikes I've sunk a ton of cash into because they're nice to ride. anyone else hate the idea of a beater? I'm just going to have to suck it up and buy a beater...I'm tired of walking to places I need to go to. There is a grocery store here, won't name it because I don't want them to change the policy, that lets me bring in my bike every time I shop. I do this only during off hours when the store is virtually dead. I shop every other day for just a few needed things. It'd be nice to be able to get 4-7 days worth though...but lugging a bike around AND a hand basket full of that amount of food isn't possible. Will check into homeowners coverage, thanks for the tip groove.

groovedachshund

Shhh, we're trying to get him to not worry. He shouldn't be worrying with a good U-lock anyways.

Of course, I always use both a U-lock and a wire lock together. Ulock on the rear wheel in the triangle, wire around front wheel and frame.

agent pombero

I hope this idiot doesn't go to Europe:

GeraldF

A potential compromise to a beater bike: Get a new bike in the $300 to $450 range from a bike shop. The other day I saw a shop selling a GT Aggressor 3.0 for $320 new. Speaking from personal experience, I've locked up this bicycle HUNDREDS of times in urban areas over the past NINE YEARS and I still have the bike. For convenience, I decided to go with locking skewers for the seat and wheels as opposed to using supplementary cable locks. I only lock the frame with a U-Lock. My renters insurance covers any bicycle I own, no matter where it's stolen from. Even if I travel to another country and the bike gets stolen, the bike will be covered (for a $100 deductible). Make sure you find out what your deductible would be if a bike were stolen; $500 may be standard, but you can negotiate and get it lowered. Heck, maybe then you can even keep riding your Surly for errands.

Machka 

Does anyone ever answer?

agent pombero

I've probably sent over 75 emails to people over the past couple of years. I've received less than 10 responses. 2 said their u-locks were somehow defeated (locks were taken by the thief), the the others were a mixture of wirelocks, stolen from a locked garage, and a "I looked away just for a second while I went to throw away my lunch in the trash".

Machka 

Somehow I'm not surprised!

Talk about adding insult to injury to receive an email like that.

agent pombero

it should be a rule that to post a stolen bike listing there is explanation for what kind of lock, if any, was used prior to the theft. I thnk that information is important.

Machka 

No, it's not. It really doesn't matter. As you've discovered with your insensitive emails, there are a whole variety of situations.


What's important is getting the bicycle back.

agent pombero

My guess is that the majority felt foolish for using wirelocks. But please let us know if it was or wasn;t a wirelock. that is all I want to know.

Machka 

And why would anyone respond to an email like that? Most probably couldn't delete it fast enough.

It doesn't matter what was used ... situations vary.



2 years ... 75 insensitive emails to victims of crime ...

GeraldF

I had the pleasure to meet with the heads of Portland State University's Transportation Services a little while back. They had stats on how many bikes were stolen on campus and the type of locks used. I'd have to dig it up for the exact numbers, but I recall that of the 100+ recorded bike thefts, less than five were bikes locked with U-Locks. The vast majority of the thefts were bikes locked with wirelocks. Hopefully this ends your need to know what type of locks victims of theft are using.

jdon

Always classy to rub salt in a wound.

chaadster

Wire lock? Do you mean cable lock?

I suppose you could argue wire and cable are synonymous, but nobody says 'wire lock', so I just want to be sure you're not talking about something else.

chaadster

Also, for the record, I had a ulock broken and a bike stolen in the early '90s.

I've also been locking up $2k+ bikes in big college towns since that same period, and after a couple of thefts, have a pretty good handle on making better risk assessments. I don't go nuts with the locks, but rather try to choose smart lockup locations in well-lit, high traffic areas. I also avoid the 'student ghettoes' and long lockups as much as possible.

While there are lots of little things to consider that may mitigate risk, they're not sure-shots, so in the end, when you lock up and walk away, you need to be satisfied that you did your reasonable best, and ready to lose it, whether that means to replace it or go without.

When my trick, custom Yo Eddy got vic'd from inside the restaurant where I worked, that was a big hit; I had more than $3.5k into that. But you know, I replaced it with what I could, kept riding, and while I think about that bike periodically, it's just a bike, and I've had lots of happy miles on other bikes in the couple of decades since on other bikes. I would say things turned out damn well.

TheOtherBob

I have to agree -- I mean, what an awful thing to do to someone who's just been robbed.

And for what possible purpose? Ostensibly the OP is looking to gather anecdotes to help him "decide" whether U-locks can be defeated. But if you want to know the answer to that, it's pretty straightforward: U-locks can be defeated, but they're harder to defeat and statistically safer than cable locks -- just as the OP believes. Whether you are safe leaving your bike somewhere depends not really on the lock but primarily where you're leaving it. Leave it in a place with skilled bike thieves, and nothing short of a cop sitting on the bike the whole time will keep it safe. Leave it unattended and unlocked in your mom's living room, and it will probably be ok. Nothing that any crime victim can say will add to that.

So...I mean, really, what's the point of this? To remind people that they're idiots?

ratdog

I guess he's got nothing better to do than to piss on people that are already having a bad day...

Ferrous Bueller

It should be a rule that you describe to us what food you ate prior to posting this. People want to know if certain types can impair their capacity for rational thought.