NFD40

So, I recently just started to ride my bike to and from school again because the weather is getting warmer and I think I need some exercise too. Ever since my last bike got stolen at school late last year I stopped biking to school entirely till now. I bought a really good lock (Kryptonite New York Lock) and a new bike (GT Avalanche 3.0). I'm 17 and I don't have much money so I can't afford to lose another bike, school is also pretty far and taking public transit would also be expensive. My question is if I should take off my front wheel and lock it with the rear wheel through the seat stays or should I have another cable to attach to my front wheel or should the lock go through the down tube as it is the strongest part of the bike?

2manybikes

Go to the Kryptonite web site and find the instructions about how to lock up.

Taking the wheel off and filling the space inside the lock with the front wheel, frame, back wheel, pedals if possible, and the post you are locking to, is the best. You want to not let even a pipe into the inside of the lock if you can. A high traffic location where everyone can see it is helpful.

NFD40

Thanks a lot 2manybikes, great tips!

Cyril 

And second lock of a different sort wouldn't hurt.
A Case hardened steel chain is better than a cable.
It takes more tools and more time to get through two lock systems.

J.C. Koto

Be careful if you remove the front wheel since it's a bit easier for the fork to get bent if you leave the bike unattended with the front wheel removed. It's not necessarily a bad idea to remove the wheel as long as you're careful about this.

I personally just secure the front wheel with a cable *in addition to* locking the rear wheel and frame to a good, secure and stationary object. I simply won't leave my bike unattended anywhere I feel this isn't sufficient to prevent theft. Another option is to get a theft-resistant security skewer like a Pitlock to keep the wheel safe.

nametagnarly

This was how I locked my bike when I was commuting in highschool. One flex cable and one u-lock. The U lock goes around the rear wheel, in the rear triangle (as per the "Sheldon Brown Locking Method"), and a flex cable is pulled taught around the front wheel and the frame. Then the other loop of the flex cable is locked up with the u-lock. Now in college, I just use two U-locks. One securing the back wheel whatever I'm locking up against, and the smaller U-lock securing the front wheel to the frame.

Here's a pretty picture I painted:

Dave Cutter

This:

chaadster

+1

It's a little inconvenient, but you'll just have to weigh that against the costs of carrying and using a second lock, which is the second best option. Looping a cable onto the U isn't so effective, as once the U is defeated, so is the cable.

one other tip would be to avoid locking up in the same, predictable places all the time. I think often, and especially on campus, theives scope out racks and know class schedules, so once their hip to your routine, the ball is their court, so to speak. Stick with high traffic locations, but switch 'em up randomly.

fietsbob

Hogging the whole bike rack that way .. I hate people that do that.

<humor insert>

nametagnarly

Hey man, don't hate me! The picture is just one that I found on my computer of a bike in front of a bike rack. I wasn't parking it, just leaning it against the rack to take a picture. Virtually, you're completely right. I, with my virtual u-lock, am hogging the entire virtual bike rack. In real life though, I would never dream of actually taking up more than one locking spot.
EFFF BIKE RACK HOGS!

Winfried

Always lock the frame to a fixed, immovable object, leaving as little empty space as possible so as to make it harder to use a crowbar.

Until you have enough money to replace the quick-releases with secure screws*, always unlock the front-wheel and use the D lock to secure it with the frame. More infos here.

* already PITLOCKed ?, Atomic22 - The ultimate bicycle security solution, www.pinheadcomponents.com, Sphyke C3N | Bicycle Locks and Anti-theft Security, etc.

contango 

Around London I've seen a few people lock their bikes so that they are raised off the ground and attached to a metal fence or similar. Breaking the lock would mean the bike would fall to the ground. Whether anyone would pay any attention is another matter but it's another line of defence even if only in theory.

The key thing is to make sure that whatever locks you have in place can't be shuffled around so they are against the ground. If they are against the ground they can be hit with something solid.

NFD40

So from all that I have read, I'm starting to lean towards using an additional cable lock or if I saved up some more I could get a locking skewer. Maybe I should Have bought a smaller lock so the thieves cant get a good leverage on the thing because I'm starting to think that my New York Lock M18-WL lock is pretty huge. It leaves a pretty wide gap.

Should I just return it at my LBS and get a cheaper lock and a locking skewer? Also are these u locks even that effective against angle grinders? I saw videos on Youtube that they can be cut with relative ease if one possesses an angle grinder. My last lock was a Kryptonite evolution u lock and it was cut the same way with an angle grinder.

Having my bike stolen is really putting me off cycling to school. I would never sell my bike for a couple of bus passes so I guess my only option is to lock it right and hope it never gets stolen

locolobo13 

Good advice above. I'll add one suggestion. Talks to school security. If they have no advice ask if they can tell you where the security camera coverage is best. Then lock your bike there if possible.

Joe Perez

Taking off the front wheel every day is certainly a nuisance.

For my own bike, I use a combination of the orange Kryptonite U-lock and the following cable: Amazon.com: Kryptonite 720018210610 KryptoFlex 3/8" x 7' 1007 Double Loop Security Cable: Sports & Outdoors

You can loop one end of the cable through the other like a noose, so that it can thread through both wheels, your saddle mount, etc., and only one end need enter the U-lock. This image may illustrate it better:

jrickards

Yeah, no, this isn't good. You honestly think a photoshopped lock, even 2, are going to do it? Sorry bud, but your bike is essentially gone.

chaadster

Ouch! Yeah, you can't protect against that, so you need to pay extra attention to your lockup scenarios so that you're limiting the exposure opportunities. Mix up your lockups in high traffic areas, don't leave it out too long in one place, don't leave it out late...stuff like that. Anyway, I wouldn't think the chances of being jacked twice are that great, so perhaps you can take some comfort in that.

fietsbob

Ring locks
Defender*-*axa-stenman

though with this chain RLC 140*-*axa-stenman

At 1.4M long I can loop around the front wheel and around the bike-rack/ sign post to lock the bike up,

and then plug the pin into the ring lock and secure both wheels and the bike to a fixed object.

Bike: NL made Koga. Had the riv-nuts on the front of the Seat Stays ,
key on left, plug in catch for the chain pin on the right

Another non Kryptonite brand lock company ... Abus https://www.abus.com/eng/Mobile-Secur...Security/Locks

another bike uses their folding link lock https://www.abus.com/eng/Mobile-Secur.../Folding-locks

https://www.abus.com/eng/Mobile-Secur...in-combination

and armored cables , Interlocking steel sleeve segments over the cable..
https://www.abus.com/eng/Mobile-Secur...s/Steel-O-Flex

folding link lock holder is in place of a water bottle cage on my Bike Friday ..

Dave Cutter

It's an old thread and maybe it would be better to just let it die but there is one more option that should be mentioned.

A beater. The OP is a high school student so even an old BSO (Bicycle Shaped Object) would require a bit of a lock-deterrent. As kids will hop on a bike and ride.... just to save themselves a long walk.

But normally a bicycle of little or NO value can be the best deterrent. A decent old mountain bike [that shifts and rides well] with badges removed mismatched tires and shake-can paint enhancements has no retail or fun-factor value to a thief. Add a big old lock that needs to be cut off and it becomes the least desirable bike to steal.

NFD40

Dave, I think you're right for the most part. I could get a 78 dollar walmart bike and ride it to school but my current bike is nothing too fancy anyways. Well I guess it is better than most other people's bikes at school. I could also fix up a really really old and rusty hunk of steel BSO one of my friends have and maybe I could use it for most everyday commuting and have my new bike as a backup in case it gets stolen somehow (it looks really bad and maybe no one would steal it). Furthermore, I bought and spent alot of money on my new bike so I want to ride it as much as possible and not just ride it on the ocasional weekends otherwise to me it would seem kinda like a waste of money to me, like a kinda want to get my money's worth of use out of it, that's just me.

I am still a bit puzzled to the fact that no one really heard someone grinding away at my lock with a grinder. Since not only my bike got stolen at school I am trying to see if staff would let me park my bike indoors. Hopefully they would understand.

Leebo

Any security cameras near a lock up place?

NFD40

Nope, unfortunately. I don't really know why there isn't any cameras there while there are plenty of cameras inside the school.

Ozonation

Since you're commuting and likely carrying other things, I'd just be prepared to carry a bit more and bring an additional lock/chain/cable. Besides, you might want to loop the cable through the saddle, etc. to discourage pilfering of parts off your bike.

Joe Perez

I learned first-hand that price matters not- they'll steal anything. Shortly after moving here, I had a $99 WalMart bike disappear in broad daylight from outside the Hoboken terminal, wearing the same relatively cheap cable lock which I'd used for years on my $2k e-bike back when I was living in the upscale suburbs of SoCal.

I now use a Kryptonite U-lock on the bike I leave in Jersey, and a massive (8.5lb) Kryptonite chain and disc lock on the Manhattan bike.

NFD40

Chains I would say are probably the most secure lock you can get, they are probably the most angle grinder resistant bike lock one can get according to this link.

Best Bike Locks Tested and Reviewed | Bicycling Magazine,

The problem is that they are really hefty and I don't really know how I can bring one along. Also they don't really attach to your bike so transporting them is really not that fun. I guess I could just leave the chain at the bike locking structure, I hope it doesn't rust or something because it is quite rainy here in Vancouver.