helloamerican

I'm back in a bike theft city now so i'm focusing on protecting my bike.
So far i've got an NYC chain for the frame and rear wheel, im trying to decide what to do for the front

I'm split between getting a mini evolution to ulock the front wheel to the frame or getting a pitlock and just not locking the front wheel.

What do you guys think? they're about the same price when it comes down to it.

ryanlovesyou

Get an OnGuard Mini Bulldog from Amazon for 25 bucks, that will be cheap and super secure. There's been an incredible amount of threads on it lately. I don't know how high theft Savannah is but I can't imagine getting much more secure than that.

helloamerican

savannahs highest crime is bike theft, lots get yanked- the other thing to consider is the weight issue, that nyc chain weighs a good amount, if you guys think the pitlock would be good enough i'd rather do that because it's essentially no extra weight.

el twe

Pitlock should be plenty.

mathletics

Those chains are for routine locking; you leave them at your lock up spot. I realize that lots of BF members carry them, but that's too much weight. Get a mini-U and a THICK combo cable lock. Put the U around the rear rim and the object you're locking to. For best results, the U should enclose the rim, chainstay, crank arm, and the object; no room whatsoever for a jack. Then put the cable around the front wheel and frame. Tools against one are useless against the other when you have different style locks with different locking mechanisms.

Also, +1 for OnGuard locks. Solid stuff at a great price.

helloamerican

i like the chain because its beefy as hell and leaves more room for creative locking, i.e. telephone pole instead of looking for a street post

deathhare

i got a NY Fagettaboutit Ulock and a cable going thru both wheels.
I hope its enough.

helloamerican

you're probly fine, i'm just paranoid.

you been riding much?

Bushman

my daily lock is a 4' 3/8" square link chain, with a solid steel body shrouded padlock. I just loop it around my waist, dont even notice its there. 8 lbs of locking goodness

for you front wheel get the Evolution U lock, it will secure your wheel nicely, and depending on how you lock your chain, can be used with the chain.

deathhare

yeah until i killed my rear tire a few days ago. bicycle link didnt have anything cool and cheap enough for me so im waiting on mr. ups to bring me tires.
Rode my gal's bike some till my back ached. Its way too small for me.

Saw a guy on a big orange Hoffy. Cool bike. You know him?

Cyclist0383

Both my wife and I have used Pitlock for years and we love them. Small, secure, fit it and forget about it. Pitlock keys are 14mm, I a carry a small 14mm/15mm combo wrench.

helloamerican

ah thats a bummer, yeah the lbs' suck for cheap tires..

hoffy... not sure i know the brand but i may know the guy if its the bike im thinking of. theres not many people with genuine track bikes round here.


and ziemas, how easy are they to intall on the front, would i have to rebuild my axel? im guessing so.. wish they made pit locks just the nut.

Cyclist0383

They do make Pitlocks just as a nut, for the Rolhoff hub at least. They are M10x1mm. They do mention on their site that they are considering other nuts as well. Perhaps you could write to them and ask about the size you need.
https://www.pitlock.com/sortiment/sic...sen/index.html

Other than that you'd have to swap out your axle to a hallow one.

PHR3AK

if you know how you can open pitlock realy fast without the special key. only need a bigger wrench and a needle. when i worked at a bikeshop we opend/closed als the pitlocks this way. -> not seccure
i use a u look for frontwheel.....but whats about stem/handlebar? if you ride brakeless its fast stolen

Cyclist0383

While I don't see how Pitlocks can be opened with a needle and wrench, even if they can you have to ask yourself if a thief take the time, or will they just steal a wheel off one of the many bikes which have wheels which aren't locked? I vote for the latter.

Any lock can be defeated, it's a matter of getting the thieves to choose another bike to steal and not yours. Top notch locking provides this incentive.

helloamerican

i ended up buying a u-lock phr3ak brings up a good point what methods do you use to protect the stem? i've heard about a ball bearings and glue but is there a better way?

deathhare

Ive been thinking about this a lot too. Just been hoping no one would steal my stem/bars. Hoping really sucks.

Someone mentioned just filling the allen hole with clear silicone to make it hard to get the tool in. Its not theft proof but having to pick out the silicone will def slow someone down a good bit. Maybe theyll just move along.

This idea obviously involves more hoping.

eMwolB

< NYC resident, pitbull mini, no problems.

operator

Just pitlock everything.

operator

Who cares, if they're thinking that much they're just going to steal you're entire ****ing bike with an angle grinder.

na975

you guys are so paranoid .

Bushman

^ dont ride/ lock up in the city much do ya?

seitenryu

On my work bike I've got Pitlocks on my Front wheel and seatpost plus Kryptonite EVO. For the rear just use 2 tensioners. If stealing bikes is their thing they'll have a full toolkit anyway. Years ago I knew a few folks that stripped whole rigs down. It's ****in crazy to think no one has developed things similar to the Pitlock, if it were improved and applied to all components bikes would be a lot more secure. Go to a specialty bolt store and replace as many bolts as you can with Torx versions maybe even Security Torx. Or pick more public locking locations... Sam

helloamerican

you know, chain tensioners would be a good deterent, something that would take time to fiddle with the theif might say ****it. as for the pitlock, yeah i thought about that also- if a theif really wanted to be sweet in their arsenal wouldn't they just buy a cheap pitlock and use the nut from that, i mean they arn't all unique like keys.. and torx, whats that a custom nut? where might i find a specialty nut store hah

mathletics

Torx, IIRC, available at any decent hardware store.