So, my roommate had his bike stolen a few days ago (Gavin Durus) while he was in the gym on campus here in Fresno, CA. Any area within a 1-mile radius of Fresno State is like New York as far as bike theft - if it's worth taking, it won't be there very long. He also deserved it - leaving a $650 road bike (that he barely rides, so it's in good condition) locked with a chinsy $5 cable that's about as thick as a toothpick was stupid.
This got me thinking though (read: paranoid). Combined with the stories I've been hearing recently (about once a month since I moved into a house) about bikes being stolen from garages (where my bikes are kept) and I decided to beef up my security. I have all of my bikes locked with some standard (not very secure, to be honest) 450lb test chain (at least the links are welded) and protected shackle padlocks. It's not going to stop a determined thief, but it'll do.
For my commuter, however, I've only been using an OnGuard cable lock. Since everyone else around here uses a U-lock, I figured I was automatically more secure by using something different. Now, I feel like having two types of locks is the ideal standard for stopping a thief. I know the biggest weakness for U-locks, however, is prying/wedging (jacking) the shackle apart, and I also know that they sell expensive plates that prevent this. This got my friend and I thinking, and I came up with an idea.
One trip to OSH later and I had something: 1/2" thick, 4,500lb test galvanized chain. It can pass something about 17mm thick (most U-lock shackles are 15-16mm thick if you account for the plastic coating) through the entire link (end to end).
Here's a picture of my find...
This has two benefits:
1. It keeps the shackle from being spread apart by prying or jacking
2. It takes up space between the crossbar and whatever else is inside the shackle, making it harder to fit tools inside to try and pry.
The cost for this chain was $6.50 for a foot (7 links). Each one only requires 6 links though, so once you cut the 7-link section into two (you lose a link in the process) you pay $3.25 for each one (+tax).
It took a 200-lb employee several minutes (and 2 sets of bolt cutters) to cut this stuff for me, so I am feeling good about it. If my bike DOES get stolen, then maybe I can finally convince the wife to let me buy one of these:
http://fresno.craigslist.org/bik/2345379996.html
Please, any opinions?