Originally Posted by
rekmeyata
^^ TheGnome. It's obvious you're very wealthy, so for you to buy a $5,000 bike is probably like pocket change to most of us here. So for you it makes sense to go and buy a $5,000 bike every time it gets stolen.
But your perception of a lower costing bike falling apart is pure nonsense, there are people on this forum that ride low end LBS bikes to work and have no issues, for years I rode a bike (a 84 Trek 660 with Suntour Superbe components) to work that accumulated over 160,000 miles in that time frame and it never broke. And risk your life? Your risking your life more riding that carbon fiber dream bike!! Get real, and stop insulting riders on this forum that ride to work on less then $500 bicycles. Maybe a $100 Walmart bike isn't idea, but their $275 Schwinn Prelude would more then hold up.
And lock picking contests began in Europe and Holland with what was known as LockCon and LockSport and other names, but the contests first came out of Europe in 1997 which I got confused with the American version DefCon. But DefCon didn't add lock picking to other assorted hacking until early 2000 and it was a slow catching on contest.
But regardless you're speaking out of your ass. You don't understand bikes at all, nor tools. 10 minutes for an angle grinder to cut a lock is pure BS and thus the real ass talker is you on those points.
But you did say something that isn't pure BS out of your ass, and that's taking the bike in doors with you. I was always able to take my bike inside and right into my office.
Again, you don't really know what you're talking about, but I digress...
The OP's question was answered long before this thread devolved into some sort of paranoid conspiracy theory hoopla. I own the tools that everyone mentions and use them on a semi-regular basis, so I have an ok knowledge of what they're useful for... and while they will make short work of a cheapie Bell lock with a 1/4" shackle, it is going to take a while on a hardened lock with a huge shackle... especially with the turd of a tool you can buy for $30 (which, might I add... needs constant brush replacement). If you want to get into total crazy land... they also make portable band saws... and those will cut through the lock waaaay faster... and much quieter.
And as for "cheap bikes". Most of the Walmart variety *are* junk with all manner of scary parts (plastic armed side-pull brakes for instance). Can you get an ok bike for cheap? Sure, if you spend a lot of time looking and want to do your own wrenching... and if you're really that strapped for cash, I don't think coughing up another few hundred dollars for another bike is going to help.
I've been bike commuting my entire life (I'm 31 and never licensed to drive) and I've had 1 bike stolen ever... when I was in high school, because it was unlocked. It was a cheapie POS.