Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
Why would anyone be suspicious? Well, this is exactly the SECOND thread you have ever been part of. Secondly, you use some of the EXACT British slang and phrases that appeared in recent posts by ***** (and his three alter egos) in a thread attacking Kryptonite locks.
I can honestly say that I do not recall the thread you are referring to, did I post on it?? There are a few million British people around the world, not sure how many live in Chicago although I know a few. In my thread I have not knowingly
attacked Kryptonite, all I did was post what happened to me to make others aware that no matter what protection you invest in, there are people out there bold, prepared and capable of bypassing what I considered to be a top notch lock, I researched my lock choice carefully before buying it. I do have the video footage, and while its not clear, the time code indicates that from walk up to ride away was almost 2 minutes exactly, and in that time my NY lock and cable were both cleanly severed, by what I can only assume was a portable power tool of some sort. I wish I could post the video as I did the photos, but so far I have not been able to extract the video from the proprietary format used by the building's CCTV system. I am not interested in being a forum troll - I am usually a reader not a poster, but I felt strongly about this when I posted it - not because I am trashing the lock manufacturer, or comparing to any other manufacturers, just that I was seriously taken aback at how easy it seemed to defeat the lock - and I add I don't think any lock would have stopped this guy from taking my bike, 1 cut or 2 it would have added seconds to event.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
There may be a lot of cyclists in Chicago who use British slang, but you are the first I can recall posting here at Bike Forums. So, maybe you DID move to Chicago from the UK...or maybe ***** has a new scam going.
I did move from the UK to Chicago, I am not interested in making up stories to feed to paranoia of keyboard heroes!
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
Next, according to the editors of Cycling Plus, opening your model of Kryptonite lock would require cutting both sides of the "U", as the lock as dual locking bolts, IF the interior of the "U" is filled by the rear wheel and a beefy locking post.
I think my ill thought out locking strategy, combined with the frustrating dimensions of the Cronus Genesis frame and the bike rack itself may have made it easier, thus the single cut - but as I say, 1 cut of the u lock and the cable took <1 min, so either way the lock was going to be defeated by whatever was used. I haven't read the article myself, so I can't comment beyond my own experience.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
In a workbench, it might be possible to cut one leg of the "U", and then pivot the shackle to create a large gap. But, if the lock is properly used (with the rear wheel and a beefy locking post filling the interior of the "U", it would not be possible to pivot the shackle enough to create a gap large enough to remove the bike.
See above, I think I answered this.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
You opened this thread just HOURS after the lengthy ***** thread was removed from the Forums. You and ***** are the only people who have ever posted in Bike Forums claiming to have made a video showing that it is "easy" to open a top Kryptonite lock...so, why would anyone be suspicious?
I didn't make the video, the building's CCTV caught the video, and it is not detailed enough to illustrate anything beyond what I know to have transpired, I am not trying to prove any points with my original post beyond the plain fact that I locked my bike in a manner that I thought sufficient, only to have someone walk up and ride off in under two minutes. I wouldn't say easy is the right word, I think my point was that a determined, well equipped thief made it easy, not the design or manufacture of the lock - this a point made several times by many posters, and you have not seen me 'rubbishing' the lock/manufacturer??
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
But, there is no doubt the best portable power tools can open a Kryptonite lock (although tests by experts have indicated opening both sides of the "U" with power tools would take far, far longer than the "two minutes" you say it took to open your lock). That means that a good lock can only be one tool in fighting crooks.
I can only tell you what I experienced - <2 minutes, 1x Kryptonite U lock and 1x kryptonite cable, so 1 cut or two, would not have made a big difference in my opinion, based on a logical assumption that if 1 cut took less than 2 minutes, then 2 cuts would have taken less than 4 - and 4 minutes is not a long time.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
If a bike is going to be out of the owner's sight for more than ten minutes or so, the owner must also use his brain:
I think that's a little insulting, but I'll let it slide beyond the underlining.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- don't leave a bike unattended that LOOKS valuable (and shiny new $500 bikes look valuable). It is possible to modify a high quality older model bike to appear to be worth $20 with a can of spray paint and by riding it through some mud and letting the mud bake onto the bike. I modified a 1983 Trek that was a premium quality road bike so that it appeared to be worth LESS than $20...and it still rode like a $1,000 bike.
I agree this is a reasonable approach, not one I wanted to follow - rightly or wrongly I wanted my bike to look nice, and I may well rethink this with the next one.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- don't park at a location where your bike is the ONLY bike in sight, or is the best bike in sight
I am tempted to photograph the area where I park my bike, but it wouldn't be fair to those who do park there, so I will only say that mine may have been the nicest at the time it was taken, but many bikes park there daily and one I *think* that often parks there is a carbon fibre equipped road bike, so I had looked before I started parking there and (again maybe naively) thought I'd be ok too.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- don't park an attractive bike at the same precise location day after day (giving crooks time to see it, figure out your schedule, and obtain the necessary equipment appropriate for your lock)
Fair point, my options are limited sadly and from where I parked my bike (not daily and not with any given pattern) you could probably see all the other viable options anyway.
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- if you must leave a bike in a public place for six, eight, or ten hours, consider using multiple "serious" locks, such as a heavy u-lock plus a heavy chain lock.
Again a fair point, and if you refer to one of my previous posts I can be quoted as saying that I was consider a Fahgettaboudit lock and chain in addition to another u lock - I would highlight this in my 'defence' of the charge you level of trying to rubbish the brand!
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- itemize your bike with your "home contents" of your renters insurance or your home owners insurance. Most of these policies will cover listed items even when the theft occurs far from home.
I did this, I think I may have mentioned this in my first post regarding insurance. My addition to this advice is to check your deductible, I didn't and wished I had - lesson learned, keen to know if anyone has any recommendations in this area?
Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
- don't assume that the insurance policy that came with your bike lock will help you. The typical policy has LOTS of requirements, including that you prove the bike was properly locked, prove that the lock failed, and prove that no power tools were used.
I made no assumptions, and I have not leveled any direct criticism at the lock manufacturer either. I have emailed them to ask if they would like the lock for analysis, as that may assist them in the future development of their products - hardly the words of a commercial 'assasin'
I didn't mean to pad this out quite so much, but I felt it important that these 'accusations' were answered, and I hope I have managed to do so in a way that is considered within the boundaries of good forum etiquette and with a reasonable level of intelligence and usefulness.
PLEASE believe me when I say that this is:
- a true and un-doctored report on a real event that happened to me, my bike was stolen in the manner I describe, and I would not have believed it could be done so quickly had I not seen the CCTV footage, which I REALLY HOPE I can publish for anyone who is interested, I am working on it, but so far I have not managed to export it to any kind of usable format for youtube etc.
- I am not trying to make this an attack on any person, product or company and that was never my intention, nor is it now
- my aim from this thread was to highlight what happened to me so that the forum collective could learn from my experience with a view to reducing the repetition of any 'mistakes' I might have made. In sharing this information I hope to help at least 1 more person from having their bike (paid for with their own hard earned money) stolen by someone who does not have the decency to live an honest life like the rest of us.
- I hope this thread does not descend into random abuse and end up being deleted, that would not serve us well.
- I will re-read my initial posts, made very soon after the event, when I may well have been a little less level headed in the post theft emotion I was feeling. I felt horrible, and I am still very upset by the whole experience. If edits are needed, I'll make them.
Finally I will accept any and all CONSTRUCTIVE criticism so that I can learn from the wisdom and experience of others - that is the wonderful thing with forums such as these. What do not accept are unfounded suggestions of hoaxes, malicious motives or stupidity (naive sure, inexperienced sure, stupid no).
Please can we keep on topic, and when I get back from Vegas and I'm back at work on Monday I will at least post the .img file and a link to the CCTV playback software for those who wish to see the footage and make intelligent comment/critique.
Thanks
Jon