Does anyone know if it is possible to cut 3/8" (9mm) chain with boltcutters?

It would come to leverage, long armed cutters AND you would have to get the chain to the ground and but one arm of the bolt cutters on the ground.

If you can't get the chain down, arm (bike) down, I doubt you could push both arms inward with enough force.

A short chain would be better, (no way to get it to the ground) also the metal should be hardened and plated (nickle or something.)

I cut an old mtb tube and slipped it over my chain. The lock bolt should be the same thickness, any key replacement ID #, write down and file off.

IMO, all that jazz.

I assume you will also need a very long boltcutters? How long? 1m?

Going to steal a bike?
Not sure, when we cut my chain @ the shop, I think the arms were 4 feet long or more, and we had to put one arm on the cement.

I guess if I weighed above 200 lbs it would have been easier. A hardened 9mm diam link is a bit of steel, but not too hard to hacksaw if someone can clamp it.

I use chain 'caus my bikes rarely outside. Sleeps in my bedroom, goes into work with me.

Any chain that you can carry on a bike can be dealt with by bolt cutters or a hacksaw.

Security devices have a number of purposes:

1) They effectively repel impulse thieves. That is thieves who just want to grab your bike and run. If your bike is chained and locked, they have to be able to deal with the chain and lock.

2) They slow down even prepared thieves.

3) They might deflect thieves. If there are a dozen bikes of equal value in the same location and one is locked and the others are not, there is a good chance that thieves will take the other bikes rather then fool with the secured one.

That being said, any bike left outside unattended for long periods of time is vulnerable to theft. Of course, a really cheap bike with a big old lock on it should be reasonably secure. It is unlikely that anyone would go to the trouble to steal a cheap bike.

Not really, protecting my own. Also I want to write an article about bike theft. I've got 9mm chain. In the store they had a really advanced mechanism for cutting chains, and seeing that even with that device it was not easy gives me hope.

I've been running chain since I lost the last key for the cable wound one.

I had a bit of a smirk on when the Bic news hit. Do the innertube over the chain, makes you very urbane and cool. Mtb tire tube.

In one word, Yes

I've cut a "Boron" shackle on a master pad lock with only 30" Bolt cutters. (some little twerp locked it on a Traffic Controller I had to service)

All locks can be defeated, they just require time or making noise, both of which theives dont wish to do.

Keep it locked up in a conspicuous location, once night falls, get it indoors. If they cant steal it they may take it out on your wheels.

Cordless dremel with cutting disks?

I recently had a combination cable lock jam on me and had to remove it with bolt cutters. It was a fairly laborious effort, taking about a half hour. Obviously, the lock would have not stopped a determined thief, just as it did not stop me, but I feel it would dertainly have deterred almost all of them.

Paul

I have a set of 1m boltcroppers in my shed, cost me £15, and they'd go through a 9mm shackle like butter in, oh, twenty seconds max. Then again, you try sneaking around with 1m-long boltcroppers!

There is not fool proof way to secure anything. But to deter the crooks and try to frustrate them enough that they will want to leave, its best to use two different locking systems-one chain or U lock and one cable or that new cable with plated steel sheathing.

They'd just about fit in my Kremlin...

Now that's what I call a bag! You could lose a whole relationship inside that thing... https://www.chromebags.com/kremlin.php

is the ABUS granit plus a good lock for my bike?

The quality and metal hardness of the chain are the key to cut resistance.

my heavy chain is like the super magnum, except the chain is square link...the lock is dead identical though....but my lock was only $30 sold under the avenir brand.

Pretty solid combo overall, that thing's gotten attacked to hell and back, and aside from having to file some edges on the lock so I wouldn't ruin my paint, the thing's held up great.

In one word; "YES"!

Should have cut it closer to the lock there's usually a small sleeve thingy at the transition between lock and cable that makes the cable easy to cut. Takes me all of a minute to zap one of those with a 3' bolt cutter.

I say don't buy any lock, cable, u-lock or anything because that is the best way to make sure your bike is safe 24/7.

You can go in stores for as long as you want, go anywhere you want to go, and never have to worry about your bike being stolen. Locks, cables, u-lock or any kind of lock won't stop a thief. I know it will stop some but not all. If a thief wanted to they could steal just a brakecable, bag, etc off your bike. You really can't lock those. You could take the brake cable and bag with you but taking the brake cable with you could be a pain. I wouldn't take the brake cable with me but there are other ways to keep everything all safe 24/7 no matter what thief walks by. It can be the best thief ever but they will not get my bike. They can try to touch it but they won't beable to get it. I know nothing is impossible but this is the only 99% sure way that your bike and even bike trailer won't get stolen.

Thats why I am making sure whenever I go my bike and bike trailer is always safe because I know someone is going to steal it even if I had the best lock ever on the bike and to me I figured that a bike and a lock is not worth it at all. Not even the best one.

Insurance isn't either. They may protect you if your bike gets stolen or your bike trailer (not sure on this one) but I don't think they will protect you if a brake cable, the stuff in the trailer, anything on your bike gets stolen. So insurance isn't worth it either.

Both of them have major disadvantages that are not worth risking.

Jeffery, you lost me there. I understand you're saying no lock is safe. I agree to a point, although my locking strategy is "my locks are better than those in 90% of the neighbouring bikes". But what is it that you're suggesting instead of locks?

And to cycleopath: the Abus Granit X-Plus 54 is probably about the best U-lock in the market right now. Whether it is "a good lock for your bike" depends on how much you want to spend, how much weigh you want to haul, how expensive your bike is, where you live etc. For me it would be an overkill, but your mileage may vary.

--J

I am saying that if you can figured out a way to keep a bike safe without any kind of chain, lock, etc while going inside stores for as long as you want then your bike and even your bike trailer will be 99% safe forever.

You have to fire thiefs back with fire. Not real fire or violent I am not saying because it doesn't involve that.

What on Earth are you talking about?

Just so everyone knows, ABUS claims their disk locks are unpickable, but I have a video of one being picked. Keep in mind the picker had an expensive tool made exclusively for picking disk locks. Most theives wouldn't even have the cheapest of lockpicks anyway.

The video is simply huge (it's the entire lockpicking lecture from H2K2), but the part on the ABUS lock starts at 41:40. The video can be found here: https://connectmedia.waag.org/toool/ (h2k2-lockpicking-vcd.mpg). Barry picks a granite lock I believe, and says there are usually about 8 disks.

EDIT: I checked and it is a granite series lock.