Convenience=a compromise in security.
Usually.
If one knows how, it takes a matter of seconds to turn the right combination and open that lock. And, unfortunately, to people passing by it just looks like you are fumbling with the combo on your lock.
Handy and easy if you live in a small town. Easily stolen if you are in a larger city.

P.S. I don't want to scare you, but if you spent less than $600 on your keypad entry lock on your house, you should replace it with a better one, or go back to a good ol' fashioned heavy duty deadbolt.

I deal with at least two people who have had their homes broken into each day (average).
Take this with a grain of salt. If you live in a nice, small town with a low crime rate, obviously don't worry.............
....but if you don't.
How much is your peace of mind/safety/big screen/bike worth to you?

The house lock wasn't that expensive but it is a deadbolt lock. If some guy really wanted to get it her would just go through a window.

So how does a person figure out the combo to a lock in seconds?

And yeah, I live in a really safe town with almost 0 crime.

I am glad that you live in low crime area. I do miss those days.... Hey, whatever works for you. I just hate to see people that think their homes are secure after buying locks from home depot and the like.

Without becoming too technical and/or giving info on a technique, 'there are gates', that you can actually see as you spin the dials. You have to know how to 'transfer' them to the actual combo.
So, for a hypothetical example, I see a gate at #4 as I spin the first dial. Knowing that with this particular lock they offset the 'gates' 2 numbers, I dial back 2 numbers.
Next chamber.......etc.....
There is some knowledge, skill, and good eyes involved, but with practice anyone can learn.

There are actually races at ALOA (associated locksmiths of america) conventions involving these, and many other opening techniques.
They give you prizes!
I know it's annoying to carry keys, but to all out there who live in an area where your bike even MIGHT be stolen, please use a good solid, keyed lock.

I have I have one of the long ongaurd locks. it fell apart one day. I emailed ongaurd and they sent me a new lock with no questions asked. so they do have good service.

I view locking my bike up with a dollar store item as a sign I don't really like my stuff.

I tend to lock my car doors too because my CD player has some value to me as well.

I don't ask tattoo artists 'how much' when I want some quality work done.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not much more that should need to be said.

I have a Kryptonite u-lock which works fine. I Canada they have started to distribute Abus locks more widely and they are much better imho.

I have a Granit-X Plus 54, which is top rated in the last Cycling Plus test and mounts onto my Tubus Locc rack directly.

I also bought an Abus combo lock which is a cable locked with the cable covered by steel plates. Not too heavy and seems pretty secure for days when the big lock is overkill.

I used this thing to lock my Huffy at school for several months (during the day) - It was actually one of the better-locked bikes there...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

I have two of the OnGuard Bulldog combos (U-lock plus the 4-foot cable) that I've used for about two years now. I've had no real problems with them, but I don't leave them out in the weather much, and I do keep them lubed occasionally (I use Rock 'n Roll Gold; thanks Crawdaddio for the word on WD-40).

I've also got one of the Kryptonite 3000 New York Locks as well as the "Fuhgeddaboudit" chain. I tend to use these more when I'm out running around town from place to place since I find them a little easier to pack around... not quite as big and bulky as the OnGuards. The U-lock is typically strapped on top of my rack trunk, and I've found the easiest way to pack the chain is to wear it sort of like a belt (with a carabiner clipped between the lock and the first chain link just in case I lose that dratted key). Folks kid me about it from time to time, but my response is that just like some folks wear ankle weights for extra exercise, I just wear my bike lock ;-)

The one time Mr. Bike Thief did mess with my ride, though, I was using one of the OnGuards, and it did its job admirably -- no damage to either the lock or the bike.

I agree WD40 isnt ideal, but it was all I had at the time besides motor oil. It was over a year ago and is still smooth, so it cant be too bad.

Well, I dunno if it's good or not, but i dripped some chain be into mine (finsh line dry teflon lube) and it's worked beautifully.

I have an Onguard Bulldog Mini, a Pitbull, and a OnGuard Mastiff 5019 Chain lock.
VERY satisfied by them so far! =]
However the Mastiff 5019 lock was frozen after leaving it out in snow at 5F, -7Fwindchill.

oh. I forgot to mention. In the early/middle of January we had about 2 weeks where the temp did not go above 10F, and windchills were in the -2 and -4 range.

It was just fine. No problems at all.
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...g/DSC00043.jpg

A few years ago, Kyptonite was replacing these. They replaced three of mine - all had been previously registered with them. Now that's customer service!

I like the OnGuard Brute STD 5001 (year, 2009) U-lock. From what I hear, the "seizing" problem has been addressed, at least somewhat, in this model.

What do you like about it compared to the NY series by Kryptonite?

The price.

I have an Onguard combination U-lock. The release mechanism jammed. It's a good think I hadn't locked my bike with that lock or else I'd have been REALLY mad. Instead I was just mad. Anyway I called Onguard and they started giving me all kinds of grief about having the lock registered etc.

Apparently this is a known problem with the Onguard combination U-lock. I beat it on the ground a few times and it came loose. I still have it but I'm not sending it back until they've figured out a fix for it. I'm not getting a new one just to have it happen again.

Read the reviews at REI

http://www.rei.com/pwr/product-revie...on-U-Lock.html

Onguard really needs to own up to the problem and replace these.

I'm willing to pay for quality as more often than not it's much cheaper in the long run.

I think there is and isn't merit in that statement. I don't want to save 20% and end up with a piece of crap, but I don't plan to stick with a U-lock indefinitely, either (maybe for several years). If I can save 40% and get a lock that's as secure as another (I haven't heard anyone claim OnGuard locks are less secure than comparable Kryptonite models), and "might" jam up if I use the key improperly or don't lubricate the mechanism, I feel all right doing so. If someone else doesn't, so be it.

*I will say (maybe I already have, but I'm not going back to check, so am just saying it, here), there's rather more "play" between the locking-bar–shackle of the Brute than between that of the New York. I don't believe this is of any significance, but, it is present.

According to Cycling Plus magazine (May 2007) it takes 2min 59sec to cut through a Kryptonite NYFU lock with power tools, and just 29sec to cut through the OnGuard Brute with the same tools.

But as for the locks we've had jam, none were used improperly, and all were lubed. We all now use either Kryptonite or Abus locks, in the same conditions, with the same care, and haven't had a single problem with locks jamming or falling apart. YMMV.

I own 4 OnGuard U-Locks. All of them are used regularly. They vary in age from 1-3 years.

• One Brute (or Mastiff, don't know. The lock weighs probably 5 pounds) that I leave at work locked to the bike rack. This one has been thru 2 Chicago winters. An occasional squirt with WD-40 keeps it moving reasonable well
• One mini-lock. I almost always carry this with me. If it is the only lock, I use Sheldon Browns method to lock the rear wheel thru the triangle
• Two regular full sized locks. I use one of them in addition to the mini lock. To lock my front wheel and helmet to the frame. The other one is used by Mrs. Duppie in addition to a cable lock on her beater and a wheel lock on her Dutch bike

Most of the time I use 2 locks, or 3 or 4 when riding together with Mrs. Duppie.

Overall I am pretty happy. In 2.5 years, no one has tampered with any of our bikes. And none of the locks has ever failed me.
One thing I dislike is that you cannot purchase replacement mounts from OnGuard. They simply do not exist. I do like to carry my mini-lock on the bike and the mounts do break after a while. I was lucky to find a few replacement mounts at my local LBS The availability of replacement mounts would be my main reason of switching to Kryptonite in the future.
Duppie

The question is, is an extra 2:30 worth $50? Power tools are generally rare, and neither of the locks will be opened manually within a half hour.

and he did say that he believed the seizing issue was addressed. Not sure if it actually was, but I don't have an extra $30 to throw around for a Bulldog-comparable Krypto. (I'd be replacing my stock tires, stock saddle, etc)

There is far less than a $50 difference between the two. According to Google Product Search the difference is $10, which is well worth it.

I got $40 for the Brute and $65 for the NYFU on shopping.google.com, making the NYFU over 1.5 times the cost. Could be worth it if you have a really expensive or special bike, but when it comes to power tools the bike is probably a goner anyways.

Personally, I can't justify getting anything more than a Bulldog (as I live in a suburban area) so neither the Brute nor the NYFU are really considerations to me.

I found the Brute for $40 and the Krypto for $55. In my experience it's well worth the difference. YMMV.

http://www.google.com/products?q=OnGuard+Brute

http://www.google.com/products?q=kry...York&scoring=p