So I just got my OnGaurd Putbill Mini U-Lock (with cable) from amazon to go with my new Trek 7.1 FX.

I've been looking at different ways to lock my bike up, and it appears that the Sheldon Brown method seems to get a lot of attention. My only question is, if I lock my bike like this (not my bike):



Can't any thief simply cut a hole through the back tire, cut the wire, slide the bike out of the u-lock (since the frame is not attached to it) and leave with the bike (u-lock still attached to the poll)?

I know my bike isn't worth that much, but I'd still hate to get it stolen. I got the Pitbill mini for $24 on Amazon (compared to $50 at a store)... would it be better and safe if I were to purchase a second u-lock, lock the back wheel to the frame with U-Lock #1, lock the frame to the poll with U-Lock #2 and then the front wheel and seat with the cable connected to U-Lock #2. What are your thought's on this procedure?

A bike without a rear wheel is useless to most thieves. If someone wants your bike, they can get it. No lock will prevent that.

Unless you live in a particularly bad area or ride a ridiculously expensive saddle, locking the saddle and other bits is kind of overkill.

That looks like a pretty good deterrent for an average thief, although I'd put the U-lock around the wheel AND the seatstay, through the frame, and run the cable around the bike rack too: that would mean two things to cut to release the bike, that should turn off most thieves.

Do you think it would buy you any extra security to do this? If you set it up as pictured, then the thief will either cut the U-lock (in which case it adds no security to run the lock around the seatstay), or cut through the wheel (which, as S. Brown cogently argued, is danged difficult to do).

I'd put the lock through the seat stay simply because it looks more secure. If you lock just the rear wheel through the triangle then it looks like there's a way remove the frame even if the wheel is locked. The bike and/or components may be damaged by the time the thief has figured out that it's impossible to steal the bike with the wheel locked.

The U-lock should've been around the seat tube as well as through the spokes of the rear wheel. You always want to get the frame involved with the U-lock, so that if anyone wanted to steal it, they'd have to ruin the frame to do so.

I don't understand this. Wouldn't a thief aim to cut the lock, and not the frame? If so, then nothing is gained by involving the seat tube.

That's exactly the point. By locking around a portion of the frame (be it the seat tube or seat stay or whatever) it forces the thief to cut the lock or ruin the bike. Locking just around a wheel means they can leave the (replaceable) wheel behind or, at worst, cut the (again, replaceable) wheel.

Again, a bike without a rear wheel is useless to the average bike thief. Locking security is mostly illusory: all a serious thief needs is to cut the lock or (often easier) the pole to which you're locked.

It's probably easier for a thief to cut the U-lock than to cut the wheel. And if a thief is equipped to cut one U-lock, adding a second will just double the time it takes to steal your bike. Which might or might not deter someone, depending on how bad someone wants your bike versus other bikes nearby that are slightly less secure.

I don't know if we disagree. My only point is that if you run the U-lock as pictured, you cannot remove the bike without cutting through either the lock, the rear wheel, or the frame. The one thing you cannot do, in other words, is carry off bike-sans-rear-wheel by merely disengaging that wheel and leaving only it behind (which is "topologically impossible"). Sheldon Brown's point was that a thief, when confronted with this configuration, and who lacks the means of cutting the lock itself (otherwise you're doomed no matter how you locked it), will be forced to cut either the frame or the rear wheel. If he does the former he ruins the frame; if he aims to do the latter, he's confronted with a difficult and time-consuming job that most likely would not repay the risk and hassle.
I think annc above had it right. If there is a reason to involve the frame, it is for a display of deterrence: i.e., to deter a would-be thief who doesn't understand all this and who might try yanking the bike around after he's disengaged the rear wheel.

This is an excellent locking method as it secures the rear wheel and frame and the cable protects the front wheel to some degree... putting the lock around the wheel and frame only provides a stronger visual deterrent and can expose a bike to more damage durig a theft or attempted theft.

Cutting through a rim and wire bead tyre is not an easy task.

Go lock your bike up in this manner and try to separate the wheel from the frame.

Well, there is always this method:



Adam

Like this? LOL



LOL, this is excellent way of locking your bike, ha ha ha!

Just for demonstration purposes... locked around the frame here but usually just secure the back wheel through the frame.

Plus, the thief is destroying what he will have the easiest time selling. Wheels are valuable.

if you live in a low crime area and its not locked up like this for days on end then its a pretty good job. however, like others said, i would put ulock threw seat tube+rear wheel or chainstays+rear wheel.

second thing i would sugest would be locking up the seat and rear rack. you can get a saddle leash from bike regersity or use an old chain/cable lock and lash it threw rear rack, seat stay and the rails for the saddle.
https://www.bikeregistry.com/estore/p...f52f40603b8325

if you live in a moderate to high crime area i would upgrade your locks. either get a krypto chain lock or two ulocks, one being the new york model or the fuggedaboutit. make sure both locks are locked threw a wheel+frame+immovable object. you have a newish bike that looks pretty nice and a real thief seeing a cheap older ulock and cable lock might think its worth stealing. you can get an battery operated angle grinder at any hardware store under 100bucks and take the bike under 5mins. i like the rack you lock your bike too, and it would take probably 20mins to hacksaw the rack.

btw clean and lube your bike chain.

What about locking it this way:

Or this:

Wow

Looks about as secure as you're gonna get. And you can only get so secure.

You can only do so much to prevent theft or stripping of parts and a bike like this is far more attractive in that it has some pretty outstanding parts... getting the bars, stem, carbon fork, and wheel would only take me a few minutes.

You just can't protect everything and locking is only one part of a good security strategy... parking in well traveled areas, not parking in the same place every day, and locking up with messengers are excellent ideas.

It is not that messengers do a great job of locking their bikes but it is because local thieves know that the odds of being caught in these areas is very high and that there will be more eyes watching.

That wouldn't have worked with the Sheldon method - you'd still have to pull the wheel through the rear triangle if you aren't going to cut it.

What gets me is, unless you just wanted the hub, what could possibly require cutting all the spokes?

Not in the pic you provided. Would also have to cut the cable (or the lock) because it is looped around the frame. Which is STILL probably easier than cutting the wheel and hauling the bike away rather than riding it away.

The whole point of the mini u-locks is to make it difficult to jam tools in there. Going with two of them (daisy chained?) sort of defeats that. Your idea sounds a little obtuse, why not just get a larger u-lock..