Are tight-fitting U locks safer?
 

Hello

I just saw a really tight U lock from Carhartt:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=312782

I'm thinking of getting one of those in addition to another mini U lock (either Kryptonite, OnGuard, or Abus). It's strange that the only company making really tight U locks is a clothing company :rolleyes:

Am I correct in thinking that tight-fitting U locks are safer because they prevent yanking the frame from the fixed point to which it's attached, or it just makes no difference because thieves use other quiet ways (since grinders are anything but quiet and win against even the best U locks anyway, I don't worry about this).

Thank you.

Not sure if it is safer, but never heard people say it is worse.

However, what I can tell you from personal experience is, it is heck a lot harder to use. Correct locking technique says you are suppose to lock the frame and the rear wheel to the bike rack with a lock. Depending on the rack shape/how compact the mini lock is, this can a feat to achieve. I have the kryptonite ny fahgettaboudit mini u-lock.

Tighter fitting U-locks are considered safer, because it gives thieves less space to manuever a cutting tool. Even the bigger shackle locks have recommended locking techniques to get the lock as tight as possible to the frame.

I have a NY Faghaboutit, full size. It's my secondary lock when I know I'm going to be leaving my bike someplace that could attract attention. It's far too heavy to be a practical everyday lock, I have a lighter lock I use for everyday use.

I don't need to lock the wheels before I use anti-theft skewers, so I just need to lock the frame.

It stands to reason that although a mini u-lock is able to capture less (i.e. unable to secure wheels and frame), that when fit properly such as pictured in the OP, that it would make a leverage attack considerably more difficult than it would be on a similarly fitted full size u-lock, owing to the fact there's no room to insert a long pipe inside the 'u'. So I vote Yes, more secure!

Security, of course, ultimately depends on the quality of the lock, which is to say that not all u-locks are equal.

I was indeed thinking of upgrading to the NY Faghaboutit, but it's so heavy that I was thinking of getting two less secure but lighter U locks for the same total weight.

You're still better off with going with the tightest shackle you can get.

Just remember locking etiquette. Had an issue once with a dude who used to Sheldon lock his bike to a rack with a lock so small that it 'sealed' the bike to the rack. There was no space between his frame and the rack,so you either couldn't lock to the other side,or you had to lock his bike with yours.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

Whatever size the shackle is on the U lock, certainly filled is better because it prevents jacking the lock apart. Looking at the OP's picture and attempting to think like a bike thief, an attack on the bike rack seems apropos: the lock is only around the frame and doesn't block either wheel. Quietly cut the rack with a tubing cutter and ride the bike away.

Certainly in NYC, that wouldn't stop a thief who wanted your wheels. And I'm not really convinced it would stop les voleurs la-bas non-plus.

It would slow them down and might possibly convince them to steal the wheels on the bike next to yours (and that's worth something), but I wouldn't get over-confident.

It's seems to me that any advantages of a tight-fitting lock would be outweighed by its lack of versatility. Bike racks or other locking points vary tremendously, and a larger lock is much more adaptable to differing situations. What good is a tight-fitting lock if it is too small to secure your bike to a rack? The racks at my office are designed in such a way that I need a fairly long U-lock to fit around the rack, my bike frame and the rear wheel. I wind a 4-foot cable through the front wheel to further secure it. None of that would be possible with the lock pictured in the original post.

I thought a tight fitting lock would make it easier to cut because it wouldn't move around as much during the cutting?

I've been using the Abus U-mini for about a year now with no problem. I always find a fixed point that fits.

For the new bike, I just ordered the Knog Strongman U lock. Looks good and is Sold Secure Gold certified.

Sold Secure Gold BICYCLE and 3/5 Art

None of the U-Loks are able to defend against an angle grinder. The mini u-loks defend better against leverage.

Nowadays one can get a battery powered angle grinder and go to town on any u-lock on the market. No lock is 100% secure. The best defense is to bring your bike inside wherever you go or to not bring it at all.

Yep. With the best U-locks it takes up to a couple of minutes to cut through the shackle and you have to cut both sides, all the while creating one heck of a racket and a shower of sparks. This method is therefore not completely devoid of risk to the thief.

Yes, I know about grinders, I wrote about this earlier.

Which is why I'll carry two compact U locks instead of one when I need to lock the bike. But then, I very rarely leave it outside during the night anyway.

But you have to lock your bike Up-To something.. is that top tube to the rack good enough for you?

I carry 2 locks, one sometimes wont reach around the fixed object available.

I've heard that robbers have a harder time getting a crowbar in there if they want to steal it. Plus small locks are lighter.

I always lock the frame to a fixed point and all my bikes now have an ID engraved on their frames.

Two different locks + not leaving the bike at night unless necessary (in which case it's parked in front of a police station or a café that closes late on a wide avenue, etc.) is stastistically much more than most riders pay attention to.

There are some padlocks made in ceramic like the sargent & greenleaf 951C padlock that greatly reduce the action of battery powered angle grinders or at least that what they said but unless you plan to secure one spoke i don't see what you can do with it alone. :roflmao2:

A lock can be 100% secure if it is able to handle the attack of any thief more than the time you leave your bike there. So if you never leave your bike more than 2 minutes and that your ulock requires more than 2 minutes to be defeated then it is 100% secure. But it doesn't mean the rest is. In real life who would leave a bike only 2 minutes.

My experience is that people worry too much about battery-powered grinders. In decades living in the city, I've never seen anyone on the street using those to break a U lock. It must happen sometimes, but it's probably a rare occurence, although it's probably more common in underground parking lots.