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Better bike lock coming

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Old 05-18-14 | 10:11 AM
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I read their FAQ's. From the "Theft Notification" section:
Q. Can Skylock track my bike?
No. There are other products on the market that do that. If someone is actually able to break into the lock or somehow steal your bike, there is nothing we can do. Our aim is to prevent theft not to track thieves. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Which pretty much makes that "Crash Notification" feature worthless as well, IMO. If you can't respond to it after a crash (but the lock and phone are still functioning), it will notify your ICE that something may have happened to you, but not what or where.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:14 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
You're argument that spending more money makes it's more efficient, which is does but only up to a certain point. I haven't looked at distinct prices in a while, but I find it hard to believe that you'd feel a difference between a 4-500 USD bike and a 1000USD bike on a daily commute. I doubt there'd be a savings in energy and then if you felt that difference in kJ expended, I'd find it quite humorous.

What bike do you ride? And why is it better than the lower models in the range?
I don't believe I made a connection between efficiency and price. I said I didn't particularly care about the price. There are a number of reasons people ride nice bikes, higher end components are often made better, last longer, work better etc. I commute on the same bikes I ride on the weekends an occasionally race on. I can definitely feel a 20W difference over the course of ride. My normal commutes average around 200W and if I take an easier day it's more like 180W. It makes a noticeable difference in how my legs feel the next day.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:17 AM
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At 400usd your going to only get a BD or big box road bike, or one without gears. It will most likely have a steel frame or if your lucky, aluminum.

The components will be entry level. The seat won't be comfortable, the tires will be cheap. The rims will be machine built.

At 1000usd you can have a high end aluminum frame with carbon fork and mid tier components, better wheels, better tires and peace and peace of mind.

You can easily also buy a used carbon framed road bike for 1000usd.

With either of the latter two options you get quality components, you won't get that from a 400usd bicycle you bought from Walmart.

Peace for mind, knowing your riding a quality machine that won't require as much maintenance.

My Giant road bike can beat the poop out of any ss and Walmart commuter I see, over ten miles I can beat then by five to ten minutes.

In ten minutes I can cool down, lock my bike, change shoes and get ready for work. Meanwhile the beater commuter is just barely showing up.

My commutes have been 5-10 miles one way, plus I ride the same bike on the weekends.

That is another point, a lot to find American commuters ride the same bike on the weekends that they ride to work, they don't need two bicycles. It is more cost effective to buy one nice road bike and ride it to work as well as group rides.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Rudz
At 400usd your going to only get a BD or big box road bike, or one without gears. It will most likely have a steel frame or if your lucky, aluminum.

The components will be entry level. The seat won't be comfortable, the tires will be cheap. The rims will be machine built.

At 1000usd you can have a high end aluminum frame with carbon fork and mid tier components, better wheels, better tires and peace and peace of mind.

You can easily also buy a used carbon framed road bike for 1000usd.

With either of the latter two options you get quality components, you won't get that from a 400usd bicycle you bought from Walmart.

Peace for mind, knowing your riding a quality machine that won't require as much maintenance.

My Giant road bike can beat the poop out of any ss and Walmart commuter I see, over ten miles I can beat then by five to ten minutes.

In ten minutes I can cool down, lock my bike, change shoes and get ready for work. Meanwhile the beater commuter is just barely showing up.

My commutes have been 5-10 miles one way, plus I ride the same bike on the weekends.

That is another point, a lot to find American commuters ride the same bike on the weekends that they ride to work, they don't need two bicycles. It is more cost effective to buy one nice road bike and ride it to work as well as group rides.
You seem to like exaggeration:

Compare these bikes and tell me the difference over a year of commuting:

Trek FX 7.0

7.0 FX - Trek Bicycle

Trek FX 7.5

7.5 FX - Trek Bicycle


And, you must admit that saying only a big box commuter bike is available for 400 USD is crushed by the FX 7.0

I don't think that an average commute would see the difference between these bikes until the parts wore out (no difference in longevity) and those on the 7.5 were three times the price of those on the 7.0.

What I am missing here?
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
While I agree that it shouldn't be a piece of crap, I would guess that the average American cyclocommuter isn't going 40 miles RT?

Maybe, I'm wrong, does anyone have data to show the average distance of a bike commuter in the US?

Also, I'm making the distinction between a 400 USD road bike and a 1000 USD road bike. I don't think that there's a huge time/durability difference once one gets about 400 USD.

Maybe again I'm wrong.
My RT is 30 miles, but we have lots of guys on this forum who are doing 50+.

Of course I'm not one to talk - my current bike cost me $0 - I inherited my dad's Motobecane after his eyes got too bad to ride. Initially all I had to invest in it was $50 for new tires, $10 for a mirror, and $20 for a rear rack.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by andyprough
My RT is 30 miles, but we have lots of guys on this forum who are doing 50+.
I lived in Texas and it's hmmmmmm, unique, with respect to a lot of things, including commuting distance and angst against public transport (not in Austin per se but the metroplex).
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
You seem to like exaggeration:

Compare these bikes and tell me the difference over a year of commuting:

Trek FX 7.0

7.0 FX - Trek Bicycle

Trek FX 7.5

7.5 FX - Trek Bicycle


And, you must admit that saying only a big box commuter bike is available for 400 USD is crushed by the FX 7.0

I don't think that an average commute would see the difference between these bikes until the parts wore out (no difference in longevity) and those on the 7.5 were three times the price of those on the 7.0.

What I am missing here?
You don't think anyone would notice a steel fork that weighs a ton more than a carbon one? Look at all the steel on the 7.0, and the components, I guarantee you the 7.5 is faster and a better ride.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Rudz
You don't think anyone would notice a steel fork that weighs a ton more than a carbon one? Look at all the steel on the 7.0, and the components, I guarantee you the 7.5 is faster and a better ride.
lol

I weigh 78kg. If I'm on a bike that weighs 11kg versus 16kg ...

That's either 89kg or 94kg going up a hill or being push along a flat (roughly a 6% difference)

So, no, I don't think it will make a difference to a commuter.

You can guarantee whatever you wish, but you absolutely can't show any data. Personally, my hunch is that it's psychosomatic activity that you feel faster/better on the more expensive bike.

In fact, for a commuter, the 7.5 would be the worse decision with respect to cost:longevity of components.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:54 AM
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I never said I would choose a 7.5, personally I wouldn't spend that much on a bike with a flat bar.
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Old 05-18-14 | 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Rudz
I never said I would choose a 7.5, personally I wouldn't spend that much on a bike with a flat bar.
I think you're overestimating the real world differences of a 7.0 and 7.5 to a commuter.

And, you must admit that your 400 USD description of only providing a big box bike is wrong.
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Old 05-18-14 | 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
You seem to like exaggeration:

Compare these bikes and tell me the difference over a year of commuting:

Trek FX 7.0

7.0 FX - Trek Bicycle

Trek FX 7.5

7.5 FX - Trek Bicycle


And, you must admit that saying only a big box commuter bike is available for 400 USD is crushed by the FX 7.0

I don't think that an average commute would see the difference between these bikes until the parts wore out (no difference in longevity) and those on the 7.5 were three times the price of those on the 7.0.

What I am missing here?
I suspect either of those bikes, without modifications, would add an extra 10 min each way to my commute or 20 min/day.

Why are you so concerned with the price of bikes? Who cares what people want to spend their money on? I've had cheap bikes and nice bikes. Cheap bikes are more likely to rust, don't shift as well, more likely to have chatter or some other issues with brakes. The list goes on. Of course, if you don't have an alternative, you can make do but if you're going to be on a bike 10-15 hrs/wk why not ride something you can enjoy?
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Old 05-18-14 | 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
I suspect either of those bikes, without modifications, would add an extra 10 min each way to my commute or 20 min/day.

Why are you so concerned with the price of bikes? Who cares what people want to spend their money on? I've had cheap bikes and nice bikes. Cheap bikes are more likely to rust, don't shift as well, more likely to have chatter or some other issues with brakes. The list goes on. Of course, if you don't have an alternative, you can make do but if you're going to be on a bike 10-15 hrs/wk why not ride something you can enjoy?
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Old 05-18-14 | 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Enjoy riding your beater
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Old 05-18-14 | 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Enjoy riding your beater
My beater is perfect for CPH.

My SS is perfect for the English coast.

And my MTB is perfect for the Bavarian Alps.

No complaints because I always buy the minimum for the job.
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Old 05-18-14 | 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
My beater is perfect for CPH.

My SS is perfect for the English coast.

And my MTB is perfect for the Bavarian Alps.

No complaints because I always buy the minimum for the job.
I suppose next you're going to tell us you're using a 400MHz linux computer with a donated free monitor because it's all you need. Accept that what's 'perfect' for you isn't necessarily perfect or desirable for others. I hope your MTB is SS as well...
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Old 05-18-14 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
I suppose next you're going to tell us you're using a 400MHz linux computer with a donated free monitor because it's all you need. Accept that what's 'perfect' for you isn't necessarily perfect or desirable for others. I hope your MTB is SS as well...
The MTB has 27-speeds which I use in the Alps when I head up for some breakfast ...



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Old 05-18-14 | 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
The MTB has 27-speeds which I use in the Alps when I head up for some breakfast ...

Seems rather extravagant. My buddies race SS MTBs. Not sure what you need all those gears for. And while that pretzel looks good, those sausages look disgusting

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Old 05-18-14 | 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Seems rather extravagant. My buddies race SS MTBs. Not sure what you need all those gears for. And while that pretzel looks good, those sausages look disgusting
Sausages are the best part ... pork intestine but they have to be eaten before the church bell rings as they'll bad due to brain matter in them.


I'm a #3 but my "in-laws" are #4s through and through ... they call me a Sitzpinkler.



Are far as the speed go, I think my breakfast options are a little more steep. Anyone can race a MTB. The Alps are a who new ball game ... not as high, but much tougher weather year round.
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Old 05-18-14 | 01:50 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Are far as the speed go, I think my breakfast options are a little more steep. Anyone can race a MTB. The Alps are a who new ball game ... not as high, but much tougher weather year round.
Being in the Pacific NW we get our share of crappy weather...
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Old 05-18-14 | 01:50 PM
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Has anybody here ever walked in on a theft in progress? As tough as I might like to think I am, the one time it happened to me, my body completely froze and I was unable to even speak, let alone chase the guys down and beat them to a pulp. The expression (in the Skylock video) on the face of the bike owner who runs out of the shop to catch the Big Gulp kid stealing his bike is priceless...like that "WTF?" glare is really going to send the thief running.

Again, I appreciate that people are trying to build better anti-theft products, but some of what they are selling here is quite useless. An alert to your cell phone isn't going to do much good unless you are willing to confront the thief and risk your life over a bicycle.
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Old 05-18-14 | 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by gregf83
Being in the Pacific NW we get our share of crappy weather...
ok
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Old 05-18-14 | 05:30 PM
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Interesting concept ...

Skylock has no keyhole to pick and offers bike owners theft alerts and crash assistance.
Thursday, May 15, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO (KGO)

https://skylock.cc/

Bicycles may be the cheapest, greenest and healthiest way to get around the city, but there's a downside -- they're easy to steal. But a team of engineers says they have a plan to fix that. It's a sad, but common story. Elena Salomatova was on a college campus in broad daylight while she was studying, a thief sawed through the heavy-duty u-lock and rode off on her bike. "It's almost statistically impossible not to get your bike stolen in cities like San Francisco and New York if you leave them out," Velo Labs CEO Jack Al-Kahwati said. "And so we're trying to curtail that problem using Skylock,"

Skylock is the brainchild of engineers who used to work on tanks and airplanes
. Al-Kahwati left his job at Boeing to make the bike lock.
"The bike lock looks unassuming, but it's actually a little robot stuffed inside a metal enclosure," Al-Kahwati said.

With solar panels to charge it, Skylock has two motorized latches -- thieves have to make two cuts to get it open. You can't pick it, because there's no keyhole. The key is your smartphone -- just like some newer cars, it senses when you're right next to it and the latch opens allowing the users to pull it apart.

But the killer feature is theft alerts. The lock can ring your phone if someone jiggles it around.
It needs Wi-Fi -- which is getting easier to find in big cities. Though it's not even on the market yet, Skylock is already getting endorsements from passers-by, including one who knows an awful lot about bike theft.

"I think the idea's pretty good; I'd like to see the bike thieves put out of business," San Francisco Police Ofc
. Fred Crisp said. Crisp says Skylock could be a deterrent for casual thieves."It's like putting a lock on the steering wheel; people are going to go to a car that doesn't have one of those," he said.

It's also for safety. In a crash, their video shows the lock asking if you're OK and offering to call for help. If it catches on, at $159, the makers have another vision -- using it for bike sharing and even renting out your bike since the key is digital. The makers are still raising money in a crowd funding campaign. They hope to make and ship the first batch early next year.

Last edited by FlatSix911; 05-18-14 at 05:35 PM.
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Old 05-18-14 | 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by FlatSix911
Interesting concept ...
With a high end bike I'd probably go for it. But my commuting bike ... 90% of my bike trips where I get off the bike at some time are commutes, stored with patrolled security and low risk, simple lock is enough. The lock stays there. The other 10%, 90% of that is at a convenience store and I confess I don't even lock it. So 1% (10% of 10%) I'd need the lock. And that's less than an hour typically compared to 9 hours so ... the lock would be for 0.1% of the time. That adds up to a pretty big "no" for this lock.
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Old 05-19-14 | 01:32 AM
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Originally Posted by no1mad
I read their FAQ's. From the "Theft Notification" section:
Which pretty much makes that "Crash Notification" feature worthless as well, IMO. If you can't respond to it after a crash (but the lock and phone are still functioning), it will notify your ICE that something may have happened to you, but not what or where.
Exactly.

Originally Posted by Papa Tom
Has anybody here ever walked in on a theft in progress? As tough as I might like to think I am, the one time it happened to me, my body completely froze and I was unable to even speak, let alone chase the guys down and beat them to a pulp.
Not everyone is a Rambo

Just pick up a random beater and smash with it on the thief!
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Old 05-20-14 | 06:40 AM
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That would work in exactly zero of the several places that I park my bike. There's no place, not even home, where there's wifi available where I park my bike.

But since I don't even actually lock even my new road bike (pretty low crime around here) I guess it doesn't affect me
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