Help.. me with this Kryptonite lock
 

I'm a big silly newbie and I'm not sure how to properly use this lock that I bought with my bike a few weeks ago:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/articl...l-std-flx2.gif

I cannot locate the instruction (if it ever came with it) and I usually just use the u-lock through my front wheel.. but i just don't understand how the cable is supposed to give added security; if someone cuts through your lock the cable becomes loose; what's the point?

I'm just a big worrywort because I've already got my bikes stolen twice :S

thx

Run cable thru front wheel and then thru the lock, it may even be long enough to get both wheels,cant tell from the pic.Fact is, if someone wants your bike,they will take it.Often the best prevention is the bike itself and not just the lock.

The cable is to secure your front wheel/bottle cages/etc. While the U-lock locks down your rear wheel and frame. Keep in mind a U-lock is pretty tough to cut through....a grinder can do it, but few thieves are that brazen. Most thieves will carry cable cutters though...however few will worry about cutting a thick cable over a front wheel.

If you put the U-lock through your front wheel, someone can detach the wheel and take the rest of your bike. So why would you do such a silly thing?

Secondly, the cable is much easier to cut through than the lock. If someone has cut through the lock then they have your bike, so why would you care that the cable has come free at that point?

What you do is use the U-lock to fasten your back wheel to some solid post, putting the U-lock inside the rear triangle of the frame. That protects both the wheel and the frame, since the back wheel can't be separated from the frame while the lock is attached. You then run the cable round the front wheel and fasten it to the U-lock, so that both wheels are protected. (You could of course put the U-lock around both the back wheel and the frame if it is big enough, in case someone tries to cut through the wheel.)

Gee I wonder why? Only locking the front wheel :rolleyes:
Read and learn
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

This is the RIGHT way to do it. Oddly enough, the directions that come with bike locks do NOT make this clear. Likewise, there are many bike racks being sold (especially to schools) that make it impossible to correctly use a U-lock. I see bikes attached to "schoolyard" racks ONLY by the front wheel...which often have a quick release. Yikes.

It may be the right way, but it's not the best way. Best is to remove the front wheel and enclose the rim within the U-Lock along with the rear wheel. This provides the maximum protection for the more expensive components. It also takes up the maximum space in the U-Lock so it's harder to use a leverage attack on it. Run the cable up through the seat rails and secure it to the U-lock.

Either that, or leave the cable at home and just use the U-Lock for the wheels as described.

Not ten percent of the bikes that I see at local colleges are locked correctly. Folks will only lock their bikes CORRECTLY on a consistent basis if they are taught techniques that are fast, easy, and idiot-proof.

Locking the front wheel to the rear wheel is time consuming. Putting the front wheel back on is time consuming. And, some folks have trouble getting the front wheel back on with the rim correctly centered between the brake pads, and remembering the close the brakes back to the proper position. And, a few people have been injured over the years, because they failed to correctly close the quick release after remounting the front wheel. Taking the front wheel off is an unnecessary waste of time and effort when better, faster methods are available.

Those extra long U-locks that are long enough to go around two mountain bike wheels, plus a locking post leave way too much room for a crook's prying and leverage tools. Extra long U-locks are a crook's best friend. A mini U-lock around the rear wheel ONLY leaves no room for leverage tools. Even a $30 OnGuard Mini U-lock is "immune" to leverage attacks.

I live and ride in a "high crime" neighborhood in Houston, the "crime capital" of Texas. I replace the quick release on my front wheels with a bolt. And, at night, or when my bike will be out of my sight for more than a few minutes, I loop a cable through the front wheel. About five seconds on or off. Likewise, the mini U-lock around the rear wheel also takes just five seconds on or off. A mini U-lock around the front wheel and a cable around the front wheel fully protects the bike and both wheels. And, using this method correctly can be done in just ten or fifteen seconds with a little practice.