From what I've read in this forum, it appears that bearing in mind security, cost and weight, OnGuard Bulldogs are the perfect choice. Alas, they appear not to be on sale in the UK, so my choices are limited to Kryptonite and Abus. The consensus appears to be that the Kryptonite New York 3000 is the way forward, but I've read very little about Abus locks on here (probably because most of you are American and Abus seems to restrict itself to Europe).

However, I'd still like to know whether the top-of-the-range Abus D-locks (the ones rated 15) are similar, more or less secure than the New York 3000, from what you regulars have read or had experience with. They're both hideously expensive (about £60, $120) but I'm prepared to spend this to stop my bike from getting stolen, of course.

Any insight, suggestions or recommendations much appreciated. Cheers.

Cycling Plus said in their latest lock test that the Abus Granit 54 was "the best designed U-lock we've ever tested".

The problem with the Kryptonite for those of us in Europe is that the shackle is really small for European poles, making it hard to find something to lock up to, The Abus Granit 54, which was made for the European market, has a bigger shackle making it much easier to find something to lock up to.

EDIT: Make sure to search around the forums for some more ideas on cycle security and locking methods. Pitlock locking skewers are quite nice.

another lock to consider (shrouded padlock) is the very high end ABLOY locks.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go for the Abus Granit 54, after locking my bike around a rather thick traffic light yesterday, the wider shackle is a good idea.

Abus Granit 37 Disc lock. Brutally attacked with a 20 lb sledge and then boltcutters :O


https://bp0.blogger.com/_axOYuU5FZ70/...tachment-5.jpg

What does this have to do with anything related to the Abus U-lock that is being discussed?

i misread the number (37 vs 54). My monitor is crapping out and flickering.

Something I would never have thought about until it was too late! Thanks Ziemas, for that reminder to pay attention to one's regional issues.

Would have been an expensive 'D'oh!' moment .

East Hill

OnGuard locks appear to be sold in the UK under the Magnum name. Take a look at the lock tests and ads in "Cycling Plus" to see which UK locks do well in testing. I'd think a good public library in the UK would have back issues, and I think the test reports may be available by Fax as well.

I've had horrible luck with OnGuard/Magnum locks freezing up due to what I think is a combination of humidity and road vibration. After three locks did this I'll never buy or recommend them again.

Neither my Abus or Kryptonite locks suffer from this problem.

To a lock picker it doesn't matter which lock he's working on, it will take about 1 minute to 2 minutes to open either one; and open it without any loud or cumbersome or obvious tools, in fact just one small set of tools that fit into a shirt pocket will open either one.

And before you start thinking that there aren't that many pickers out there, think again. The art of lock picking has increased tremendously in Europe and is spreading over here. Why? because locks have become increasingly more difficult to break, thus picking avoids those issues.

Folks who claim they can easily pick a Kryptonite, OnGuard, or Abus lock are either fools or liars. The locksmith in my neighborhood can "pick" any front door lock in under five minutes (with the exception of one rather expensive brand of lock). He refused to even attempt to pick a Kryptonite lock with the flat-key design.

But, God must love fools...he made so many of them.

You are spreading false information. Can you find one case of a high end U-Lock being picked? Junkies and thieves attack locks with all sorts of common tools, not expensive and rare lock picking sets.

FWIW, when my first OnGuard/Magnum Brute lock froze up on me I was right next to the largest locksmiths in town, who is also the distributor of Abus products. No one at the lockmsiths was able to open the lock, and the lock was on their workbench.

Abloy by chance?

Abloy makes some very good padlocks, but they're heavy beasts. I considered an Abloy padlock together with a high-end chain, but the weight and the price of that combination made me choose an Abus Granite U-lock instead. I'm sure my U-lock is easier to break than the padlock-chain combo, but so far it has been good enough (knocks wood).

--J

^ they (ABLOY)
aint cheap either. But man they are nice, as are the keys and the key control system.

Rare lock picking tools? HAHAHAHAHAHQAHAAH, their ALL OVER the internet! do a web search by simply typing in: lock picking tools.

That locksmith you found was a joke because I had a top of the line model of the Abus disc lock that a locksmith opened for me in less then 3 minutes while locked to my shed!

And krypto says their locks are pick resistent not pick proof.

Also do a web search on lock picking contests, this will surprise you. There's even a Youtube film of one guy opening his in 15 seconds using the toughest keyed lock for a home available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGSwjp1UcnI

See: https://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/200...ynn-a-12-.html This is the toughest lock in the world to pick, and look what happened to it, and the time it took.

There are web sites that will teach you how to pick locks and where to buy picks.

So sorry but your mistaken to think that someone can't pick your lousy bike lock compared to an ultra high pick resistent high security door lock.

The fact of the matter is that bikes aren't stolen by having their locks picked.

The amount of uninformed and paranoid posts on this subject is simply amazing. For some reason there is a subset of people who post on BF who are afraid of their own shadow and love to obsess on bizarre hypothetical 'what ifs'. I prefer to live in the real world.

Show me some evidence of high end bicycle locks being defeated in the real world by having their cylinders picked or go back to the bunker and shut your trap.

Look, I didn't get nasty with you so there's no reason for you to start with me, but I can if that will interest you. You don't know squat about locks. I gave you web sites plus you can do your own searchs, that's not my job to waste time for someone like you. If a $2500 high security lock can be picked don't you think logically that some $100 bike lock can be picked?

You fail to see the point. It's not a matter of IF such locks can be picked (you've provided enough proof that they can be), it's a matter of whether it ever happens in real life! That's what Ziemas means.

Exactly.

haha, at first I thought this said Anus vs Kryptonite

And what did you expect here? A pic showing someone with a Kryptonite lock up their a55?

Well, I got the Abus Granit X-Plus 54 (or whatever order those words go in) for £42 off cyclexpress.co.uk and I'm very happy with it. It doesn't weigh that much considering the peace of mind it gives me, and I'm not too bothered about the "what ifs" regarding lock-pickers out there.

Regarding the shackle width, I've really noticed that the width of this lock helps compared to my old Squire U-lock, I can lock my bike round traffic lights now. And the holder it comes with (USH it's called) is pretty good, so there's not much point spending the extra £5 or so for the other holder, unless your bike has no cylindrical tubes (the USH only fits round perfectly cylindrical tubes).

Not entirely true. I've certainly mounted it onto distinctly oval tubes. The plastic mounting bracket is fairly flexible.