Moe Malik

I purchased a mini U-lock today, and it's really short. I mean, I know it was mini, but it's proving to be problematic to the bike-parking areas of my dorm building. As a result, when it came to locking my rear wheel to an object so no one could carry and pick it up away, the u-lock couldn't go through both sides of the frame of the wheel and through the object. I was only able to go through one side of the frame, and then to the object. Here is a picture of it:



Is this still okay? Because a thief would still need to put in the same effort to break the U-lock to steal my bike, right? I don't see why this would be an issue, but since I'm a newbie to bikes I don't completely trust my judgement. Please give input!!

laura*

A spoke cutter applied to about four spokes and your rear wheel is liberated.

Here's a better way, which even works with locks much smaller than your's:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

Dan The Man

What happened to the blue rimmed wheel next to you? Looks like you need to worry more about someone letting the air out of your tires.

Moe Malik

The Sheldon Strategy does not work because there is not enough space for me to align that part of th eike with the object I'm meant to lock it to.

But thank you for making me realize that it is ineffective! Much appreciated.

desertdork

xenologer

find a different parking spot, that style of rack sucks beause it encorages innefective (wheel only) locking styles. Check for a parking meter nearby, sheldon should work fine on one..

laura*

Thinking about your problem some more:

I think if you were to lock the right drop out to the "left" hoop, you could secure your frame and rear wheel. By passing through the hoop of the wheel rim, and locking a "large object" on each side, this secures the wheel.

meanwhile

You could fit security skewers to keep your wheels safe.

However, this type of back rack is dangerous to your bike's health - of someone knocks your bike then the rear wheel will take all the stress. This is more of a problem with higher end bikes with super light and highly tuned wheels. But this is the worst type of bike rack.

wahoonc

+1

Aaron

apricissimus 

Might as well just get a bigger u-lock rather than lug that chain around.

Looigi

Those locks are about as good as you can get, but I could cut any of them off in under a minute with an abrasive cutoff wheel in a battery operated Dremel. I'm just sayin'...

Nermal

Has Dremel become a generic term for die grinder?

meanwhile

No, you couldn't. Even a mains powered Dremel isn't up to tackling a case hardened boron steel hex chain in finite time. A Bosch Pro Series "Blue" Li-ion anglegrinder would do about what you imagine, but that's as much like a Dremel as a sardine is a shark.

As the U-lock holding the chain: you can get better for less on the general purpose security market - Kasp locks and their clones that protect the shackle with the shoulders of the case instead of making it as vulnerable as possible.

commo_soulja

-from the pic (poor angle btw) the bike rack is poorly designed, it's only useful for locking a bike wheel and not frame/wheel. Is there room on the other side of the rack so you can straddle the bike over the bike rack?
-use a better locking method, see laura's post link

beebe

The lock is going through the rear triangle, is it not? I can't see many bike thieves willing to chop your spokes only to walk away with a damaged, one-speed wheel. They then would have to either sell a wheel with broken spokes or go to the effort of repairing the wheel. I'd imagine they'd just find a different bike to steal.

I'm voting effective.

Looigi

Maybe for some, but I specifically meant a Dremel brand rotary tool. I emphasized Dremel because they are very commonly available, cheap, small, and lightweight.

I've never had the occasion to grind dies, despite using what are commonly known as die grinders. Unless your fabricating molds and related tooling, when you use a die grinder to grind dies?

geo8rge

"I can't see many bike thieves willing to chop your spokes"

Happened to me. I used Sheldon Brown method. First attack was with a hammer trying to break the latch on my Krypontite combination U lock,, succeeded in breaking latch, but lock was still functional, and could be opened with the right combination and using a nail as a substitute latch pin. Then attempted to twist bike, which broke a bunch of spokes. Otherwise bike was fine.

spinnaker

I have seen worse. In Italy I have seen "racks" that where a concrete slab with indents for the wheels. There was a steel eyebolt in the concrete for a chain. Problem is you couldn't use the type of cable with integrated lock because it was too big.

Bluechip

It looks effective to me. I doubt most would go to the trouble to get a damaged wheel. Why not steal your fork, crank or bars for that matter. I'd be more worried about the bike getting pushed or knocked over and bending my spokes.

Yellowbeard

A note on the Sheldon method, not sure if many people have seen this but it's apparently not as hard to saw through a rim as suggested. This guy gets it loose in a matter of seconds.


I always lock through a seatstay as well.

fietsbob

only micro sized ones.. they are no threat to cut a Kryptonite lock,
too small a motor, take a longtime, go thru a lot of 1" cut-off discs..

FWIW, You still have to keep the front wheel locked up too ...
takes a lot of practice to use a fixie as a unicycle..

Looigi

Disagree. My actual experience is otherwise.

xenologer

LOL, funny video
I like how the tire is dragging behind him as he walks away... very conspicuous looking.

I'm still not too worried about the method though, since he's not getting away by riding that bike. Would only be effective for the thieves who toss the bike in the back of the pickup truck, but I suspect they tend to go for easier targets anyway...
besides, theres the resell issue, if the bike is so cheap the thief is willing to destroy its rear wheel, then is probably not worth their time to rebuild and resell it.

tligman

You could always keep the mini lock for carrying with you and leave a full sized u-lock attached there at the dorm rack, and pick up a cable to go w/ the mini-ulock when you go somewhere to keep the front wheel as well.

keiththesnake

In my experience, the effectiveness of the locking scheme is only relative to everybody else's on the rack. I think your u-lock is going through the rear triangle, so I think you're in pretty good shape.

You could always use the end of the rack, instead of using one of the spots in the middle. That might work out nicely.

Oh, and I'd ugly up the bike a bit. It works for me -- nobody's stolen me yet.