GlennR

Anyone suggest one that can be tossed in a jersey pocket for securing a bike when you run into a deli?

I'm just looking for one that will prevent someone from just walking way with it.

chaadster

If that's what you want, retractable cable locks like Pacsafe Retractasafe 250, which is 90gm, is both easy to carry and light. Masterlock has similar.

Pacsafe - Retractasafe 250 4-dial retractable cable lock

CafeVelo

I got one of the small word locks on Amazon. It fits in a jersey pocket and weighs about as much as my iPhone.

GlennR

Here's 2... any reviews? Any others?

Knog - Milkman - Cable & Combo - Locks - Bike


https://www.quirky.com/invent/321820...categories=all

chaadster

That blue strap thing does not seem to even exist.

Dave Cutter

I use a small combination-cable lock (less than $10). I actually keep it in my saddle bag.

I use it when I stop to get a coffee but I only leave the bike long enough to get the coffee (and maybe relieve myself). Although at winter warm-up stops I do keep an eye on the bike out the window of the coffee shop (instead of dinking the coffee outside).

Anyone who is predisposed to taking bicycles will have no trouble defeating the cable lock.... or ANY lock. They will already have their plan and they will take the bicycle(s) that benefit them the most.

The cable lock defeats the impulse thief. The 14-16 (even 20) year old kid who's brain isn't fully formed and who's behavior isn't always rational. They won't have the heavy cutter needed to cut the cable. For the areas "where I ride"... I am guessing... opportunist kids take the bulk of most stolen bikes.

GlennR

Agreed... my intention is so someone can't just walk away. Anyone knowing a location is popular for cyclists will have a cable cutter and only a 40# chain will stop them.

chaadster

Well that's plainly untrue, and leads one to the wrong approach to lock selection.

Ben I.

I got a really cheap lock from Performance because I also wanted to be able to lock my bike up for really quick stops with the intent of only preventing the opportunist thief. I found one small enough I just keep it in my saddle bag too.

Dave Cutter

No...

I am sorry if you somehow think my truism is somehow misleading. There is no way to stop a thief... period. A guy here got stopped and then shot for his bicycle a couple years ago. He bled-out on the street... as the thief rode off on his bike. What lock choice... prevents that?

I have some experience with home alarms. Surprisingly some people can never wrap their minds around the idea... that alarms don't stop break-ins. Alarms... do exactly what the name implies... they alarm people.

Proper (well) locked bikes will deter crime/thief (as do home alarm signs). Why would anyone exert large effort to accomplish what can be accomplished with little effort. OR... why work hard to take this securely locked bike... when the same/like bike over there is so much easier to take.

It is like the old story... when chased by a bear you don't have to out-run the bear. You just have to run fast than the other guy running with you. But make no mistake.... out-running someone else... does NOT make you tougher than a bear.

chaadster

But that's not what you said. What you said is that a thief would have no trouble defeating a cable lock or any other lock, and that's plainly untrue. Some locks are far harder to break than others. That's what's true.

To say all locks can be defeated is something else entirely, and not even a relevant observation when selecting a lock. The purpose of any given lock is not to resist all the means available to all the thieves in the world. That just doesn't matter one iota. The purpose in selecting a lock is to provide you with the maximum security and protection, the costs of which you're willing to bear, against what you *think* are the most likely risks.

JeremyLC

https://tigrlock.com

Dave Cutter

Yes.... and some bicycle repairs are harder that others. But if you really know what your doing... none are a big deal.

Most of the skilled craftsmen in the work trucks that practically line the streets during the day have the skills and tools needed to whisk-away any bike they chose no matter how well locked it is... in seconds. I would NEVER depend on locks as a "real protection" from theft. If locks are the best you can do... make sure they are on a crappy/ugly/worthless bike.

indyfabz

Well put. This issue comes up fairly often in the Touring forum. People (like myself) who do non-credit card touring are often stopping for meals, groceries, etc., and sleep outside with their bikes, so the issue of bike safety in implicated more often than in day road riding. When I tour, at most I will carry a small combination lock and a relatively light cable. (U-locks are petty useless in places like campgrounds.) However, I often don't lock my bike because I perceive little or no risk. I crossed PA a few years ago without a lock. The one time during that tout that I felt a little uneasy I asked the manager of a grocery store if I could bring my bike inside the store and park it near a checkout line. She said it was o.k. Last year, during another cross-PA tour, I locked my bike up a couple of places where I did not feel conditions were low risk (e.g., at a busy Walmart in a moderately sized town). But the last night on the road, in a private campground surrounded by Mennonite farms, I didn't bother locking the bike while I slept.

Someone could easily cut through my cable with a pair of decent cutters, but I don't perceive that as a great risk in the places I usually travel. The cable is more to prevent a crime of opportunity. I certainly would not pay the penalty of a heavy lock when I see the risk as being low.

chaadster

I think you're conflating diverse issues, and jumping to conclusions that don't make sense to me.

To your example of bike repairs, rejoining a frame rendered in two is an order of magnitude away from a derailleur adjustment, even for those who "really know"'what they're doing. That should be obvious.

Are "craftsmen in work trucks" commonly bike thieves? I don't know what the facts are, but I doubt it. Do you realize cops have guns which make robbing you of your bike super easy?

Never depend on locks for "real protction" against theft? What does that mean? No lock will stop any thief? Of course one will, and if it means your bike is still there when you come back to it, that's "real" enough in my book.

Lastly, I know many people who like nice bikes, I see many nice bikes locked, and would never ride a POS bike because I'm too proud. I use locks. If a bike gets stolen, I replace it. I'd rather replace a stolen bike than ride some ugly heap of crap that no one wants.

You're free to make decisions as you see fit, of course, but it's ridiculous to suggest locks don't protect bikes.

Dave Cutter

What may sound hard to you... isn't for others with the proper skills. I hope that was clearer.

Your doubts won't change the facts! Drug addiction is a harsh mistress and she demands money. Tradespeople have been hard hit with tough times and drug problems. Workmen are NOT commonly thieves.... thieves however are often times workmen. If your home is robbed the first people to look at are the tradespeople that worked at your home. At work... look at the workmen. Actually work trucks have long been associated with common theft of everyday items.

Most bikes are just rode off on... by kids on an impulse. Real bike thieves have tools, skills, routes, and plans. They know where the cameras are... and no one remembers seeing them. They look like part of the scenery because they are. They work there.

Best of luck with that!

GlennR

Not really appropriate for my bike, but thanks for the link.

I'm looking for light weight so i can just slip it into a jersey pocket.

lyrictenor1

This is what I use. I keep it in my jersey pocket in a Lezyne Caddy Sack M along with a few other things.

Burton Cable Snowboard Lock - REI.com

GlennR

Nice, under 100 grams and a combo so you don't need to carry a key.

JeremyLC

I wouldn't lock up my lunch with that, nevermind my bike.

bonz50

agreed, making something seem like you have to do anything more than pick up and walk will stop a LOT of low grade thieves, but one that is on the prowl for bikes it just won't matter.

Nachoman

I use one like that on rare occasion when I'm in an unfamiliar area and have to duck away from my bike for a few minutes.
But on the one I use, the cable is actually so thin that a sturdy pair of scissors could probably cut through it. As stated previously, it only prevents that crime of opportunity of walking away with an unlocked bike. I like to think of it as keeping honest people honest.

Agent Cooper

I have something almost identical to this. It's great. Small, very light, no key. It's perfect for low risk situations, IE, "keeping honest people honest." :-)

It's just enough to thwart an opportunity theft. Would I use it to park my bike downtown at the college campus overnight? Of course not. But I would never do that regardless of what lock I had.

Real bike thieves, I mean pros who make money at it, know how to defeat pretty much any lock you can get in moments, no matter how secure or heavy. There's a steep diminishing return on how heavy or expensive a lock you want to carry.

You have to accept the fact there's some places you just shouldn't leave your bike. Period. And if you do you have to accept that you're taking your chances.

bonz50

this.

Skidurts

Mencken said all bikes weigh 60 pounds. A 20 lb bike needs a 40 lb lock. A 40 lb bike needs a 20 lb lock. A 60 lb bike doesn't need a lock.