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Kryptonite Evolution Mini, anyone?
I just got a Kryptonite NY "Fahgettaboudit" u-lock, but I'm thinking about trading it in for an Evolution mini. Ideally, I'd like a lock that I can fit in my back pocket, but provides enough security for short stops around the city (I live in Brooklyn, but ride in Manhattan a lot). I never lock up overnight, but sort of feel like the monstrous fahgettaboudit might be a little excessive.
Also, is it possible to fit the Mini around both tires and a street sign? I probably lock up to signs more than anything, and it would be ideal if i could fit it around my read wheel (through the triangle) and the quick-release front one as well. Any thoughts? Thanks! |
You live in NY, there's no such thing as excessive locking.
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not sure i understand what you are saying with around both tires and a street sign, like at the same time?
are you planning on using two locks then? i have one and it fits fine in the rear triangle sheldon style. |
i'm wondering if i can do the sheldon-style lock, and also take off my quick-release from wheel and fit it in on the same u-lock.
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oh ok. well you won't be able to fit two wheels and a pole in the evo mini, at least i see no way of it working. you might want to check out something like this, which is a little longer.
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Produc...=1000&pid=1101 |
I think that the NYFU lock is pretty excessive, and it's beefiness is basically a gimmick rather than an effective tool against bike theft. The only way that thieves break high-quality Mini U-locks (when locked properly) is with power tools, usually an angle grinder, so all a six-pound U-lock buys you is maybe a few more seconds against such a tool.
Also, forget the Evolution and get the OnGuard Bulldog Mini. It rates slightly more secure than Evolution in independent tests, and costs half as much. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...sL._SS500_.jpg |
the evo mini is awesome for making quick stops and whatnot. i like it much better than a chain+padlock for work, just in some situations i'm forced to be a little creative with locking up. it's obviously lighter, doesn't interfere with my bag when it's stuffed and doesn't hurt like a mother****er if hit the ground. - it's fine to just lock the toptube or sheldon brown the rear wheel if you don't have qr skewers and are leaving the bike alone for like an hour max (if i expect to take a while inside a place with windows, i just lock in my line of sight), but if you're planning on regularly locking up for a lot longer, go for a chain.
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fwiw (and for comparison purposes), among my locks, I've got an On-Guard Pitbull mini that I have been able to wrap through the rear wheel, frame, pulled front wheel, and tube-style bike rack. It was a tight fit and I had to wrestle stuff into place. It definitely took some time. and the on-guard mini is a bit wider than the Krypto mini.
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/Image...67/ONPTM-1.jpg but like Andre said, there's no such thing as excessive locking. |
Originally Posted by andre nickatina
(Post 5920371)
You live in NY, there's no such thing as excessive locking.
I would keep the NY Lock. Here are some past reviews... an archived BF thread http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-101597.html Scott Elder's review http://www.slate.com/id/2140083 If I were a pro bicycle thief, I'd skip any bike protected by a poison-frog-yellow New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock (or the NYFU). It took its beating with the poise of a journeyman NHL defenseman. At my hacksawing rate, it would have taken 42 minutes to cut through the 18 mm shackle. (It didn't get a perfect 20 score for security because my assault managed to jar a spring loose inside the crossbar, but that wouldn't affect lockup strength.) I wasn't too surprised: The NYFU is made with so much hardened steel that it could moonlight as a dumbbell. But weight aside, its small size makes it easy to carry. The only drawback of "mini" U-locks like the NYFU is that the small stature means you can only lock the bike frame to an object—there's no room for also locking wheels. Kryptonite has enough confidence in their new flagship lock to back it up with a $4,500 anti-theft warranty. (Not that I've ever seen, much less owned, a bike worth anywhere near that much.) It's pricey, but the NY Fahgettaboudit is worth the dough. http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/services/features/1470/ LOCK AND ROLL Nothing weighs heavier on a New York cyclist's mind than theft. Dave Glowacz, author of Urban Bikers' Tricks & Tips, recommends spending at least 15 percent of the bike's replacement cost on locks. He recommends a Kryptonite New York U-lock and a 9/16-inch cable. Bike mechanic and legend Hal Ruzal says that for the moment, the only lock that cannot be cracked is Kryptonite's New York Chain (noticing a pattern in these names?), a square-link chain secured by a disc lock. That is, until thieves start packing oxyacetylene torches. |
Originally Posted by bonechilling
(Post 5920757)
I think that the NYFU lock is pretty excessive, and it's beefiness is basically a gimmick rather than an effective tool against bike theft. The only way that thieves break high-quality Mini U-locks (when locked properly) is with power tools, usually an angle grinder, so all a six-pound U-lock buys you is maybe a few more seconds against such a tool.
Also, forget the Evolution and get the OnGuard Bulldog Mini. It rates slightly more secure than Evolution in independent tests, and costs half as much. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...sL._SS500_.jpg |
do people use minis in NYC? i see it all the time in SF and other cities, and i'd really like to use one with some pitlocks here. it would greatly lighten my load. is that foolish? (also, i ride a fixed gianni motta from the 70s, nothing excessively fancy/attractive.)
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Originally Posted by DannyRocks
(Post 5921678)
Do you have a link to tests? I'm looking intoa mini myself and am curious..
Edit - Found a post, but no external link. |
the pitbull mini might be more secure than the evo mini, but i used to have one and it started jamming like crazy after a few days in the rain. i cleaned and lubricated the lock as nicely as possible to no avail. when i would try to unlock it, i just felt metal grinding against metal and stalling mid turn of the key. for the last 6 months or so i've had the evo mini and the locking mechanism is just a lot smoother and it's easy to lock up to awkward places because it has the single bolt hinge thing (although it's the reason why the pitbull is safer; doesn't apply to my 1-5 minute lockups though).
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i live in n new york. i have an evo mini, a fahgettaboutit U, and a new york noose chain. i like to collect locks and mix it up a bit. i have found that the evo mini is most useful, and i will use it unless i will be parked for more than 2 or 3 hours. if i will be parking in mahattan for more than a few hours i use the F-U. i really trust the FU. holy smokes that thing is a brute, and is not to be trifled with. do not taunt the FU.
unfortunately the evo u will not fit on a parking meter. of course you will find enough signs. the chain is cool as well, because it can be locked to weirder things, like park benches and such. the noose is wildly superior to the normal chain. but if i had to have just one lock i would have the evo mini, unless my bike was really expensive, then i would go with the FU. also i use a locking skewer up front, i think that is worth it. cant use the locking skewer on the back of course, the fixed wheel has the other kind of axle. i also emailed kryptonite and they keyed my locks alike, which is nice. |
Originally Posted by old scratch
(Post 5925996)
unfortunately the evo u will not fit on a parking meter.
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I just bought an Evo Mini, and a 3' cable for front wheel + times I can't find anything to fit the Mini around. Should be fairly secure, I assume, and light enough it can get lugged everywhere I go, as opposed to one of those huge chains I see people wearing as a sash.
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also of note is that one time at my apartment i locked my bike where it pissed off the maintenance guys, and they sawed it off with a grinder. they didnt know it was mine and thought some jerkass was locking to their beautiful privately-owned fence. anyways, i was using an evo mini, and the maintenance guys said it was a hell of a job busting it, requiring time and lots of noise.
they tried everything they had and they couldnt bust it without a power tool. i didnt ask if they tried a car jack. |
Originally Posted by NewYorkMantle
(Post 5926017)
huh, what kind of parking meters have you been trying to lock to? i have yet to find one (that isn't wrapped in concrete) that's too big for a mini u-lock.
it is certainly possible i am wrong. in fact i will walk outside now and make sure. |
Originally Posted by old scratch
(Post 5926068)
ordinary new york parking meters are too big for my evo mini, or at least i am pretty sure they were last time i tried. the FU fits them though.
it is certainly possible i am wrong. in fact i will walk outside now and make sure. |
Originally Posted by NewYorkMantle
(Post 5926077)
hah - i mean maybe the meters are a little different in the outer boros (i see you're in astoria), where i rarely ride, but i never have problems with the ones in manhattan during a work day.
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that picture expresses my sentiments as well. but i've been getting kind of interested in that OnGuard Bulldog Mini that was posted earlier in the thread. it seems to be the same size as the Evo mini, but more secure (locks on both sides) and about half the price. the only problem i hear is the lock sticks sometimes (which is no problem at all before the day it sticks, ha). is this too good to be true?
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I have heard of people getting their bikes stolen in NYC when they locked up with an Evo mini. I have never heard of someone getting their bike stolen in NYC when they locked up with a NY Chain.
I use both - when I go to work I lock my bike and rear wheel using the chain, and the front wheel using the mini. If I'm stopping for a minute or two I'll use which ever lock is more convenient. If I'm going to a "safe" neighborhood (like Riverdale in the Bronx) I'll only bring the mini (and maybe a cable to get the wheels). Also I doubt you are going to be able to do the Sheldon Method and get the front wheel in there as well using a Mini. |
a couple weeks ago, a friend of a friend got his ny chained steamroller or something stolen at union square. of course, any bike theft in that wasteland should be considered special case. people have been getting stuff racked from there left&right over the last year and i'm sure it's all by the same dudes who roll around in a van with power tools.
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oh and that was the only time i've EVER heard of a ny chain getting compromised on the street; so they're still theft-proof to me, even though i don't use one anymore.
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