Some lock advice from a locksmith
 

(I posted this in another thread, but I thought I would start a new one for all of those people who will search it out in the future. Please ask any questions on locks, methods, lubrication, and/or maintenance that you may have)



Okay, I see one of these lock threads pop up every couple of weeks here.

I am a CRL (certified registered locksmith) in Illinois. Have been for about 14 years.

I have dealt with many customers' questions after they just lost their bike to some thief. I know exactly which methods are used by thieves, and exactly which methods will actually work best on most, if not all of the locks out there.

Here are some thoughts:

You should lock your bike in accordance with:
1) Your risk of theft (crime rate in your area, or your personal paranoia)
2) Your available budget on a locking system.
3) The value of your bicycle.
4) The length of time you will be leaving your bike locked.
*Not necessarily in that order*

Most bike thefts ARE a crime of opportunity. Committed by low level thieves who carry around bolt cutters, pry bars, and/or a small jack.
**You CAN defend your bike against this type of theft with a locking system.**

SOME (very few, at least to my knowledge, in chicago) bike thefts are committed by individuals who specialize in this kind of work, have the skill, speed, tools, and know-how to steal bikes very quickly. They usually carry a variety of tools in a van and can steal, pretty much any bike they want.
**You CANNOT prevent this type of theft with ANY locking system that I have seen**

Thieves do not pick locks, they break them.

A cordless angle grinder with the right blade can and will cut through any LOCK/CABLE/CHAIN that I have seen on the market. This can be done in under five minutes per lock/cable.

So, you can't stop someone with a grinder, you can only slow them down by using multiple locks.

The best way to lock your bike for MAXIMUM security is to use this cable with this lock (links below), looping one end of the cable through your front and back wheels, around the frame, and around whatever you are locking to. Lock both ends of the cable with the padlock. They will barely fit into the shackle, but they will fit. Even more easily if you cut away the plastic covering in one small section of the eyelets to help with this.

http://www.mul-t-lockusa.com/product...=1938&catid=25

https://www.kryptonitelock.com/produ...=1001&pid=1124

Then use one or more kryptonite U locks (the best you can afford) to lock the frame and/or wheels in addition to the above lock. This is deterrence. Even hearty bike thieves will move on to another 'easier' target when they see this. The more locks that they have to break or cut through, even with a fast grinder, the better. Opportunistic thieves won't even look twice before moving on.

Multi lock brand locks MUST be purchased through a locksmith. The keyways are restricted to individual lockshops and, therefore, cannot be duplicated, even by another multi lock dealing locksmith. When you purchase a lock and keys, the key bitting(s) will be recorded by the locksmith onto a key authorization form. The only people that will ever be able to get keys to your lock will be the people named on this list. Period. You will have to return to that same lockshop, with a valid photo ID, to obtain replacement/extra keys (very handy if you lose your keys).
The lock cylinders cannot be picked, drilled, or 'bumped' open.
Very secure.

Unless you are in a very low risk area, DO NOT use combination cable locks. They are too easy to open if you know how, and it is not hard to find out.

Don't lock your bike in dark, low traffic areas, or parking garages, if it can be avoided.


With all of that being said, I use the above cable locking method, but with a kryptonite U lock EVERY time I lock my bike. I will use a secondary kryptonite U lock on the frame if I will be locking it for an extended period of time.

I hate bike thieves.
You can't stop them all, but you can stop 90% of them if you just invest a little money and lock your bike properly every time.

Bad links - page cannot be found

Fixed?

(1) Your links still don't work.

(2) You entered this in a touring forum, and weight is important in touring. Many touring cyclists will sacrifice some amount of security for weight. Most touring cyclists are not locking their bike up overnight in Times Square--more likely they are locking it up while watching a movie in Leoti, Kansas. I would appreciate any advice you might have on a the best lightweight locking system. About 8 ounces is my limit.

This is true, I apologize. I just thought it might help someone.....

Hopefully some better links:

'multi lock' E series padlock, 3/4" high shielded shackle
http://www.doorware.com/site/product.cfm?id=70655


7' kryptonite cable (4'available too)
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...lex+Cable.aspx


I have ridden a few weekend tours and plan on doing some extended tours this summer, with a cross country plan developing for next summer.

I will be carrying a kryptonite (fughedaboutit) and cable. This is because I have quite a bit of money invested in my rig and I don't want to lose it. The extra weight is worth it to me.

Most folks touring could be fine with a combination cable lock simply because they will be touring in remote areas where crime is low. It is only because of what I do that I am extra paranoid about losing my transport. Hence, I will carry the extra bit of weight.

Unfortunately, there aren't many locking options out there that are light weight, and secure at the same time.
Weigh your options and decide which is more important.

What's the point of the high-zoot padlock if someone can just cut through the cable with a good pair of bolt cutters? Not trying to be snarky, but normally I see those cables associated with low security options.

It will take someone a lot longer than you think to cut that cable with bolt cutters. Unless they are carrying the ginormous 3' variety.
The padlock will take a hell of a lot more time to defeat than any other lock out there.
It's all about:
1-Deterrence. Make them move on to something easier.
2-Time. Make it take as long as possible to break your lock. Maybe someone who cares, or you, will see what they are doing.

Links worked for me

It just strikes me as pointless to use a $200 padlock with a $10 Kryptoflex cable. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so I think it makes more sense to get a padlock of comparable security for maybe $30, and put the $170 elsewhere. And I don't think that 3' boltcutters is that rare of an item for a bike thief to carry.

The combo usually recommended. is a U lock (like Evo) to secure frame to something secure, then cable to tie wheels to U-lock.

And register the key with the Co.

Agreed, but useful information nevertheless. I'm certainly not going to carry 3/8" cable and a couple of U-locks on tour, but it's good to know how best to lock a bike in a different situation. This ought to be posted in the single-speed/fixie forum if it isn't already.

I was actually thinking recently of the lightest possible locking system for touring. I was thinking about using solid axles and nuts on the the wheels so that I could just lock the frame with a very short length of cable, which I could have swaged at my local hardware store. I would get a couple of cheap 15mm and 17mm wrenches and cut them as short as possible -- maybe 2 inches or so -- to reduce the weight. I'm thinking the nutted axles would be beneficial for other reasons as well. I've never broken a QR skewer or lever, but it has occured to me -- while changing a tire in the middle of nowhere -- that I'd be rather stuck if it did ever happen. You also wouldn't have to worry about some overly curious or nefarious kid loosening up your skewer while you were buying groceries (I did catch some kids once messing with my bike while I was in a store. They were just curious, but it gave me something to think about.)

It simply depends where you are. City vs. country. This is the best locking solution available. I had someone recently ask, so this is my answer if you can afford it.

It works because the thief has to have at least two types of tools to get your bike, and it takes them longer to get it.

Deterrence.

No they don't. Once the cable is cut (which is relatively easy to do) the padlock is irrelevant. That's my point-- there's no reason to use a $200 padlock on a $10 cable. It doesn't get you any extra security. (Yes the U-lock requires different tools, but that's not what we're talking about.)

Sorry, this advice is much costlier and no more effective than the well-known standard method noted above, where you use the U-lock to secure the frame and rear wheel to the rack, and run a Kryptoflex cable through the front wheel and the U-lock, or another disc lock/padlock.

Along these same lines - if you want to make that wheel REALLY secure you might want to try Pitlock skewers (Peter White sells them) http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/pitlock.asp

While we are adding tips. Super glue + ball bearing or magnetic ball bearing in allenkey heads to help prevent component theft.

That will work until you get 3 flats in 500' and start cursing yourself ;)

A $12-15 cable lock is adequate for 99% of the places I stop on tour. The times where it isn't I take special precautions like leaving the bike with someone I trust to watch it or taking it inside. I try to tour in places where theft is a slight risk. In a town with a population of 39 and the next town 40 miles away, where folks don't lock their house cars or anything else, I don't sweat it at all.

I'd be cursing either way. Actually, loosening two nuts takes only a few seconds longer than flipping open a QR skewer (certainly less time than it took me to write this).

Yes, they do.
If you read my OP, I recommend using the cable and padlock AND A SECONDARY U LOCK. Two types of lock. Two tools required, unless they are using a grinder.

You are correct. This method is expensive and heavy. It is the BEST PRODUCT/METHOD OF LOCKING FOR MAXIMUM SECURITY.

I thought someone might want the info. However, you are right, it is too heavy for most touring folks out there, so I apologize for posting it here. Have a mod delete it if you would like.

Crawdaddio,

Thank you for posting this information. It is very helpful for us.

i've also seen the wheel locks

http://www.velo-orange.com/ringlock.html

which seem like a great idea for touring : ) one is going on my bike for sure

i'm not saying that other precautions should be taken, but i think it would be a good addition to a u or cable lock while touring.

Let me take a different tack:

What is the advantage of locking a Kryptoflex cable with a $200 padlock vs. a $50 Kryptonite disc lock, or even a cheaper but decent quality padlock? To me, there is none because they're going to attack the cable, not the lock.

Because "IF" they attack the padlock the multi lock will hold up WAY better and for longer.
If they cut the cable, they would only get your wheels.
Not your bike.
Unless they have the tools to defeat the U lock as well.
The cable (or chain) is to protect your wheels.

If you feel secure enough with a disk padlock, then by all means, use that.
I was just throwing this out there for folks who want THE BEST.

Edit:
I just remembered. You won't be able to fit both eyelets of the cable into the shackle of a standard disk padlock. You need at least 3/4" clearance.

I meant something like the Kryptonite Evo Disk lock which should have plenty of clearance, but that's a good point when considering padlocks.

To be clear, I agree with and understand the point of using a both cable lock and a U-lock, but that's been advocated by bike organizations for years. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the Mult-E lock. Thanks for your replies.

Cool buddy.
Yes the krypto EVO would also be a good choice, and cheaper.
One just needs to some common sense when locking up.
Use what you can afford, and whatever makes you feel secure.

Human or dog feces on the saddle and handle bars works well.

Crawdaddio, thanks for sharing your expertise with this community.:thumb:

Thanks for the posting, interesting.

OK, crawdaddio

Knowing what you do about bikes, locks and thieves and adding a tour rider's desire for lightweight equipment, what sort of rig would you suggest for someone on an extended tour. Let's assume their paranoia level is not extreme, but not too casual. Assume we're aware of the usual precautions like locking it to something permanent in a well-lit area with some foot traffic (grocery store, library, museum or some other tourist attraction)

A friend recently recommended an aluminum cable lock made by the American Lock Company. Any experience with the lock or the company?

This has been a good thread. It's something I've always thought about, but could never come up with a comfortable decision.

Thanks in advance

Thank you Crawdaddio, I appreciate the useful info!