Advice on which locks to use from experience?

[SkipdiverJohn]

I only use U locks now but am aware than if a professional thief wants my bike, he'll have it in seconds.

The smaller sizes can be cut with bolt cutters easier than a hardened motorcycle chain can. And you can't easily force a chain by jacking it open either. I found a cheapo MTB dumped in Kensington once, which had a Squire D-lock stored locked around the top tube and down tube. Looked like an old commuting hack that had been crashed as it had a buckled wheel. The shackle was about half an inch in diameter and supposedly hardened. It came off easily enough when I used a pair of 36" Record bolt cutters on it.

 

[wafter]

FWIW I use a Kryptonite D-lock but only ever leave my cheapo bike locked up / unattended and that's only for relatively short periods of time.

Sucks to have to carry around serious hardware to prevent your gear being taken by thieving scum - I don't envy anyone who regularly has to lock up a nice bike for long periods

 

[carlosfandangus]

The smaller sizes can be cut with bolt cutters easier than a hardened motorcycle chain can. And you can't easily force a chain by jacking it open either. I found a cheapo MTB dumped in Kensington once, which had a Squire D-lock stored locked around the top tube and down tube. Looked like an old commuting hack that had been crashed as it had a buckled wheel. The shackle was about half an inch in diameter and supposedly hardened. It came off easily enough when I used a pair of 36" Record bolt cutters on it.

My friend many years ago had his motorcycle stolen from his drive, this also had a good quality D lock attached, the thieves used a hydraulic bolt cutter on his, he heard what he thought was a gunshot ( the D lock going crack) it was that loud, he got up went to the bedroom window to see his bike being ridden away, never to be seen again, if professionals want your kit, there is little you can do to stop them, just a deterrent for the casual thief it appears.

 

[SO8]

Anyone got an Abus Steel-O-Flex 1025 lock ... one of the online tests found it harder to get into than the average cable / protected cable lock ?
It seems to be a cable covered in steel shells so has more protection than a simple cable lock which is rubbish.

This one ....

https://www.motardinn.com/motorcycl...Vge3tCh3Gmw4SEAQYASABEgIEx_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[HMS_Dave]

Anyone got an Abus Steel-O-Flex 1025 lock ... one of the online tests found it harder to get into than the average cable / protected cable lock ?
It seems to be a cable covered in steel shells so has more protection than a simple cable lock which is rubbish.

This one ....

https://www.motardinn.com/motorcycl...Vge3tCh3Gmw4SEAQYASABEgIEx_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Again, it uses primarily a wire cable for its security, even if it is covered with a gimmicky metal shroud. For me, no way.

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesoci...it-steel-o-flex-x-plus-1025-cable-lock-review

These reviewed it and perhaps this sentence on the verdict says it all: The Abus Granit Steel-O-Flex cable lock is surprisingly hard to defeat without an angle-grinder. We wouldn’t recommend it for securing higher-value machines – or overnight at home – but when out and about it’s a sturdy option.

But at the end of the day, that's just my opinion...

 

[classic33]

Given the price of the bike mentioned, £3,999. Any lock bought shouldn't be bought on the cheap.

I use a motorcycle lock and chain on the Brox, similar replacement price. One thing I found out, early on, was that insurance companies don't automatically transfer their lock ratings over from motorbike to bicycle. If your lock of choice doesn't appear on their approved list, they may be reluctant to insure the bike.

 

[MarkF]

If I'd have known to have bought a sharp pointed tool to separate the inner cable "fibres" to cut them, I'd have got through the cable lock in 5 mins not 15.

 

[rogerzilla]

Amir who I work with has lost 10 bikes in the 2 years that I've known him. He lives in Harehills (Leeds) and works in BD9, both high crime areas. I told him to get an old bike and not clean it. I think that old GT MTB lasted about a month.

GTs are cool, though. Get a decent bike and sticker it up as an Emmelle or something.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Amir who I work with has lost 10 bikes in the 2 years that I've known him. He lives in Harehills (Leeds) and works in BD9, both high crime areas. I told him to get an old bike and not clean it. I think that old GT MTB lasted about a month.

Is that at BRI by any chance? I lock up my ebike at BRI regularly, no trouble yet by my building. I think that's more down to location than locks though. Luckily it's in a quiet corner, not really visible to the public which helps. A couple of years ago we did have a couple bikes from the same shed as my older push bike get nicked by some teenagers with bolt cutters. They went for the easy pickings, wired locks. I'm under no illusions, even with two D locks, my ebikes isn't safe. BUT it's insured, so it doesn't matter much if it gets 'liberated'.

 

[MarkF]

Is that at BRI by any chance? I lock up my ebike at BRI regularly, no trouble yet by my building. I think that's more down to location than locks though. Luckily it's in a quiet corner, not really visible to the public which helps. A couple of years ago we did have a couple bikes from the same shed as my older push bike get nicked by some teenagers with bolt cutters. They went for the easy pickings, wired locks. I'm under no illusions, even with two D locks, my ebikes isn't safe. BUT it's insured, so it doesn't matter much if it gets 'liberated'.

Yes. Is yours the Giant ebike with the b.i.g lock?

 

[mjr]

. Luckily it's in a quiet corner, not really visible to the public which helps.

That doesn't help, does it? The ideal bike thief territory is a shed with little public visibility, multiple easy exit routes and access for a van.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Sucks to have to carry around serious hardware to prevent your gear being taken by thieving scum - I don't envy anyone who regularly has to lock up a nice bike for long periods

That's just the reality of life. There are loads of thieving scrotes out there who would rather nick your gear that you've worked to get, than go out and actually earn their own money. No-one is actually forced to lock up an expensive bike, unless they are unlucky enough to have a major mechanical whilst out - but then are unlikely to even be carrying a lock anyway from what I observe. Some cyclists are just too vain to be seen riding a cheap hack bike, so they take expensive ones to risky locations, and give the thieves an early Christmas present.

Get a decent bike and sticker it up as an Emmelle or something.

Making a good bike look cheap is an old trick, but it only really works for the frame. You can give a nice Reynolds 531 job a crappy rattle can or Dulux tin makeover, but you can't hide quality components from prying eyes. Even if such a bike doesn't get stolen in it's entirety, decent mechanicals will soon disappear! I regularly see pricey suspension MTB's used as commuters get stripped of their bars and forks, with the frame and back wheel left D-locked to something solid. The only way to really make a bike look cheap is to equip it with low-end parts as well as a shite paint job, so you do pretty much end up with a cheap hack, albeit it might be a nice double-butted steel one underneath that Dulux full of runs and brush marks!.

 

[classic33]

That doesn't help, does it? The ideal bike thief territory is a shed with little public visibility, multiple easy exit routes and access for a van.

Not many easy access routes that are open to the public at B.R.I..

 

[wafter]

That's just the reality of life. There are loads of thieving scrotes out there who would rather nick your gear that you've worked to get, than go out and actually earn their own money. No-one is actually forced to lock up an expensive bike, unless they are unlucky enough to have a major mechanical whilst out - but then are unlikely to even be carrying a lock anyway from what I observe. Some cyclists are just too vain to be seen riding a cheap hack bike, so they take expensive ones to risky locations, and give the thieves an early Christmas present.

Indeed; sadly I'm all too familiar with the realities of some scumbags' thieving behaviour.

Neither of my "best" bikes ever get locked up; through fear of both theft and damage. The shopping / pub hack is my ofo, which is great if you're in the right mood / not in a hurry / there's no wind or hills, but it's weight and unsympathetic gearing can get a bit grating - especially up the 10% hill I live on with 10kg of shopping on my back..

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The ofo project was great, not my sort of bike, but a useful hack and certainly different from run of the mill machinery. I know of a site at work that has had a dumped mobike in it for months, and have sometimes wondered if it had any potential - but then I'm not short of hack machines as it stands.