Anti theft

[draikin]

Hi everyone,

For the first time, I'm about to start using a bike for commuting in town and I'm gonna need some anti theft.

So far I found there's 2 types : this and that

What's the difference and which is best ?

 

[StuartG]

None will stop a determined thief. A combination of both means he will have to carry two different tools and take twice as long. And that's the clue. Check where you expect to park. Make sure your bike looks less attractive than the competition and is better protected. Budget around £50 for the D-lock and £20/30 for a chain. Keep them tight so there is not much the thief can fiddle with.

If you have a real flash bike then its either secured parking (provided by your employer?) or don't let it out of your sight. Sorry but that's life in our cities. If you are in a nice rural area things may be different. But check with the local fuzz about where they get stolen reports.

Thieves will most likely take the easy pickings with the most value. Keep yourself out of that frame.

Oh and the third protection - insurance if it isn't a cheap hack.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

You'll also hae to consider that if you have cycle insurance, which standard of lock they require.
D-locks are limited in my experience by how they will loop your frame when locking.
My personal choice is a cable/chain type which I can loop through the frame and rear wheel as well as what I am locking it to.

 

[BSRU]

I would not buy a D-lock that is not at least sold gold secure, main brands to look at are Abus and Kryptonite but they need be positioned correctly for best security.
Also a chain needs to be at least 16mm otherwise it can be hand cropped.
Would not bother with a cable lock.
Always remember if they really want steal your bike the best you can hope for is that it takes some time and is a very noisy process.

 

[subaqua]

I would not buy a D-lock that is not at least sold gold secure, main brands to look at are Abus and Kryptonite but they need be positioned correctly for best security.
Also a chain needs to be at least 16mm otherwise it can be hand cropped.
Would not bother with a cable lock.
Always remember if they really want steal your bike the best you can hope for is that it takes some time and is a very noisy process.

oxford Magnum locks are also sold secure gold in a similar price bracket to ABUS too

 

[jayonabike]

I use 2 sold secure gold locks on my bike at work, this & this. Expensive but worth every penny.

 

[numbnuts]

Abus Granit +1

 

[MrJamie]

I use a granit too, with one of the wheel cable thingys. If i commuted id probably have the exact same setup as jay above.

 

[Chris S]

Are you anywhere near the West Midlands? The local police are supplying approved security locks at discounted prices.
http://www.safertravel.info/mob/mnews_more.asp?news_id=13

 

[sidevalve]

If you are parking within earshot fit one of the alarm padlocks as well. On it's own of course it wont make a scrap but if it goes off and you hear it you may be able to point out the error of their ways while they try to deal with something heavier.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

I use 2 sold secure gold locks on my bike at work, this & this. Expensive but worth every penny.

Expensive locks. Not sure if I could justify spending 16x more than I paid for my bike on locks

 

[subaqua]

rule of thumb is 10 - 20% of cost of bike on lock/s

 

[draikin]

Thanks a lot guys. My bike is only worth £160 so I won't spend much more than £30 on locks. Based on the answers here and my budget, I'm considering this Kryptonite D-lock. If you don't see it as sufficient (as it's not gold secure), perhaps I can somehow combine it with this alarm lock or with a cable lock as explained in this video ?