Bike lock

[Psamathe]

Good lock(s) are important but also always consider what you are locking your bike to. e.g. my local supermarket has some big "Sheffield-like" stands fro locking bikes to - but check and they are made of scaffolding tube with standard 90 deg and flat attachments where the tube is held in by a grub screw; somebody with an Allen key would have your Gold locked bike in their van in seconds without ever touching the lock but by loosening the grub screws and dismantling the "stand".

Might seem obvious but some points to lock to are far from "secure".

Ian

 

[steveindenmark]

Get a quick release for your seat post and take it in the shop with you. Its a faff but its cheap and deters thieves. £40 is unfortunately not going to get you very far in the lock stakes. Buy a heavy U lock and never lock your bike free standing. Always fasten it to something heavy. If you cannot find something, go somewhere else.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Slightly different point but

a few weeks ago I went to get my bike out and one of the padlocks on the shed was jammed locked - the others were fine but this was just solid
did all the usual and it would not budge

tried using a hacksaw on it and basically just polished it a bit

had a thing and tried the hacksaw on the bolt instead and it went through it in a minute or two very easily

so 2 things - as said before - make sure you lock you bike to something that can;t be easily cut - and put at least one lock through a wheel - at least make it inconvenient to push the thing away!
secondly - make sure your insurance doesn;t specify the type of bolt on the shed door - again - just don;t give the insurance a gap to wriggle through!

 

[fossyant]

tried using a hacksaw on it and basically just polished it a bit

I can tell you are a honest person. If you had a bolt cropper, or a portable angry grinder, it would be open in seconds.

We (my son) have a battery angry grinder, and it's a formidable machine, better than the mains one that I had. He uses it for making car exhausts and smoothing out his welding - it slices through anything with the right blade. Chop, gone !

 

[mustang1]

I can tell you are a honest person. If you had a bolt cropper, or a portable angry grinder, it would be open in seconds.

We (my son) have a battery angry grinder, and it's a formidable machine, better than the mains one that I had. He uses it for making car exhausts and smoothing out his welding - it slices through anything with the right blade. Chop, gone !

I'm just being pendantic and I know you meant angle grinder, but it was rather funny to see angry grinder, twice!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I'm just being pendantic and I know you meant angle grinder, but it was rather funny to see angry grinder, twice!

I think I prefer angry grinder


although not in the context of 'dating sites' - I suppose

 

[Gwylan]

Get MINIMUM two good quality locks and lock bike correctly. Also pay attention to what you lock your bike to because that object needs to be strong as well.

+1 for that advice. Big, ugly and shortest, fattest chain possible. Those Makita battery angle grinders are very effective. The fake Chinese ones are cheap too

Ask me how I know!

Also read page 48 of your insurance policy and install a ground bolt at home.

 

[fossyant]

I'm just being pendantic and I know you meant angle grinder, but it was rather funny to see angry grinder, twice!

That's what we call it, the angry grinder !

 

[I like Skol]

That's what we call it, the angry grinder !

Yours is just a toy! I have a big angry one, it's 9"

Not very portable though.

 

[fossyant]

Yours is just a toy! I have a big angry one, it's 9"

Not very portable though.

9"

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Yours is just a toy! I have a big angry one, it's 9"

Not very portable though.

It is generally quite important to be able to get it to where you want to use it I think??

still - nice to have a big one

(note - when I typed that I mis typed important - and it spell checked as impotent - dunno why I found that amusing!!!!)

 

[mustang1]

Has anyone come across the Hiplok D1000 angle grinder proof lock?

 

[ColinJ]

Has anyone come across the Hiplok D1000 angle grinder proof lock?

That looks pretty effective...

... but:

• It costs about £250
• It weighs about 2 kg
• What you lock it to is probably not going to be angle grinder proof. (See the relatively vulnerable Sheffield stand that the child's bike is locked to in my post above.)

 

[Psamathe]

Some photos of the "Sheffield Stands" at my local Waitrose. Either an Allen key or even a Phillips screwdriver or spanner and your £250 lock protects nothing. Ages ago these "shortcomings" were raised with the store manager who just talked about budgets but eventually agreed to raise it at the next store management meeting. That was several years ago.

(the deleted bit is a sticker with a phone number ...)

Ian

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I saw a photo a while ago of a bike being ridden off with a u-lock happily dangling from the crossbar

apparently they had just cut the stand in 2 and rode off with the bike
presumably they then have the time to get rid of the decent quality lock in private

best to put the lock through the wheel and frame - but I can;t really do that with mine most of the time because it won't reach
which is why I add an extra to lock the wheel to the frame
more awkward to lock up and unlock for me but hopefully might make some toe-rag think twice