Bike locks

[nomdeplume]

Having seen a TV prog recently when a 'thief' armed with a portable rechargable angle grinder managed to cut open several U-locks in about two minutes regardless of the price paid for the locks, I was wondering what advice can anyone give for bike security. A rechargable angle-grinder costs about £200 so a few £2K bikes stolen gives a good living.

 

[steveindenmark]

Lets not have a knee jerk reaction.

How many thieves go out with an angle grinder?

Steve

 

[nomdeplume]

All thieves wishing to steal a bike will go out armed with the requisite tools.

 

[jefmcg]

If a thief is determined to steal your bike, has an angle grinder and you leave it unattended, your bike will be gone. All you can do is make it as hard as possible, have insurance and try to relax.

Now, just to stress you out a little more ...

Edit: spend some time here and here. Lots of ways of stressing, but lots of good advice.

 

[Garethgas]

Any bike thief will take the appropriate tool. Usually a pair of bolt croppers.
Plenty of you tube videos showing bolt croppers slicing through the best u locks so all you can realistically do is deter the opportunist.
I'm currently using a cheap cable lock with a (very heavy) Aldi folding lock.
My reasoning is that said thief will need at least two different tools and there will be other bikes easier to steal.
So far, so good.

 

[Stonepark]

I use a ulock form bike to solid object, and a AXA wheel lock (with cable) to secure the bike to itself.

 

[Big Nick]

Being sensible where you leave it will do more to prevent your bike from being stolen

I wouldn't leave my good bikes unattended with any lock in anything but a bike locker (where they are hidden from view) unless I could see them from a cafe window etc

The vast majority of bike locks will be overcome in less than 2 minutes by a well equipped and determined thief

 

[Sods_Laur]

Locks don't have to be infallible, they just have to make your bike harder to steal than the bikes next to it.

 

[Big Nick]

Locks don't have to be infallible, they just have to make your bike harder to steal than the bikes next to it.

I disagree, if I was out tooled up to nick bikes and I saw a Colnago with a good lock parked next to a rat bike with a crap lock I wouldn't waste my time on the rat bike!!

 

[HorTs]

I leave an Almax chain http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ofcmje75/All-Products/c-1-73/ at work so I don't have to carry it everywhere, and have an ABUS folding lock http://www.wiggle.co.uk/abus-bordo-granit-x-plus-85cm/ for adhoc use.

I also use security skewers on the wheels.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Add a second lock to the one you leave at work (if you aren't using the ABUS as well) I left mine locked at work and after the bike was stolen there was a feeling that the thief had probably had time to work out how to do the lock in advance (because it was always there) so when he stole the bike (he did it in full view of CCTV and it took seconds) he didn't have to faff about at all. Agreed I thought the lock was a good one, but it could have been better. I now use a U lock and a chain lock (plus leave the bike where it can't be seen by the public.

I try and live with the advice that if you leave a bike unattended then you have to be able to cope with it being stolen. (It's one of the things making me jumpy about being signed up for Ride London.)

 

[Bryan McDonald]

A lock only keeps out an honest man, my dad would say. Just back into cycling, keep my bike in the house and don't go any place where I would have to leave it unattended. Don't really care about having to get the locks and chains and cart them around all over. I know that some people don't have that luxury.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I carry a computer security cable thing which is long enough to wrap round the bike many times and be a bit of a pain to remove but I know could be snipped very easily. And a meaty padlock that can work as a disk lock on the back wheel (an extra bonus of discs) which means any thief is going to have to carry the thing. These only exist so that if I end up with an emergency that means I need to dive in to a shop for 2 minutes (batteries for lights, food to deal with a bonk, etc.) then I can do it. My hidey hole at work has two sold secure locks in it permanently, one a proper chain and the other a U lock. Plus is behind two doors with very few key holders. When I get home they live in the house. It is possible having a bike stolen has made me over careful.

We've just been to Amsterdam for three days and cycled to and from the pub we were in. I had 5 locks with me which probably cost twice the value of the two bikes we locked with them. Then again they were our two cheapest working bikes (Giant Boulder and 80's Raleigh racer thing a friend gave us two weeks ago rather than throw away).

Ask yourself, am I paranoid enough?