Effective bike lock

[ChrisKH]

The good news is that my local council have installed secure covered bike parking at the train station so I don't necessarily have to take the bike on the train to work - my workplace is a short hop from the destination station.

However I need a lock and this can be left at my home train station when not in use. The anchor point is the usual steel/iron supports concreted into the floor and ideally I need something to lock the bike triangle and one wheel to this so it needs to be of a certain length.

Any recommendations? This does not need to be an expensive D-lock but it does need to be effective to deter. The likelihood of theft is much reduced as the covered parking is fob access only and it is camera covered. I won't be putting my new Pinarello there in any event. As I said weight and size is largely irrelevant as the lock can remain there, but I am trying to limit cost.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

There's a lock test in the new Cycling Plus. If you're too 'careful' to buy your own I could scan you a copy if you like.

 

[ChrisKH]

[QUOTE 1180156"]
Abus Granite 54.

DON'T buy a chain if you are leaving the lock at the station. If you want an explaination as to why then ask - but trust me, don't.
[/quote]

I'm asking. I can probably guess but humour me.

 

[battered]

I favour 2 locks of different designs. One cheap portable one, one big ugly D lock. That way a thief needs 2 methods of attack. Good news that it's a secure shed.

Errr?
Go on then, tell us why not to buy a chain if you want to leave it in place. (?)

 

[ChrisKH]

There's a lock test in the new Cycling Plus. If you're too 'careful' to buy your own I could scan you a copy if you like.

Steady. I have no Scottish in me. Everything else, but no Scot.

Well maybe a bit. Go on scan it to me then. YHM.

 

[marcw]

Chains are fine if you go for the higher rated designs but they tend to be much heavier than the equivalent dlock. One plus on a chain is that you can wrap it tightly around the frame, I think you could make it pretty hard to attack if you could remove most of the slack

 

[titch124]

one thing to add here, if you locking your bike up to those n shaped rails and you have a dlock, never just lock the cross bar to the rails, the other week i saw two blokes walk up to a bike locked like this , turn it upside down and twist and the dlock was off in seconds, and then they were away with the bike.

i was absoloutly stunned at how quick it was done

 

[guitarpete247]

[QUOTE 1180156"]
Abus Granite 54.

DON'T buy a chain if you are leaving the lock at the station. If you want an explaination as to why then ask - but trust me, don't.
[/quote]


I'd have thought that leaving your lock give tea-leaves something to practice on. Then you arrive and your lock aint there or in bits and if you only carry your cheap lock you might be tempted to use that cos you're in a rush and need to get to work. When you get back all you'll find is bits of your cheapo. I wouldn't leave a D lock either for that reason. Don't give the scrotes any practice opportunity.

Other reason could be if you leave a chain and padlock there's always the chance that some plank will add their padlock to yours so you can't use it till you cut it off and same thing with cheapo lock.

What else could your reason be ?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

[QUOTE 1180160"]
What can happen is your would be thief comes along when no one is around, pulls back the cover protecting your chain and attacks one of the links till broken.

They then replace this with a zip tie, replace the cover and when you next use your chain they can simply cut through the zip tie and it's bye bye bike.

This has been known to happen.
[/quote]

There's some crafty scum about that's for sure - how do they think up these sort of things?

 

[guitarpete247]

[QUOTE 1180160"]
What can happen is your would be thief comes along when no one is around, pulls back the cover protecting your chain and attacks one of the links till broken.

They then replace this with a zip tie, replace the cover and when you next use your chain they can simply cut through the zip tie and it's bye bye bike.

[/quote]


I missed you put this reply on as I am also searching for some bits on ebay and flicking back and forth.

I think mine are valid reasons as well though .

 

[ChrisKH]

Chains are fine if you go for the higher rated designs but they tend to be much heavier than the equivalent dlock. One plus on a chain is that you can wrap it tightly around the frame, I think you could make it pretty hard to attack if you could remove most of the slack

I was wondering if these locks I see through the wheels of scooters would be appropriate. Very heavy. But if the advice is not to leave the chain around I'll have to stick to conventional bike locks to some extent.

I also need to weigh up that this is bike no. 4, it's 30 years old and has been modified extensively , i.e. it's a bit of a mutt. So it's worth about £25-£40 on the open market, if that; the individual parts (bar ends, quill bar stem, quick fire shifters, rack, tyres) are probably worth more on their own. If I need to buy a lock for £80 it's probably not economically viable.

 

[Davidc]

Chains and cables are supposed to be easier to cut off than a D lock, I have both for when needed and can put an alarm padlock on the cable to help along.

Last year I left my bike at the station and some lowlife slashed the tyres on all the bikes there. Now if I'm using bike plus train I lock my bike to one of the town racks and walk 1/4 mile to the station.

 

[2Loose]

one thing to add here, if you locking your bike up to those n shaped rails and you have a dlock, never just lock the cross bar to the rails, the other week i saw two blokes walk up to a bike locked like this , turn it upside down and twist and the dlock was off in seconds, and then they were away with the bike.

i was absoloutly stunned at how quick it was done

If I locked my bike like that and they used the frame to try and twist my U-lock off, I think my frame would give way before the lock did!

 

[guitarpete247]

This from the Aldi bike sale looks like a useful Number 2 lock to go with my D Lock.