Lock for popping down the shops...

[MJN]

I'm looking for a lock which I can take with it when simply popping out to the shops in my local village (small town). Basically I'm after something which neither I, and/or my girlfriend if she's going, would not find too much of a hindrance.

Of course, I recognise that size/weight vs security are often intrinsicly linked, and indeed the fact that I'll only be in a shop for a few minutes may well be a moot point if that is more than enough time for a thief to compromise the lock, however I thought I would at least provide the context in which I plan to use it.

The size/weight issue obviously steers me away from D-locks etc but then I appreciate I am therefore compromising security. Cable locks don't seem particularly robust, but perhaps they might be robust enough? I'm wondering about another approach - perhaps a motion activated lock alarm so as to alert me/others to any theft attempts?

Our bikes are both worth ~£450 and the crime levels in our town are low - of course that doesn't mean there isn't any crime and so our bikes are still vulnerable. I'm not looking at eliminating the risk - even leaving the bikes at home wouldn't achieve that - but I am looking to reduce the risk to a level I can live without being too onerous.

Any thoughts?

Mathew

 

[rodgy-dodge]

Picked one up in Aldi this morning for £3.99 for just the same reason, not sure how secure it is though but looks sturdy enough.

 

[MacB]

If your bike can take a rack then I'd be tempted to get one of the racks with a d-lock fitting. That way it's always there when you need it.

 

[ian turner]

LAst time I checked £450 isn't chump change so get a lock that will last longer than the time you spend in the shop.
So exclude anything that won't stand up to a bolt cutter or a few whacks with a hammer, so no cable locks or cheap d-locks.
Hmm bikeradar are promising reviews of the aldi gear but then it's already out and will be gone by the time they review it. I guess at £3.99 you could buy the lock and bin it if it appears it won't keep a toddler with a crack habit out.

 

[MJN]

get a lock that will last longer than the time you spend in the shop.

There is no such lock, or did you have one in mind that would more or less fit my criteria? You only have to scout around YouTube to see that even the best-of-the-best can be defeated by someone with the necessary knowledge in a matter of minutes (if not seconds).

My aim here is to go as far as getting something that will stand up to the level of knowledge and skill of a small town/village thief. Of course, the difficulty is knowing exactly what that is and so there's a certain amount of guesswork in determining what is good enough to mitigate the risk to an acceptable level.

The bottom line is I am reluctant to let thieves dictate to me how convenient it is for me to pop to the shops for a paper and I must offset that against accepting the risk that my bike may well get nicked.

Mathew

 

[Noodley]

Don't bother with a lock.

 

[MJN]

Don't bother with a lock.

Might've known you might say that with that avatar!

Mathew

 

[battered]

I used to have an Abus cable lock that DID survive an attack by a thief, in London years ago when I was a student. It bears the scars still, I carried on using it until my keys were stolen last year. I used to back it up with a D lock if I was feeling paranoid (I bougfht this the day I noticed the attempted theft!). A good cable lockwill be adequate MOST of the time and if you live in a small town then that may well be for ever. Even if you don't think it's 100% you can use it to back up a U lock. Few thieves will tackle a bike with both a U and a cable lock.

So, you pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[MJN]

I've been reading a few reviews of alarmed padlocks - anyone here got any experience of them? I did read a few opinions that some are too sensitive and hence susceptible to false alarms though.

Of course, as physical anti-bruteforce security in there own right they may not be up to much but I figured there may be some benefit as a secondary device, perhaps attached to the bike (front chainwheel?) in such a fashion that might not be immediately obivous. If a miscreant were then start to fiddle with the other lock the element of surprise might be sufficient to set him scarper? Or I might hear it inside the shop...

This might allow me to use a cable lock for some deterrent against the amateur theif with a little 'something extra' for peace of mind - both items together would still fit within what I consider acceptable overheads when nipping out on the bike.

Mathew

 

[ian turner]

There is no such lock

That would stand up to a hammer and bolt cutters for 15 minutes ?

 

[Noodley]

Might've known you might say that with that avatar!

But it is also the correct answer....

 

[MJN]

That would stand up to a hammer and bolt cutters for 15 minutes ?

You've moved the goalposts now - there was no mention of primitive tools before! I was thinking more on the lines of lock picks.

Mathew

 

[ian turner]

See crack monkeys advice on protecting your bike
Lock picking skills are rather up market for your average bicycle thief. They prefer faster methods involving brute force.
My original post did mention hammers and bolt cutters.

 

[Davidc]

I've been reading a few reviews of alarmed padlocks - anyone here got any experience of them? I did read a few opinions that some are too sensitive and hence susceptible to false alarms though.
Mathew

Yes.

I've used fixed alarms attached to bikes, and also the alarm padlocks.

The padlock ones I've used are these, and the fixed alarms I've used for the past couple of years are these. Both are very loud and the fixed ones have twice sent would be thieves running from other peoples bikes on the same parking stand as mine. Real success with one - blood left behind. The fixed alarms have a sensitivity control and I set them so that the bike needs to experience real movement, the padlocks (one for bikes and one for my shed) haven't been a problem - they need a positive movement before they go off. The price on ebay for that alarm is much higher than I've paid when they've been auctioned and not buy-it-now items.

I have a lightish D lock on a bracket on my runabout, and a heavier sold secure gold one on the tourer, one of the fixed alarms on each, and the option of the alarm padlock plus a light cable to add if I think it's needed.

Yes I'm paranoid, have been ever since I first had a bike nicked, but the D lock plus fixed alarm is all I normally use and it's easy enough to use when going into a shop or having a coffee stop on a ride.

Ultimately I don't think anything will stop a determined thief who has a buyer lined up ready for your bike.

 

[MJN]

See crack monkeys advice on protecting your bike

Thanks for that - useful stuff. As despressing reading as it is I'm not sure if it paints quite the picture of where I live though! That said, even if it did I'm not sure it helps too much given my purchasing criteria.

My original post did mention hammers and bolt cutters.

Apologies; you did - I somehow overlooked it.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I will have a scout around the bike shops to see what, if anything, fits the bill in terms of size, weight and security.

Cheers,

Mathew