Ottolock defeats thief...just

[Alan O]

Right from the beginning of the video the outer cover is missing, and he says something about "I've been looking to see what it's made of" - which suggests he didn't see the outer cover as being much of a barrier. Reviews suggest the outer cover is a plastic braid, and I can't see that being too hard to remove.

Still, it's a little careless to not attempt the whole thing, outer cover and all, with the angle grinder - the time taken to remove it too should have been included.

(But for me, when I'm going anywhere where I'll need to lock a bike, I'm happy to ride the one that cost half the price of a Litelok )

 

[Tangoup51]

But it may be a 12mm cable... but how much of that is steel?

I totally appreciate the use case, and the alarm. But I suspect you could cut that with some rusty secateurs, then just cycle away from the noise.

I think atleast 4mm is rubber and it's a pure 8mm cable. Keep in mind that the second you even seat your wire cutters or bolt cutters against it, the alarm will be sounding. You must appreciate how difficult it actually is to cut a cable lock in one, clean immediate cut.
- also, if you're worried about the lock failing as quickly as possible due to full length bolt croppers someone brought to a cafe stop, then you should probably jam you're gears so they can't ride away with it. - Keep in mind, that you won't be very far from your bike at all times either.

Something more sensible than rusty secateurs but yes, it's only useful as a sole lock when you're within earshot and will react once the alarm sounds.

Which is the exact point I was making, it's a cafe lock. It's very light, portable and 'earshot' is quite a big distance, given the 110db alarm. - although seldom will you be far from your bike anyway.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I think the lesson to be learned here is that you simply can't expect to expect to be able to keep hold of a desirable bike if you park it on-street in dodgy locations. Expensive (or even just nice) bikes really have to be saved for those occasions where you have control over the parking/storage situation at both ends of your journey. If you have to leave the bike out of sight, or on the street, then only use a low value/undesirable bike for those journeys.
The only bike I will willingly leave on the street in my area is my skip recue job, and I've even gone to the trouble of painting what is just a low-value 1990s Apollo MTB in midnight blue, to destroy any remaining vestige of stolen resale value by making it's brand identity anonymous. I've also got a duct tape repaired saddle fitted and left the horrible rusty wheels on rather than swap them for tidy ones. It looks like a total minger, which is simply not worth nicking.

Show us a pick John!

 

[PpPete]

It looks like a total minger, which is simply not worth nicking.

Don't count on it.
I had a minger stolen from the local station recently. It was a ghetto fixed on a huge old steel frame that had been repainted. I always thought the chances of any undernourished scroat being able to get astride it, let alone ride the thing were, pretty slim. Resale value of components no more than £20, even if stripped down. And as stations go it's not a particularly high-crime area. And yet it still went.

I think I shall paint the next one intended for such uses in dayglo /rainbow stripes. Evidently matt black is just too attractive.

 

[mjr]

I think I shall paint the next one intended for such uses in dayglo /rainbow stripes. Evidently matt black is just too attractive.

Fluo pink with handlebar streamers?

 

[PpPete]

and green and yellow and blue
It will be christened Joseph...