Pitlock Or Pinhead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pro Tour Punditry]

If I lived in London I do not think I would leave a bike anywhere. TBH I do not think I would ride a bike.

 

[jefmcg]

Have you considered n+1? Ie, buy a bike specifically for the commute - something less attractive to thieves, something that even if it did get nicked, it wouldn't be that big a deal. £100 can buy you a perfectly good old Raleigh or Peugeot, maybe even a Dawes or a Claude Butler. Add a £20 lock and a bit of care over where you park up, and you're sorted.

I had a colleague who daily left his £20 (when purchased second hand 15 years ago) racer at Cambridge Station with a d-lock. It got stolen, and broke his heart. He replaced it with a £1000 Brompton.

@jefmcg has lockable skewers, not sure which..but I think to replace a knackered QR

I have these. You can still find them on ebay. Key is very simple, and I keep one on the bike and another on my keyring. It's not a keyed lock and I bet you could remove it with 2 pairs of pliers but I feel confident the wheels aren't going anywhere. If I lose a key, I'll invest another ~£10 to buy a new pair of skewers with keys.

 

[swee'pea99]

I had a colleague who daily left his £20 (when purchased second hand 15 years ago) racer at Cambridge Station with a d-lock. It got stolen, and broke his heart. He replaced it with a £1000 Brompton.

Of course any bike can get nicked, and in any case if the OP only has space for one, that's that idea out the window. But I personally would think twice before leaving any clearly expensive bike locked up in London all day any day. There are professional thieves out there who have vans and angle grinders, and whatever lock you use, you're asking for heartbreak.

 

[andrew_s]

I've started using Hexlox
This is an update of the old trick of supergluing a ball bearing into the socket of your allen bolts, but with the insert readily removable with a small coded key that's only about 15 mm x 3 mm dia., taking up hardly any keyring space.
You can protect anything that's fastened on with an allen bolt, not just wheels and seatposts.

 

[maroon]

Of course any bike can get nicked, and in any case if the OP only has space for one, that's that idea out the window. But I personally would think twice before leaving any clearly expensive bike locked up in London all day any day. There are professional thieves out there who have vans and angle grinders, and whatever lock you use, you're asking for heartbreak.

I'll take that on board , thank you for the opinion

 

[maroon]

I've started using Hexlox
This is an update of the old trick of supergluing a ball bearing into the socket of your allen bolts, but with the insert readily removable with a small coded key that's only about 15 mm x 3 mm dia., taking up hardly any keyring space.
You can protect anything that's fastened on with an allen bolt, not just wheels and seatposts.

Oh!!!!
Wasn't aware of this, I'll check it out

 

[jefmcg]

btw, it's not only the wheels to worry about ...

 

[maroon]

Morning all,
Tried searching online but would anyone know where I can go see maybe purchase some hexlox's????

 

[jefmcg]

Morning all,
Tried searching online but would anyone know where I can go see maybe purchase some hexlox's????

https://hexlox.com/pages/hexlox-store-locator

 

[maroon]

https://hexlox.com/pages/hexlox-store-locator

Thanks @jefmcg i'll be there monday to find out more before buying

 

[NickNick]

btw, it's not only the wheels to worry about ...

View attachment 378538

Argh, yet more to worry about, hadn't even considered people stealing wheels/saddles let alone bloody forks!!!

I tend to take the qr skewer from rear wheel with me and lock the wheel to the bike just to put of off the sort of thief that would ride off with the bike but looks like I should think about securing my front wheel too.

 

[vickster]

Argh, yet more to worry about, hadn't even considered people stealing wheels/saddles let alone bloody forks!!!

I tend to take the qr skewer from rear wheel with me and lock the wheel to the bike just to put of off the sort of thief that would ride off with the bike but looks like I should think about securing my front wheel too.

I don't think that sort of stripping happens while you are in a shop or even at work. Whole bike and front wheel are most at risk, possibly a Brooks saddle

 

[NickNick]

I don't think that sort of stripping happens while you are in a shop or even at work. Whole bike and front wheel are most at risk, possibly a Brooks saddle

I don't know why, by I never think to secure front wheel, it's currently bolted not qr (unlike rear wheel) so bit more of a faff to steal but I clearly need to improve my op sec!

 

[Tangoup51]

Cable ties.

 

[smutchin]

Some complaints online about difficulty in using the pinhead lock tool.

It can be a bit fiddly but you get used to it with practice. It seems very secure though - the features that make it fiddly to use also make it harder for scrotes to crack it.