Which Lock?

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Jim77

New Member
Which lock would you recommend and why? Should I go for:

(1) A D-Lock
(2) A Chain lock
(3) A Steel O-Flex lock

Also what make should I go for (I was thinking ABUS) and how much should I spend? My bike is worth £650 if that makes a difference.


Cheers.
Jim.
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
On the whole I'd advise using two entirely different lock designs (D and cable). Two locks means two different types of cutting/breaking tools which from a thief's point of view probably means they'll pick a different bike. It also means you can secure wheels as well as the frame.

Abus are well respected, Kryptonite are also worth a look. Check with your insurance company to see if they have a list of recommended locks. I'd say approaching 10% of the bike's value is a decent amount to spend on locks. Sorry if that sounds a lot, but thieves do recognise good bikes.
 
Depends what you want it for. I carry a D lock with me if I know I'm going to be stopping on a ride, but use a good quality chain lock for the bikes at home. (Or used to - now they're padlocked in a shed in the back yard, which is surrounded by high walls, overlooked by three houses and in a quiet part of town.) I use mid range Kryptonite locks (about £30 each).
 

DLB

Senior Member
In a recent test of locks in C+ magazine the kryptonite new york fab????? (i forget the correct last word), and the abus granit both did very well. If i had a bike worth what yours is, i'd buy one of those. They are both heavy but the kryptonite one comes in a 'mini' version which is a little lighter. I think the abus is about £55 in Wiggle.co.uk and the kryptonite can be found for about the same price.

My bike is worth about half the price of yours and so i went lower budget and bought

http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=732&cPath=55

When i know i'm gojng to be leaving the bike anywhere i take that locka nd an old squire D lock and use them both. One through the frame and the back wheel. one threw the front wheel.

Incidentally the lock above (that i bought) withstood a 5 minute attack with hand tools and only was cut when they took out the power tools (on the C+ test). That's why i bought it.
 

bonj2

Guest
as long as you realise the cable can be boltcropped, so you don't want to leave your best bike in town with just the cable securing it. But I would imagine if you lock the frame to a railing or shef stand and use the cable as a bit of extra security for the wheels it's great.
 
I would only use a cable lock in a fairly safe place just to put off the opportunist.

If the bikes staying anywhere for any length of time I use a D lock , at the moment I have 2 one stays at work the other is around the back of my fav curry house.

If I want a strong lock to carry, I use a piece of hardened chain(bought from a hardware shop not B&Q) with a chunky padlock , I like this because it reminds me of a punk "rabbit" lock, is very strong and would be a nice thing to have about if I found myself in an unfriendly place:sad:
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
I've bought the magnum that User had posted, but the slightly longer one without the cables - it's actually very similar to the onguard locks (same design) - seems very sturdy, but rather heavy - still goes in my ruck sack though ....
 

bonj2

Guest
That's the idea. You lock the bike up with the D-lock, run the cable through the front wheel and link that into the D-lock.

just make sure you don't have BOTH sides of the cable going through the middle of the D-lock, thus not linked to it at all ... i always worry about that ;) ... like an 'undoable' knot...
 

DLB

Senior Member
Last weekend in Southport i saw a man and a young lad place their bike either side of a lampost and continue to lock the bikes together with a cable lock that i think i could have cut with a junior hacksaw in about 10 seconds. "What a cheap and crap lock" i thought. I then realised that the lock bonded the two bikes together BUT didn't go around the lampost. How stupid is that??
 

regicide

New Member
DLB said:
hey are both heavy but the kryptonite one comes in a 'mini' version which is a little lighter. I think the abus is about £55 in Wiggle.co.uk and the kryptonite can be found for about the same price.

I think the New York Fahgettaboudit is too heavy at 2KG (i.e. try holding a 2 litre plastic carton of milk in your hands) , unless you are leaving it in situ at journey's end. Kind of defeats the purpose in getting an expensive and light bike otherwise..


http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?cid=1001&scid=1000&pid=1095
 

TimO

Guru
Location
London
regicide said:
I think the New York Fahgettaboudit is too heavy at 2KG (i.e. try holding a 2 litre plastic carton of milk in your hands) , unless you are leaving it in situ at journey's end. Kind of defeats the purpose in getting an expensive and light bike otherwise..
...and that's just the New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock. The non-U-lock version, ie a very small U-lock and chain weighs even more. :ohmy:
 
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