Sorry....this is bike related...what's the best lock on the market these days guys?
Best lock on the market?
- Thread starter Ridemonkey
- Start date
i trust this one:
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=3037&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
but it's not exactly portable.
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=3037&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
but it's not exactly portable.
The Kryptonite U-locks are still about the best thing going now. They had the issue with the bic pens, of course, but that's fixed now and if you find an old stock lock that hasn't been fixed, you can get it swapped out for free.
Those huge chains are just too unwieldy.
Those huge chains are just too unwieldy.
I use my home-made paperclip chain. It seems like such an unlikely bike like, potential thieves are psyched into thinking someone is hiding around the corner with a bat. It's all in the mind, comrad.
yeah, i wouldn't actually carry that lock on my bike or person, but it's good for stowing in the car and locking it on the rack while i get some food or similar. i originally bought it for when i lived in ireland, because i couldn't keep the bikes inside, and they resided in a rickety little shack outside. so i chained 4 bikes together as a deterrent.binary visions said:
i use the peewee herman chain set, which is about 250 feet long
Thats what I use. If you put it around your waist its really not that bad (unless you're a puss.) There is a reason that the Krpto Chain/locks are pretty much the universal go-to in dense urban areas like NYC.narlus said:i trust this one:
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=3037&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
but it's not exactly portable.
Also take a look at the locks used on gates for storefronts. Those are outside year round and sill have to be able to function at least twice a day.
Toronto is absolutely brutal for bike theft, so I want something strong...not sure if I want 9lbs around my waist though. It's really only for running into stores, etc...it'll be indoors at my house and my gf's house.Tame Ape said:
This looks a little less unweildy http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=2735&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
Only 4.5lbs
Only 4.5lbs
Ridemonkey said:
another effective solution is to pick up a set of locking skewers with keyed end caps, those seem to be about $55 USD. example: http://kozy.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=4389 and a sturdy lil'U-lock, ex: U-Lock
edit: My LBS has been selling the skewers for about a year with NO complaints other then people loosing their keys.
If you just need to leave it out infront of the store for a few minutes in broad daylight, the skewers are a very good idea. When combined with a good u-lock your bike should be safe. Remember theives have to work fast, any lock can be broken, the trick is to make you bike the most incoveinent to steal. Also the more expensive it is, the more a potential theif is willing to risk it. A $7k DH rig mite be worth using a cutting torch in puplic, a Huffy not so much.
One other word of advice I have is to try and get a combo lock, then losing keys isn't an issue.
One other word of advice I have is to try and get a combo lock, then losing keys isn't an issue.
I really think the best advice is to never lock up a bling bike in the city (not sure if that is what your intentions are). My favorite lock is the kryptonite NYC lock (U Only), the key looks like something for a bmw. Really good lock.
If you can find them, squire locks are certainly at the top of the game
http://www.squirelocks.co.uk/html/2wheelintro.htm
British made, long standing.
http://www.squirelocks.co.uk/html/2wheelintro.htm
British made, long standing.
I have a Kryptonite like that but it has a round lock instead. Definitely not something you wanna lug around with you but I leave it on the bike rack at work. Someone I know who is quite adept at opening bike locks informed me that he would have trouble with that one.narlus said:i trust this one:
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=3037&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
but it's not exactly portable.
One thing I've heard over and over is that combo locks are EASY to crack for any seasoned bike theif.
Also, if you have Avid mech disc brakes on your bike, you can screw the pads down on the rotors, makes for a short trip for a bike thief
Also, if you have Avid mech disc brakes on your bike, you can screw the pads down on the rotors, makes for a short trip for a bike thief
or if you have an old school bike with a locking steerer you could use that and then undo the brakes if it has cantis or v-brakes.Echo said:Also, if you have Avid mech disc brakes on your bike, you can screw the pads down on the rotors, makes for a short trip for a bike thief
There is a huge difference in locks......being what you would lock it up in your garage with and what you would ride with to lock it up....
Most of the heavy duty chains work great for locking things up at home, but try to carry it with you on a ride. It's not such a good idea anymore
U-locks are still one of the better locks for a commuter or someone who must carry a lock with them. You could always go with some street-cuff's as well. Those both seem to be good take a long choices that can be had for $75 and under.
I had bought a Masterlock chain/lock deal that must weigh 10lbs. Just riding up the street with it is a challenge. I know that some guys will ride/carry it but I'm not one of them. Chances are if I can't get away with a U-lock size/weight lock then why lock it up? I don't ride enough places to warrent carrying such a heavy duty lock but when I do it's a U-lock.
Most of the heavy duty chains work great for locking things up at home, but try to carry it with you on a ride. It's not such a good idea anymore
U-locks are still one of the better locks for a commuter or someone who must carry a lock with them. You could always go with some street-cuff's as well. Those both seem to be good take a long choices that can be had for $75 and under.
I had bought a Masterlock chain/lock deal that must weigh 10lbs. Just riding up the street with it is a challenge. I know that some guys will ride/carry it but I'm not one of them. Chances are if I can't get away with a U-lock size/weight lock then why lock it up? I don't ride enough places to warrent carrying such a heavy duty lock but when I do it's a U-lock.
i use these in combo with a 4' steel cable... worked good so far... plus i can arrest the missus if she is ever 'naughty'... :devil:
Where do you lock your bikes up, because a reviewer in MBUK broke that lock with a crowbar by twisting the cuffs until the link between them broke. I think it took him less than a minute.partsbara said:i use these in combo with a 4' steel cable... worked good so far... plus i can arrest the missus if she is ever 'naughty'... :devil:
BTW, I have been using a OnGuard Bulldog Mini in SF with good success, and I still have a cylinder key New York Lock I have been using with the car...
well the last 3 years it was in germany... kaiserslautern... and a few other surrounding places... used em in amsterdam and it was cool... remember that day johnE, trip to the heinkein factory 
... never had a problem, but then again theft isn t as prevalent there (europe) as it is here... i hear amsterdam is pretty bad tho for bike theft...
haven t had to lock my bikes here yet... they are either under me, or in the back of my truck on the way to the trail..
... never had a problem, but then again theft isn t as prevalent there (europe) as it is here... i hear amsterdam is pretty bad tho for bike theft...haven t had to lock my bikes here yet... they are either under me, or in the back of my truck on the way to the trail..
ah, i'd been wondering whether there had been any followup studies to that old "bike" one where they timed a thief breaking locks. the evolution 2000 u-lock from kryptonite was the only one that passed muster.sanjuro said:
what i trust my bikes to nowadays is a flat key kryptonite evolution (they dropped the 2000 from the name) u lock with a 1/2"? thick cable for the other wheel.
i picked up a set of the masterlock street cuffs..
I still believe 99% of protecting your bike is where you lock it up and for how long.
I use just a 5mm thick combination cable when I run into local stores. Regular commuters laugh at my lock, but it will prevent some crackie from jumping onto my bike, at least until I can get back out there and pummel him.
And because it will fit into my front pocket, I have no excuse not to bring it. I know at least two thefts where this cable lock would have prevented, including a theft of a friend's V-10 while it was sitting by the start gate of the Sea Otter DH race. Locking it to another bike or even its back wheel would have stopped the a-hole from taking it.
I use just a 5mm thick combination cable when I run into local stores. Regular commuters laugh at my lock, but it will prevent some crackie from jumping onto my bike, at least until I can get back out there and pummel him.
And because it will fit into my front pocket, I have no excuse not to bring it. I know at least two thefts where this cable lock would have prevented, including a theft of a friend's V-10 while it was sitting by the start gate of the Sea Otter DH race. Locking it to another bike or even its back wheel would have stopped the a-hole from taking it.
While I agree with Sanjuro about the psychology of locking/theft, I bet you could cut that cable with a Swiss Army Knife.sanjuro said:
The real lesson though is that you should NEVER freelock (putting the lock on the frame/wheels only). People will grab the whole thing at once and crack the cable at their discretion.
While I agree with your point that any lock is better than no lock, that particular lock is the easiest thing on the planet to open. Anyone who knows anything about lockpicking can open that in under 30 seconds, and they can do it without looking suspicious. Hint: you can see the tumblers line up between the number dials.sanjuro said:
fixed gear, no brakes. toss it around a parking meter or on the lip/edge of a garbage can. mine is a real POS so if they're stealing it they're probably on crack and you'll find them 50 feet away at most.
I don't disagree, but if you bike commute regularly, there are times where you run into a store for literally a minute.Tame Ape said:
One take-out place has 3 employees who ride road, and one of them ran in for "a second", leaving his bike outside. Considering the place is at the top of a huge hill, some d-bag jumped on it and rolled downhill.
That's where I used that cable last.
I wish my buddy took a picture..but he works for a fire department in Orange County and kid and his mom brings in his mountain bike to see if the fire department can cut his Kryptonite u lock off. So they break out the Holmatro cutter aka Jaws of Life, which can cut with about 64000lbs of pressure. After a couple of minutes of dropping F bombs they retract the cutters and realize that all they did was ruin a $2000 set of cutters. Kryptonite still intact.
Was that tour not absolutely the best way to spend $10 in A-dam? 45 minutes of beer-brewing education followed by SEVERAL big rounds in the "sampling" pub. I do that tour every time I go there b/c of the nice pics of the rembrandtplein/opera house/waterlooplein area you can take from the outside balcony, it's proximity to my favorite pub there(Belgian Bierhaus), it's proximity to Greenhouse Namaste...plus I like to philanthropize worthy charities.partsbara said:... used em in amsterdam and it was cool... remember that day johnE, trip to the heinkein factory
A favorite site/map==> http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/
Bike theft in Amsterdam??? Say it ain't so, bro!
i bought a kryptonite u-lock several years ago. Its a 'mini' model and i can put it in my pocket, or hang it off my belt. The thing is badass. I don't know what i'd do if i lost it.
Because I don't like riding a junk bike?Bicyclist said:
I think you might be in the wrong place for a comment like that...why not just rollerblade?Bicyclist said:
nice keg, the 'dam is such a cool place... it was a very welcomed change from hermany...llkoolkeg said:
as for the heiny factory... absolutely mate... it was a great time.. needless to say i was ripped by some evil ak47 and bubblegum
... i remember when we hit the little brewing movie in the 'theatre' that holds about 24 people... i was on the end of a row toward the back... i stood there and a woman employee asked me to move left... i shuffled over and the the whole platform started rocking, little green bots of heiny we moving on the theatre screen... we were literally on a platform that moved. mimiking the movement of the bottles on the assembly line... classic... i m sure the woman employee regognised another person off their nut on the beer tour... on the subject of bike theft in amsterdam, i actually met a few locals who gave us the inside word... they told me that bike theft is infact a huge problem over there... especially bikes that are different... the classic 'dam black ladies step through classic is usually safe, but anything out of the ordinary ('johnE's pimped kona unit and my bianchi CUSS) were prime targets... we managed to get back to germany with our bikes, but apparently a large number of bikes are stolen there... sad but true.. me thinks junkies and the likes...
Hahaha..I remember that movie, especially the black-n-white footage of the factory when it was Heineken's primary brewery before acquiring Amstel. Do you remember the part where they took the group into that giant copper brewing thingy? I was all wigged by the bizarre audio slapback I was getting while the tour guide spoke and then only made things worse by hitting off my sneak-a-toke while lingering on the external balcony to take pictures. Needless to say, it rendered me stupified and sahara-mouthed to the point that my drinking downstairs afterwards was anything but modest.partsbara said:nice keg, the 'dam is such a cool place... it was a very welcomed change from hermany...
as for the heiny factory... absolutely mate... it was a great time.. needless to say i was ripped by some evil ak47 and bubblegum
on the subject of bike theft in amsterdam, i actually met a few locals who gave us the inside word... they told me that bike theft is infact a huge problem over there... especially bikes that are different... the classic 'dam black ladies step through classic is usually safe, but anything out of the ordinary ('johnE's pimped kona unit and my bianchi CUSS) were prime targets... we managed to get back to germany with our bikes, but apparently a large number of bikes are stolen there... sad but true.. me thinks junkies and the likes...
:evil: Regarding the bike theft, I was just being facetious. They have the WORST problem there because the junkies steal any bike to sell for a fix...ANY bike, even the black beaters prevalent there. I forget how much the city has to spend each year cleaning out the canals of stolen bikes that pile up to the point that boat traffic can no longer pass. Literally several times per year, the canals must be dredged of stolen bikes deep-sixed by junkies and other delinquents. I wouldn't trust a 10-year-old rusty Huffy to last more than 10 minutes unattended anywhere in that city...even the rich neighborhoods nowhere near the Centrum or Nieuwmarkt areas.
I have three buddies now trying to talk me into being their tour guide there this Fall, and if there is any possible way to swing it, I will do so. If I end up being able to talk the missus into trusting me there alone(knowing my history), I will let you know when I'll be there. It would be so fvcking cool to have a mini-monkeyfest in AMSTERDAM! As long as one person is always personally guarding the bikes in shifts, I would bring my Chaparrel and my bud would bring his Nomad just for the fun of doing urban in that city.