Looking at the Oxofrd ones on CRC – need one that’ll do four bikes, so probably a 2m job, at least. What’s good value?

Think it’s a 2m oxford I have round 3 bikes, which is sometimes a bit of a fiddle. Would want a bit longer for 4.

http://securityforbikes.com/

I have the Protector 13mm Chain and Squire SS50CS Lock. Great value and top quality…

If you want proper security, then you need a decent chain of at least 16mm thick so that there uncroppable with bolt cutters, 19mm would be better. There good value, as they’re proper chains that work…

Almax series 3 & 4 or Pragmasis Protector (16 or 19mm) both come with Squire locks.

Don’t forget you’ll also need a ground anchor too.

There are buy once products, so they may seem initially very expensive, but you’re not going to need to replace them any time soon… had mine for 4/5 years now, so value for money is moot.. they don’t wear out.

Bit of a thread hiijack but am considering a ground anchor in the garage – any ideas about whether I would need to hire a heavy duty drill to drill the holes? I’ve got a mains Bosch DIY hammer drill, not insubstantial, goes through most things, but concrete with a big drill bit…?

munkster,

Your drill should be fine. I used a basic Bosch hammer drill to fit a ground anchor to my garage floor. It’s very secure. So secure, in fact, that when my garage was broken into the thieves sawed through the bike frame instead of attacking the Pragmasis chain!

depends on your concrete floor in all honesty IME, I was prepared to borrow a SDS drill but my normal one with the rubbish bit supplied with the ground anchor did the job…

Great, thanks all.

Oh pro-tip for drilling for fitting ground anchors: ear defenders or good ear plugs. Garages are LOUD to drill in.

munkster

you don’t need to drill a big hole there are anchors out there that you drill 4 holes then epoxy in the bolts. the epoxy is actually harder than the concrete.

Wall of shame for easily cropped expensive chains:

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=7

Toolstation have 12mm hardened chains that are pretty substantial and only £30 for a 2m. I have a 1.5m which just about goes round 2 bikes and a ground anchor.
Here

Almax – London supermoto owners swear by them. If nothing else by attaching 15kg of chain to your bikes it will cause someone problems shifting them!

I got the biggest abus chain and padlock I could find,it’s a motorbike one.
protip:take the cloth sheath off,get an innetube,with much swearing and sore fingers pass the chain through the inner tube.put cloth sheath back on.
more comfortable to wear around your waist,but asides from that,it doesn’t flop about so much when putting around your frame/inside the ground,wall anchor.quieter too.

Ebay can be good for big ol’ locks and chains…..
Quick search for “heavy duty chain”.

DrP

I’d spend the money on making it harder to get into the garage and fitting an alarm. As others have said, they will just cut through the frames or will just unbolt parts if they can’t cut through the lock.
It is just a shame there isn’t a legal way of wiring our bikes to the mains, so they would act like a giant fly zapper! 😈

If you’ve got a local branch of Hein Gericke (motorcycle clothing and stuff) nearby then you might be able to pick up a bargain – they went into administration a couple of weeks ago and my local branch (Plymouth) had good discounts on lots of stock – heavy duty chains, padlocks, D locks, ground anchors and suchlike.

A quick note on fixing Ground Anchors. Make sure that you’re fixing it to a concrete slab rather than a sand / cement screed. Although, it is highly likely that [in the UK] a garage floor is a concrete slab it’s worth double checking.

Personally, I use a multi-layers security approach.

Externally, my ‘shed’ has low key reinforcements so not to attract obvious attention.

Internally, I have multiple types and size of locks. A sacraficial bike. Finanly, I have electronic alarms too.

Almax are a buy once item and are, for all intents and purposes, indestructable.

Ultimately, if someone wants YOUR bike(s) then they’ll get them. Therefore insurance is your ultimaate protection.

A sacraficial bike

How do you mean?

Basically a bike that’s ‘easier’ to get. The opportunist thief is ‘happy’ to get something for their risk, rather than nothing.

Not that I want to lose any of my bikes, but there is one I’d be ‘less upset’ about losing.

A sacraficial bike
How do you mean?

You take the bike to the highest peak, and thrust a blade into it’s heart. Once the “oil of life” stops running, you mumble a chant whilst drinking a tincture of DOT5.
Forevermore, the cycle Gods will protect your other bikes.

DrP