The Holy grail of bike locks?

Looking for the moon on a stick,- a lock light enough to carry around but reasonably secure. I realise our scrote friends can get into anything given time but this is for a quick pop into the shop moment rather than being left all night in [insert dodgy district near you]
i had a bike hut one that was reasonably good but my son has taken it to uni with him!

A mini-D lock sounds like what you’re after, like a Kryptonite Evolution Mini. Wouldn’t trust a chain or an armoured cable. And they’ll still be able to nick your wheels, unless you use the Sheldon Method.

Mate of mine works for a distributor. Showed me something called a hip lock i think it was. Goes round your waste like a belt. Looked like a good piece of kit.

http://www.hiplok.com/

I’ve seen Hiploks at the LBS and they look like one for the fashion victims to be honest. The Hiplok is 1.8 kg which is twice the weight of a Evo Mini, and the chain is only 8mm whereas the shackle on the Kryptonite is 13mm.

Lightest, toughest, proper D-Locks out there tend to be Abus. That’s where I’d start looking.

There’s a folding Abus that got a good write up in one of the mags recently and was about £100. It folds up into a little (ish) holder. Can’t remember what it was called though.

It was this I think

Abus Granit Bordo

These ones?

http://www.abus.com/eng/Mobile-Security/Bike-safety-and-security/Locks/Folding-locks

Neat design and they’re uncommon enough that I’d expect any thieves to be baffled. Not that light though.

I thought those folding abus locks looked great until I saw a broken one on a bike rack 🙁

They’re still super convenient though

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

From 6.40 minutes in this is a very disconcerting film. The only locks I’m aware of actually work against bolt croppers are these

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/nu3bkv151/Almax-Immobiliser-Series-III/c-1-69/

Kryptonite New Yorkers used to be the best on test but make sure you get a newer one that cant be easily picked by a bic biro! 😉 Abus also get great reviews. Neither are particularly light.

Look at the Abus Bordo range – compact and some are light, but not cheap – £70 IIRC.

Profit margins are higher on kryptonite which would steer me away from them!

Wasn’t the bic biro thing a myth in the end?

I have an Abus U-mini and thought when I bought it that it would be too small to be super functional but as long as you aren’t tying your bike to lampposts or trees its very good. also feels solid and inaccessible and would double up as a good blunt instrument to fend off attackers AND it fits in your pocket (uncomfortably).

i use a Abus granit x-plus 54.

Wasn’t the bic biro thing a myth in the end?

Yes and no. There were plenty of demonstrations of it being done, but I couldn’t get it to work with my ancient Kryptonite.

http://www.stolenbristolbikes.com/2012/06/product-test-my-pre-2004-kryptonite.html

Locks that work, until the thieving scrote has an angle grinder.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdugFzCi24

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

From 6.40 minutes in this is a very disconcerting film. The only locks I’m aware of actually work against bolt croppers are these

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/nu3bkv151/Almax-Immobiliser-Series-III/c-1-69/

I was just about to post a link to that youtube video.

The alternative to ALmax are Pragmasis from http://securityforbikes.com/ They come in more bicycle friendly 13mm links rather than 16mm which is a bit too big especially if you plan on carrying it http://securityforbikes.com/proddetail.php?prod=P13-x.x-SS50CS&cat=14

Also a frame bag makes carrying them loads easier, this is the one I’ve got which is good http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaude-Cruiser-2011-Unisex-Bag/dp/B003S6UIVO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I have found that using two different types of lock makes the process harder for the average opportunist.

A heavy duty lock to secure bike to object (lampost, whatever), then use a cable lock to secure the front wheel to frame, as even if the thief can cut the other lock they can’t then just ride off.

Also, thieves are know to wait until they see someone locking up the bike, then they have a face to look out for and a more predictable timeframe in which to operate.

Also, i always shift the bike into the wrong gear so when the thief tries to ride off, the chain comes off and he is put off by not being able to make a quick getaway.

I really like the idea of that titanium lock (TiGr). Light, strong and unobtrusive on the frame whilst not in use. But it’s expensive and AFAIK no UK distributor yet.

Edit: just checked their website and there are now 2 uk distributors! may well be getting one for chrimbo now!

Also, thieves are know to wait until they see someone locking up the bike, then they have a face to look out for and a more predictable timeframe in which to operate.

so always ride to the point where you are going to lock you bike up wearing a mask, but don’t wear it when returning to your bike.

If you do it the other way round the thief will easily spot you as you will look pretty dodgy approaching him with a mask on.

Did that bicycle-mounted WPC made a dramatic dive for the guy stealing the bike in that youtube video just because she knew she was on camera, or do you think she does it normally??

Shame the move was all a bit useless as well 🙄

Abus Bordo isn’t very secure according to this French forum thread: http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&twu=1&u=http://www.pignonfixe.com/showthread.php%3Ftid%3D90906%26pid%3D1327984%23pid1327984

I love what Google Translate does to language.

Lock it remains the best to have a super bike ugly.
it’s been years that I persevere in this direction and I commend the often atrocious ugliness of my daily.

Its silly that the TiGr uses an aluminium barrel. Youll get thieves punching through the barrel to enable them to steal the lock! Looks nice and bling though!

Cheep lock + cheep bike or dont leave it out of sight.

My Whyte bike came with allen key skewers which aren’t exactly high tech until you realise that they are 5.5mm and a 5 or 6mm won’t work.

I’d second Abus for quality and longevity – mine Granit is 20 years old now and works a treat. Its not light but you can’t have it both ways.

I have found that using two different types of lock makes the process harder for the average opportunist.

+1
as I’ve witnessed, scrotes only carry one type of tool down their sock, and a cable lock and d-lock require different types.
(unless it’s an angle grinder, but they don’t conveniently fit in your sock)

which aren’t exactly high tech until you realise that they are 5.5mm

that may be the first time I’ve ever heard of a use for the cursed 5.5mm allen key which is always findable when you’re looking for a 5mm

+ 1 for the Granit.

That combined with Pinheads on the wheels and stamping wax dripped into all the allen bolts makes my bike quite secure.

Its silly that the TiGr uses an aluminium barrel. Youll get thieves punching through the barrel to enable them to steal the lock! Looks nice and bling though!

It is stainless according to the website. Although you could drill it out, it would take more than a cordless drill to do it.

Just a word of caution on the almax and pragmasis chains – they are great but you can do a fair bit of damage to a bike with one if you fumble it while you’re locking up – cold hands + enormous chain = dented frame.

£100 isn’t that much to spend on a lock really, especially if your bike is >£500. The GF commutes daily and leaves her Kryptonite locked up in the office garage and just rides in with a £10 cable lock in case she needs to stop on the way home for some reason. Also has a long cable to do both wheels at work.

cold hands + enormous chain = dented frame

I find a large heavy sharp-cornered padlock swinging on the end of a chain can do the most damage – to bikes or otherwise…

You need to have a lock which is big enough to go through a wheel and the frame, otherwise thieves just cut through the frame with a junior hacksaw (takes 5 seconds on thin aluminium), pull the bike through the lock and walk off with it. OK they lose the value of the frame, but can still sell the wheels, brakes, drivetrain, brakes etc, etc.

if its just for when you pop in and out of shops, you could go with a pair of proper handcuffs.

I really don’t think it makes sense going completely nuts with these super unbreakable locks, they’ll just steal all your bits or cut through the frame. Good lock + hack bike is the way forward.

I’ve had mine smashed up in frustration by someone who couldn’t nick it.

Re Mr Agreeable’s link to Sheldon’s Method – that’s a crazy wierd drive chain/chainset combo.

Don’t ride to the shops on anything but a hack bike + D lock.

Forget about Sold Secure, Kryptonite, etc, unless you plan to claim on insurance when it’s nicked. A hack bike won’t be worth the excess. The fancy brands and ratings are only there for the insurance company, they mean nothing to how secure they are as they’re all easy to get into. A plain old chunky D lock is the best deterrent on a cheap bike though.

Expensive bike, either you’re riding it or the lock is your house… inside, with decent house security. Forget sheds and garages. Nice safe quiet places for them to get to work.