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Locks

(17 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by SRD
  • Latest reply from I were right about that saddle

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  1. SRD
    Moderator

    We've had to bin several locks this year because they malfunction to the point of being I openable/unclose-able. The most recent is a fairly well used Kryptonite d-lock - in the £30-40 price range,

    Are more expensive locks are more reliable? Or are they just harder for thieves to cut?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    My cheap D lock (about 5 years old) stopped working recently (key wouldn't turn).

    WD40 sorted that.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  3. SRD
    Moderator

    I've tried wd40 and graphite. Has worked to keep some of them going longer than others.

    One - from bike co-op - has never worked properly. :(

    tried to return it and was told 'i wasn't doing it properly'.

    :( :(

    Posted 10 years ago #
  4. wingpig
    Member

    My two-year-old long-thin-key-type Kryptonite, besides having a stupid unusable mount system, has started looking like it might be trying to rattle itself open, though it's hopefully just the rotating plate with the key slot in it rather than any of the mechanism. I shall be trying Abus when it eventually expires.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  5. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I have many locks, one of which is a 24-year old Kryptonite U-lock that still works great. In contrast, my Abus Steel-o-flex has a recalcitrant lock barrel and is less than two years old.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  6. Focus
    Member

    My similalry-old Kryptonite U-lock (low-medium priced at the time) still works and has only once needed a drop of oil to ease the mechanism. No longer used as a primary lock though due to the design flaw in the barrel lock style.

    My Abus Granite-X (2 years old) may weigh a tonne but it's proved very reliable and stood up well to flying off the bike when I hadn't quite fitted it properly onto its frame mount. The key with a light built in is a nice touch, as is the code card for ordering replacement keys

    Posted 10 years ago #
  7. panyagua
    Member

    My Citadel (anyone remember those?) is 29 years old and still works perfectly with an occasional drop of WD-40, despite having been left outside for months on end in all weathers. Although I'm not sure how secure it is by today's standards...

    Posted 10 years ago #
  8. Kenny
    Member

    GT85 on my Kryptonite D-lock has helped. I'm sure I have WD-40 somewhere, I just can't find it.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  9. Nelly
    Member

    I have a bog standard ABUS U Lock which is permanently hanging outside at the bike racks at work.

    Must be 2-3 years old and still works a treat despite my zero maintenance regime.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  10. wingpig
    Member

    My first U-shackle was a Citadel but I had to stop using it when I found only half of it lying in the garden of my old flat, with the bike it was supposed to be securing also still there, but the other half of the lock apparently stolen.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  11. gembo
    Member

    Had quite a good combination lock malfunction on me so back with keys. I have a heavy lock not used for a while, Buffo brand with a buffalo logo. I am using lighter twisty cable types at moment that would not cause thieves any problem. I am also quite often just leaving my old crossroads with sturmey 3 spd unlocked at Scotmid or roundthensideof the church hall. I have become lax and expect I will get my comeuppance shortly

    Posted 10 years ago #
  12. allebong
    Member

    Have the basic silver/grey kryptonite u-lock that has seen plenty of use over 5 years. On several occasions it has jammed up, I solved this by cleaning out the internals I could reach with a cloth, then dripping chain lube down the keyhole and lock slide bit. Revived it every time.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  13. EddieD
    Member

    This isn't the right thread to reply in, but it does concern locks - I mentioned that the bike shed at work was going to be cleared of abandoned bikes that will be donated to the Bike Station for those looking for a reasonable 2nd hand machine - I came into work today to find a very large pile of smashed locks near the door, and a lot more space in the shed...

    Posted 10 years ago #
  14. wingpig
    Member

    "...a very large pile of smashed locks near the door..."

    Don't suppose you quickly noted the distribution of blows per lock manufacturer/type to get an idea of how much each resisted being forcibly opened?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    "Don't suppose you quickly noted the distribution of blows per lock"

    Presume angle grinder was involved(?)

    Posted 10 years ago #
  16. EddieD
    Member

    I spoke to security, they have access to an industrial angle-grinder and to quote "none of them put up much of a fight..."

    I suppose if you're not trying to be discrete, brute force will overcome...

    Posted 10 years ago #
  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I went to unlock my bike this morning and discovered that I hadn't locked it on Friday night. I guess I just proved that I don't actually need a lock. However...I can offer a bit of crossover knowledge from the world of motorcycling.

    Chains and locks for motorcycles are obviously much more serious affairs than those for bicycles. They are regularly tested independently in the light of advances in materials and the techniques used by thieves. A 'good' arrangement is one which resists the most up to date thieving techniques for at least two and a half minutes. Standard bicycle locks (ofetn used as auxilliary locks on motorbikes) only last a few seconds under that type of assault.

    Posted 10 years ago #

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