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Bike lock habits & recommendations

(29 posts)
  • Started 3 days ago by chdot
  • Latest reply from Greenroofer
  • This topic is not resolved

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    As mentioned on another thread, I’m looking into ‘bike theft as a barrier to cycling’.

    Over the years the quality/price of locks I use has increased.

    I almost never use bikes with quick release wheels in Ed, most of my skewers have been replaced with Allen bolt versions.

    I’m aware that any keen thief is likely to have Allen keys, but as with most security measures ‘deterrent’ is always a consideration.

    I quite often use a cable with a D lock - but when is a bit random. Partly depends on my notion of a bike’s desirability and where I might be leaving it and (to some extent) how long.

    I’m increasingly seeing online advice of ‘use two locks’. Clearly this is ‘sensible’ as a deterrent, but can’t decide if it’s necessary/sensible!

    Posted 3 days ago #

  2. Morningsider
    Member

    After having a bike nicked in that London last year (stupidly locked with only two beefy cable locks as I was only nipping into a pub for a single pint) in a classic case of horse bolting/stable door closing I now use one of the new generation of angle grinder resistant locks - a Litelock X3. It is ridiculously expensive and heavy, but pretty reassuring.

    Posted 3 days ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    Two locks rather than a d lock and cable? I use an old Tricross around town. I love it and would be sorry if it was nicked but II just use a decathlon lock. If I had a decent Electric bike that was all the rage with bike thieves I would reconsider locks . Though lot of bikes get nicked now from garages and sheds. I kind of just dont know the answer to the questionIllustrious Leader is posing. Mainly i think his bikes are more at my Tricross end but as I said I would be sad if that was nicked by sone radge fckr.

    Posted 3 days ago #

  4. bakky
    Member

    Bearing in mind that I’m normally locking up an ecargo, so a bit ‘all out’… but that’s my preference. Form a locking up habit and stick to it, so we have:

    - Rear Abus wheel lock (come standard on the bakfiets), keys are in it while riding so easily available when it’s lock-up time

    - Hiplok D1000 (another supposedly angle-grinder-proof lock, youtube has test videos)

    - Long Abus motorcycle chain - this is superfluous given the above, but we had it first, keyed-alike with the rear wheel ‘cafe’ lock, and it comes in handy in situations where there’s no sheffield stand or other usable point for the D-lock and / or I want to loop a kid’s bike through it as well. If we’re in the centre and parking for a while, all three locks used. Why not (bearing in mind weight is no issue given nature of the bike).

    I also have a cage round the battery as lurking in the (primarily dutch) owners and riders group I’ve seen too often how easily a Bosch battery can be popped off the frame. Cage is secured with an Abus disc lock, though the disadvantage is this setup adds an awful lot of metallic rattle on rougher roads / setts.

    On our more ‘normal’ bikes, we can just reuse our fancy angle-grinder proof d-locks, but have still opted for cafe locks on those. It’s a handy way to ensure keys aren’t forgotten, are ready for parking up, and offers the ‘double locked’ deterrent.

    As my wife has a Swytch kit on hers, front wheel security is via a coded nut by Pinhead.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  5. gembo
    Member

    @bakky I would like to say I taught you well but a.I didnt teach you anything. 2. We take a different approach iii resistance is not useless

    Posted 2 days ago #

  6. LaidBack
    Member

    AXA Linq Pro - useful for household lock as heavy. Like a short motorbike chain. Tested to 'Gold' standard (18). AXA also make a cargo bike lock but longer and less secure.
    I use a decent cable lock on my reclined road bike and s/h Raleigh folder.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  7. acsimpson
    Member

    The 2 lock idea is to maximise the tools that the crow food had to carry. Cables and d-locks typical can't be easily cut with the same tools.

    A d-lock and cable is good for protecting both wheels or extending round a large object but if just the d-lock is cut then the bike is compromised.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    “decent cable lock“

    I always thought that was an impossibility -

    Thin ones - pliers

    Thicker - bolt cutters

    The rest - angle grinders

    What make/models would you recommend?

    Do you use cable locks just for ‘cheap’ bikes or also with another lock?

    Posted 2 days ago #

  9. fergus
    Member

    Posting a reminder that if you use security skewers, remember to take your key with you! If you can't get the wheel off, there's no way of dealing with a puncture and you'll have to walk home.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    Yes!

    I just use ordinary Allen key ones.

    Like the idea of ‘special’ ones, but -

    Remembering/not losing special keys…

    Posted 2 days ago #

  11. neddie
    Member

    there's no way of dealing with a puncture

    There is still my favourite puncture technique, which is to leave the wheel on, and feed the tube out between the stays. Then use a regular puncture kit. Essential for 2 of my bikes which have hub gears and bolted-on wheels

    Posted 2 days ago #

  12. acsimpson
    Member

    My technique probably predates portable angle grinders. When d-locks we're broken by force rather than cutting.

    @Neddie, that's a good technique. I once had to do it with cutlery as I had neither a spanner nor tyre levers. With hindsight the tyres must have been quite a loose fit.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  13. chdot
    Admin

    “With hindsight the tyres must have been quite a loose fit.“

    I still have no ‘understanding’ of why some rim/tyre combinations are a REAL pain.

    Some (tyre) brands/models are notorious, but others seem so ‘loose’ you half expect them to not stay on - or at least seat properly.

    I’m sure for some cheap tyres ‘manufacturing tolerances’ is an issue, but for ‘big brands it really shouldn’t be a problem .

    Yes, puncture fixing with the wheel on can be straightforward, but not always…

    Posted 2 days ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    “When d-locks we're broken by force rather than cutting.“

    Ah yes the bottle jack method.

    Advice always ‘leave as little space as possible’ - so lock frame + wheel to something.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  15. Yodhrin
    Member

    Another vote for the Litelok X3. The price is a kick in the danglies, especially as it was my second expensive lock(got a D1000 and the XChain combo for my first ebike but when I got my second more posh one the frame is so thick you can't get the D1000 around anything - sold the lock on at a loss and kept the chain for situations that merit extra paranoia), but that plus an integral cafe lock is enough that I feel safe leaving it for short periods of time unattended in populated areas(eg, if I decide to go in to the supermarket myself and shop rather than arranging a click & collect order). I should note that the bike is also on BikeRegister using the marking kit, and the bike itself should, if I understand the marketing bumpf correctly, refuse to function properly if the head unit is detached(which is a quick release) so that's additional peace of mind. And it's insured of course.

    But yeah, it's definitely a barrier, though more to the kinds of trips I'm willing to take with it than an absolute. For example I wouldn't leave it locked up and go to the cinema or go out for a social meal, anything like that I'd want access to secure and ideally physically-monitored parking, but we don't do that sort of thing here.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    “The price is a kick in the danglies“

    Ah, yes (just looked it up!)

    https://www.litelok.com/products/litelok-x3

    Most of my bikes are worth less than that - not that I want any stolen.

    Apart from ‘value’ - monetary and ‘sentiment’, the inconvenience of losing a bike can be huge - even if people have a spare one - or the cash to replace a stolen one.

    But it’s undoubtedly a problem ‘balancing’ cost/convenience (particularly weight)/peace of mind etc.

    Cheap/scruffy bike with a D lock less likely to get stolen, but that’s hardly the point.

    There’s no doubt that electric bikes are being targeted. I intend to get figures on numbers/types of bikes reported stolen in Edinburgh.

    I’m not entirely confident that adequately accurate figures are collated.

    We’ll see.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  17. pringlis
    Member

    I have a sliding scale of locking approaches for my Tern GSD depending on where I'm parking and for how long.

    1) Abus frame lock on the front wheel only - if I'm popping in somewhere where I'll only be away for a couple of minutes, or where the bike will still be visible to me
    2) Wheel lock + a hefty Kryptonite Chain Lock from the frame to an immovable object, if I'm leaving the bike during the day in a reasonably safe area which is busy
    3) Wheel lock + Chain Lock + D-Lock on ground through wheels if I'm leaving it somewhere "a bit dodgy" or at night. If leaving overnight I'll also take the battery out.

    Big fan of the Abus frame lock, key stays in while you're riding so it's really easy to use and you always have the key with you. I suspect even most thieves around Edinburgh even if they got through my chain lock would likely either not notice or forget about the wheel lock which would buy a little more time if they wanted to ride it away.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  18. LaidBack
    Member

    @pringlis

    Big fan of the Abus frame lock, key stays in while you're riding so it's really easy to use and you always have the key with you. I suspect even most thieves around Edinburgh even if they got through my chain lock would likely either not notice or forget about the wheel lock which would buy a little more time if they wanted to ride it away.

    My thoughts exactly. On the occasions when someone has attempted on a customer's bike they only succeeded in making the task of using an angle grinder harder as the lock detached from frame was loose around back wheel. I had to cut it off with someone holding the horseshoe lock steady with a mole wrench. Took me 10 mins to avoid cutting into frame and spokes. This bike also had failed attempt to steal battery which just mangled battery lock.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  19. fergus
    Member

    [quote=neddie]There is still my favourite puncture technique, which is to leave the wheel on, and feed the tube out between the stays. Then use a regular puncture kit. Essential for 2 of my bikes which have hub gears and bolted-on wheels [/quote]

    I stand corrected, but this sounds like a right hassle (and presumably no use if you're swapping the tube rather than patching it?)

    Posted 2 days ago #

  20. chdot
    Admin

    “no use if you're swapping the tube rather than patching it?”

    True.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  21. chdot
    Admin

    Mike Burrows had an answer for that -

    Posted 2 days ago #

  22. Greenroofer
    Member

    I have Abus frame locks on every bike that I leave anywhere unsupervised. For the Tern GSD, there's also an Abus Granit Bordo folding lock, which sits on a bottle cage mount and which is OK for locking to Sheffield stands if I'm lucky (don't watch Lockpicking Lawyer break into one with a nut splitter). TBH, for cargo bikes, they are so big and heavy that I'm not convinced there's any point locking them to anything in public.

    My fanciest bike is never left out of sight away from home. If out of reach it's secured with a very cheap café lock.

    At home there's a Pragmasis Shed Shackle, Pragmasis 13mm chain, Squire padlock and an alarm on the shed.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    If they want the bikes, they will take them, but it will make a lot of noise and take them a while.

    I should say that our bike shed is right outside the front door, directly below our bedroom window, and anyone accessing it is visible from the street. We came down one morning to find that someone had had a go at it in the middle of the night and unscrewed one of the doors at the hinge (rather than cut the lock). Since then I've secured all the hinges and locks with round-headed coach bolts and put an alarm inside the shed that starts shrieking at the least disturbance.

    Also, I have a very large tiger in the shed, which I often forget to feed...

    Posted 2 days ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    One of the classics -

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    .

    Also

    https://road.cc/content/news/48011-video-hal-grades-your-locks-site-gives-scores-f-bristol-cyclists

    https://web.archive.org/web/20160209220243if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/IR8jdnsP4Tc

    Posted 2 days ago #

  24. bakky
    Member

    @Greenroofer a fair point about the weight of cargo bikes, however two counterpoints; I can lift one into a van solo, so for anyone of a mind to nick (they tend to travel together) and transport, that’s not a difficult job; secondly, insurance says ‘lock it to something permanent’, or void any claim for theft.

    Posted 2 days ago #

  25. gembo
    Member

    Just been pretending to buy a beautiful OMNIUM racer on-line build a bike As I was chatting to a tall bearded gent on a yellow one this morning. I could have added a Bordo Granit folding lock for 80 euro

    Posted 1 day ago #

  26. chdot
    Admin

    Thanks for all replies - interesting and useful comments/conversation.

    Hadn’t realised how much you could pay (then I looked at motorcycle security…)

    One related issue is insurance.

    I have my most expensive bike on household insurance, don’t think there was even an extra premium. Think there was a line about ‘must be locked to something’, but don’t think there was any mention of lock quality.

    There must come a point (for some people) where an expensive lock is ‘better value’ than an annual insurance premium.

    Others may pay on the basis that in the unfortunate event of theft, at least there’d be money for a new bike.

    Posted 1 day ago #

  27. acsimpson
    Member

    I generally take the line that mostly a lock just validates my insurance policy. But I rarely lock up in what I consider high risk areas. It's interesting reading about having to lock to a permanent object rather than an immovable one. Is a tree permanent vs a car? If a Sheffield stand was cut could the insurance company argue that it wasn't permanent. (I hope I'm playing devil's advocate on that question.)

    On a related note if you think you'll need to change an inner tube without removing your wheel you can have one in place but attached to your fork with a cable tie. Very useful in some situations but possibly not the level of planning available should you leave home without the security skewer.

    Posted 1 day ago #

  28. bakky
    Member

    @acsimpson I think I was grasping for 'immovable' and couldn't recall policy wording off the top of my head - more likely than 'permanent'.

    Posted 23 hours ago #

  29. Greenroofer
    Member

    @bakky - very good point that it's easy(ish) to lift a cargo bike into a van and the importance of complying with insurance requirements. I suppose I've been thinking that bike thieves don't cruise round Edinburgh in a van looking for bikes to lift: I've (rightly or wrongly) been assuming that most ad-hoc bike theft is done by crooks with battery-powered angle grinders on push bikes or motorcycles. The vans would be used on steal-to-order raids on known rich pickings (where nothing will stop them, as they are in a van with all the gear).

    I 'self-insure' my expensivest bikes (off the scale of being in scope for home insurance), particularly once I realised that the Ti audax bike I take on the train would never be insured on the train because it can't be locked to an immovable object while on there, and a lock that was valid for insurance was so heavy that there was no way I was riding 400km with it on board, and the insurance was how much!? and at that point I decided it just wasn't worth paying. If someone else writes it off in a crash (and I'm not dead) then I'll use their insurance. Other than that, I just have to make sure it doesn't get nicked.

    Posted 8 hours ago #

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