Expensive effective bicycle locks

[Jonty]

Is it worthwhile spending a lot of money on a top class bicycle lock? The reason I ask is that as soon as you see one which is highly recommended someone then says that it can be opened in about one minute.
My take on locks is that they can stop someone jumping on your bike and riding away or if it's attached to something solid, including another bike, it can stop someone lifting it and putting it in the back of a van or car, but most are pretty useless if the thief has about one minute to work on it.
Am I wrong? Do I need to revise my ideas?
Is there a lock out there which is transportable in panniers, isn't too heavy and really makes things difficult for the thieves?
I tend to park my bikes where I can see them in generally "safe" country locations but I always put a lock on and attach it to something.
Of course quick-release wheels and saddles are another problem.
Perhaps the best idea in dodgy areas is to have a cheap unfashionable bike covered in spray-on rust.
Then you could be more concerned about the lock being stolen.
Thanks
jonty

[skicat]

I'm sort of "half in the market" for a decent lock myself. By which I mean, I know I need one but haven't got around to seriously researching it yet. One that I saw a review of recently (was it by Mick F possibly?) had an ear-piercing alarm which triggered if the lock was even moved. This sounds (ha-ha) like a good idea to me, so it's certainly near the top of my virtual shopping list.

[Alex L]

Not to do with locks but quick release. I have a standard allen key adjustable saddle and these:

http://www.zefal.com/zefal/produit.php?key=497001

for wheels. Obviously, not 100% secure but it is a deterrent when they don't come undone first try.

EDIT: Just noticed that one has one for the saddle.

[boris]

my most serious lock is a motorbike chain which I shortened a bit with a disc cutter(and a lot of sweat and foul language) and a good padlock , both from my local cheap tools shop for about £10 as I remember. Heavy, but they would probably have to cut the frame , which of course they would .

[Vorpal]

I have one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/abus-granit-x-p ... ke-d-lock/ that I carry around with me.
I also have one of these http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcy ... prod/17137 that I used to leave on the stands at work.

I've had two bicycles stolen in the past. One was locked inside a rooming house at uni. The other was inside a garage that was broken into. I have consequently become a little paranoid about my bicycles. I have not, since becoming conscientious (paranoid?!) about security, had any bicycles stolen. I don't know if that is purely because there are always easier targets, or merely luck. But, I will carry on being conscientious (paranoid) about security, and hoepfully <touch wood (superstitious, too > my ability to retain my bicycles will continue.

I have a friend who succssfully uses the useless-bike-look as a deterent. He uses a cheapo lock on a custom-built bike that has been spray-painted flat primer black. I guess he's never had a thief who knows bikes come across his.

Personally, I'm happy carrying a few kilos of extra weight around for peace of mind.

[wirral_cyclist]

Light, strong, cheap - pick any two, borrowed from Mr Bontrager, but he was talking about components so light is out, so substitute heavy, strong is relative so better substitute 'looks strong'

Do not be misled about sold secure - they test using 'commonly available tools' but as these aren't the ones that proper thieves use so is rather academic, last time I looked at their test specs it didn't include bolt croppers as they aren't commonly available, (http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-b ... r-24/27893 is hardly difficult to get) marginally difficult to hide if you are bothered about such things I suppose, but I doubt 'they' are...

The real 'pro' tool [1] is a similar price to the bolt croppers on fleabay, but is a quarter of the size and will defeat most D locks unless it they have 'bad bones' loop filler/spread limiters, or the room to interfere is restricted by virtue of the lampost (not bollard!) limiting access to the loop.

A successful ploy I use with my caravan is to have some security to deter casual thieves (many) and to park it among many better and newer caravans that have more axles and this is generally the best method of defeating the more professional but fewer SCUM (Stealers (of) Caravans Usually Men).
In essence have a good lock through frame and wheels and around a lampost, and then parked next to a carbon/titanium bike secured with a bungee

[1] Liquid Nitrogen is used to defeat motorbike locks I'm told, but not even the mighty ebay lists that

[uphillbothways]

Two basic techniques are responsible for 99% of bicycle thefts where a lock was broken. The first and more common is to use bolt croppers. You can cut even a very thick chain or shackle by using very long-handled croppers, anchoring one end on the floor and bouncing your body weight on the other end, as demonstrated in this video.

The other method is to use a miniature hydraulic jack to burst open a D-lock. These tiny jacks can exert many tons of pressure and quickly defeat even the strongest D-locks.

Bearing in mind these two attack modes, it's much easier to choose a lock. Strong chains are extremely heavy, so while they may be an excellent choice for locking at a regular place of work, they're impractical for travelling with. Cables are completely useless, as even the thickest and sturdiest can be easily cut with even 12" bolt croppers. Folding locks generally use thin metal plates in order to fold, so are highly vulnerable to bolt croppers.

This leaves us with the D-lock. We want the thickest, hardest steel shackle in order to resist cropping, but we also need a lock small enough to be immune to attack by bottle jack. Choosing a small lock can also make the job of a cropper harder, as he will have to manoeuvre carefully in order to position the cutting jaws to allow maximum leverage.

Based on how thieves actually operate, I believe the best locks available are the Kryptonite Evolution Mini, the Kryptonite New York Mini and the smaller version of the Granit X-Plus 54. The latter two locks offer the substantial advantage that they double-lock, meaning an attacker must cut both sides of the shackle to open it.

[Malaconotus]

Two basic techniques are responsible for 99% of bicycle thefts where a lock was broken. The first and more common is to use bolt croppers. You can cut even a very thick chain or shackle by using very long-handled croppers, anchoring one end on the floor and bouncing your body weight on the other end, as demonstrated in this video.

The other method is to use a miniature hydraulic jack to burst open a D-lock. These tiny jacks can exert many tons of pressure and quickly defeat even the strongest D-locks.

Bearing in mind these two attack modes, it's much easier to choose a lock. Strong chains are extremely heavy, so while they may be an excellent choice for locking at a regular place of work, they're impractical for travelling with. Cables are completely useless, as even the thickest and sturdiest can be easily cut with even 12" bolt croppers. Folding locks generally use thin metal plates in order to fold, so are highly vulnerable to bolt croppers.

This leaves us with the D-lock. We want the thickest, hardest steel shackle in order to resist cropping, but we also need a lock small enough to be immune to attack by bottle jack. Choosing a small lock can also make the job of a cropper harder, as he will have to manoeuvre carefully in order to position the cutting jaws to allow maximum leverage.

Based on how thieves actually operate, I believe the best locks available are the Kryptonite Evolution Mini, the Kryptonite New York Mini and the smaller version of the Granit X-Plus 54. The latter two locks offer the substantial advantage that they double-lock, meaning an attacker must cut both sides of the shackle to open it.

I love it when someone else posts what I would have said, but more concisely, eloquently, and authoritatively than I could. I agree with every word of this, and it amounts to a perfect distillation of the definitive threads on LFGSS (http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html; http://www.lfgss.com/thread71407.html#post2375585) which is as comprehensive a discussion of locks as you could hope for.

[Erudin]

Lock my work bike with the locks uphillbothways mentioned, a Kryptonite Evolution mini D-lock and Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit mini D-lock, the Fahgettaboudit weighs a ton (2.2kg), but the evo is not too heavy (0.9kg) to take on tour.

On a tour I take the mini evo and a 4ft cable, it's a bit harder to defeat than a normal cable lock and allows both wheels and frame to be locked easily. Any lock is better than nothing, it amazes me how many bikes I see unlocked outside shops/cafes/audax controls.

Example of how to use a D-lock:

[[XAP]Bob]

Or look at MickF's review of the Krabus alarmed D-Lock.

[Mick F]

Yes, it's awesome!
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=45684

However, an alarmed lock is only as good as a car alarm. We hear alarms going off many times, and what happens? Nowt! All we do is complain about the noise.

Therefore, an alarmed bike lock is only any use if you can hear it and react quickly enough.

That's what I use it for: in a cafe, shop etc. I wouldn't rely on it if I left a bike at a station and went off to work.

Also, any lock will not stop a determined and prepared thief. All you buy is time.

Priority for me is lightness and ease of carrying. A huge heavy and expensive lock, has no attraction for me.

[Jonty]

Thank you very much for all your excellent advice. I can see that the two Kryptonite Mini locks (the Evolution and the New York) would work well on a conventional bike but I'm just wondering if they would be effective on a Moulton.
If they work alright I would definitely need the 4 foot kryptonite cable to attach the bike to a "permanent structure" as, like Bromptons, Moultons could be simply lifted by thieves and put in the boot of a car.
jonty

[bigfoot]

Bikeradar (Cycling Plus in the UK) subject their locks to 5 minute attacks with boltcutters and angle grinders as part of their reviews.

see e.g. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... er_reviews

[Jonty]

Thanks Bigfoot. Apart from the usual names, Pragmasis came out very well.
jonty

[uphillbothways]

Thank you very much for all your excellent advice. I can see that the two Kryptonite Mini locks (the Evolution and the New York) would work well on a conventional bike but I'm just wondering if they would be effective on a Moulton.
If they work alright I would definitely need the 4 foot kryptonite cable to attach the bike to a "permanent structure" as, like Bromptons, Moultons could be simply lifted by thieves and put in the boot of a car.
jonty

The only security your lock offers is affixing it to a permanent structure. Professional bike thieves targeting high-value bikes routinely use vans to empty someone's shed or sweep up all the nice bikes in a station car park. A Moulton or Brompton should be locked through both the main frame and the rear triangle to a solid object. This is certainly possible with a Brompton and a Kryptonite mini and if memory serves should be straightforward with a Moulton too.

Cable locks are essentially useless - a competent thief can crop even the strongest cables as easily as cutting a piece of string. In order to be flexible, a cable has to be made of soft, ductile steel which is very easy to cut. Using a D-lock to secure the rear wheel to the frame but using only a cable around the stand is a waste of a good lock. Cables are at best a deterrent to the theft of wheels and saddles, but they're poor security and you're better off using Pitlocks, which are more secure, lighter and more convenient than using a cable in addition to a d-lock.

Erudin's image is a perfect example of how to lock a bike - both the rear wheel and frame are secured to the Sheffield stand and the lock's shackle is almost completely filled. The lock is effectively immobile and a thief would have a very difficult time getting his croppers into position with sufficient leverage. You can see how not to lock your bike here. You'll see that there are any number of ways to lock a bike ineffectively, even with a good lock.