bike locks

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RickH
Posts: 5834
Joined: 5 Mar 2012, 6:39pm
Location: Horwich, Lancs.

Re: bike locks

Post by RickH »

Polite wrote:Rick, I am thinking of getting one of these and storing it in a saddle bag I have attached to the saddle. Do you think it would be too heavy to store in there? Also, how long have you had yours and how has it performed? Thanks.

No reason to not put it in a saddlebag - I have on a few occasions carried it loose in a bag but it is quite a heavy object and is better if it is restrained. I would recommend either using the supplied case or a stout elastic (piece of MTB innertube?) to hold the links folded. I generally use the case either fixed to a bottle mount or strapped on with the velcro straps supplied with the case. At the moment it is slung under the top tube on the rear of the tandem as I fitted bottle cages on all 3 mounts in the last hot weather.

I've had the lock since March last year. In use it has been fine - AFAIK it has never been tested. It is long enough, if you remove your front wheel, to lock the frame & both wheels to a Sheffield type stand, elsewhere you may need a 2nd lock or cable. For short stops I tend to just lock the front wheel & frame to something. With the tandem I don't always lock it to something at a cafe stop as that is a quite hefty object to carry off, as it has a centre stand it sometimes becomes the impromptu bike rack when out with a group (that works quite well as long as you keep the number of bikes leaning on each side roughly the same) :D There is a knack to threading it through things as it only bends in one plane but the gap between the ends when located in the lock can be used to good effect, round a bar or frame tube, when space is tight.

Hope that helps.

Rick.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Polite
Posts: 65
Joined: 27 Jul 2013, 9:51pm

Re: bike locks

Post by Polite »

Thanks, I too have all my bottle cages on the mounts which is why I was thinking of the saddlebag. I may, either, store it on one of them anyway or attach to the frame. Thanks, again.
climo
Posts: 590
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Re: bike locks

Post by climo »

Lighter, flexible & allegedly strong http://www.litelok.com/
gregoryoftours
Posts: 2234
Joined: 22 May 2011, 7:14pm

Re: bike locks

Post by gregoryoftours »

climo wrote:Lighter, flexible & allegedly strong http://www.litelok.com/


I want to believe the hype about this lock, it looks interesting but as with all locks it's only as strong as the weakest part. I'd like to see how it stands up to nibbling away with a big set of bypass cutters, how the band material is fixed to the buckle, how buckle stands up to flame/freeze/cropping, and how the band itself and the buckle/locking mechanism stand up to angle grinding - the video doesn't really show the effect of the grinding attack and how long it takes to get through. Even the best locks only withstand 2 minutes with an angle grinder. Still, it does look interesting, and it would be great to get something as secure as other high security locks without the weight.
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: bike locks

Post by mercalia »

its worth taking another look at this famous itv programme on bike theft in London from 2007 I think?
pt1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdugFzCi24&list=PLWazRuOZPrOa6BZKi2_9d2qwbCWDnLyVs
pt2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhPzF-hyC7Q

there is a full copy some where ( I have it)

I expect there are new people to the forums who havent seen it, even those who have it makes a chilling viewing every time I think? I think every one who lives in a city or travels staying in cities should view often especially when they start getting complacent?
Zanda
Posts: 483
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 1:07pm

Re: bike locks

Post by Zanda »

I prefer using a chain, as the flexibility means I can lock up to lampposts. But stowing chains is inconvenient because they're heavy and 'slithery'. Wrapped around the top tube it can swing side to side, wrapped around the seat post it can get in the way of the thighs when pedalling. Kept in a pannier it slithers its way right to the bottom of the bag and makes the bag wag around. Least worst method is to carry it in a rack pack, though that doesn't allow for particularly quick access if there's other stuff i there with it.

D-locks are better for portability, and so they are what I use most of the time.

As far as I know, there's not a bracket for securing a D-lock to the pannier rack in such a way that a rack pack and panniers can be used as normal (i.e. installed on top of the D-lock). I've made a flat bungee to secure mine to the rack top which works reasonably well, but the 'give' in the elastic does allow the lock to rattle against the rack tubing on rough ground. So I'm currently working on a rack-top strap using nylon webbing. I've got it figured out in my head, I now just need to make one and test it.
Trick_Cyclist
Posts: 18
Joined: 9 Aug 2013, 11:02pm

Re: bike locks

Post by Trick_Cyclist »

I am very disheartened by reading this thread. It looks as though nothing is secure. Even the very heavy & expensive locks. It seems the only real course is to get a better lock than the more enticing bike next to yours.....
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: bike locks

Post by mercalia »

Trick_Cyclist wrote:I am very disheartened by reading this thread. It looks as though nothing is secure. Even the very heavy & expensive locks. It seems the only real course is to get a better lock than the more enticing bike next to yours.....


I think many here have the policy never let the bike out of sight if you would really miss the bike if it was stolen. :cry: as the old tv video I mentioned early clearly shows NO ONE will intervene or even see a bike being stolen even if it is happening in front of them!
pwa
Posts: 17371
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: bike locks

Post by pwa »

Trick_Cyclist wrote:I am very disheartened by reading this thread. It looks as though nothing is secure. Even the very heavy & expensive locks. It seems the only real course is to get a better lock than the more enticing bike next to yours.....


I have access to a disc cutter at work, and when the lock mechanism of a Solid Secure Gold U Lock failed at work (part of the key stuck inside) it took me five minutes to go and get the disc cutter, ten seconds to start it and about thirty seconds to cut the lock off the bike. No steel lock will defy a disc cutter. But I never expected it to. I already knew how quickly I could cut through scaffolding pipes (or bike stands!). By all means use a good lock, but just as importantly make sure you park your bike where it is constantly in view of bystanders. And don't leave an expensive bike locked up in a public area in a city centre for long. Use less expensive bikes for that.
Flite
Posts: 268
Joined: 29 Nov 2008, 10:59pm
Location: Upper Weardale

Re: bike locks

Post by Flite »

Does anyone know if the Litelok ever got into production?
The website has been unchanged for years, and I've never seen an independent test report.
Have the folks who put money up front just lost their cash?
alanscoachdriver
Posts: 7
Joined: 29 Mar 2015, 11:01pm

Re: bike locks

Post by alanscoachdriver »

Still waiting but they are now being produced and expect to deliver in January. A long wait but looks like they will deliver.
alanscoachdriver
Posts: 7
Joined: 29 Mar 2015, 11:01pm

Re: bike locks

Post by alanscoachdriver »

Received my Litelok this morning. A very substantial lock indeed. My scales report 1.1 kg although the might be wrong ! Not sure the best place to mount it on my bikes but here are a few pictures.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskwHjybv
climo
Posts: 590
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Re: bike locks

Post by climo »

alanscoachdriver wrote:Received my Litelok this morning. A very substantial lock indeed. My scales report 1.1 kg although the might be wrong ! Not sure the best place to mount it on my bikes but here are a few pictures.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskwHjybv

It looks quite rigid. How flexible is it? Can you coil it up like a cable?
alanscoachdriver
Posts: 7
Joined: 29 Mar 2015, 11:01pm

Re: bike locks

Post by alanscoachdriver »

climo wrote:
alanscoachdriver wrote:Received my Litelok this morning. A very substantial lock indeed. My scales report 1.1 kg although the might be wrong ! Not sure the best place to mount it on my bikes but here are a few pictures.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskwHjybv

It looks quite rigid. How flexible is it? Can you coil it up like a cable?


You can't coil it up really. Just as far as it is goes when locked as you can see in the picture. It has certainly got a few people talking about when I've been on a couple of cycle club rides ! I have it mounted on the top tube straight and the two Velcro strips keep it nice and tight and no banging around.

I can't fit it coiled up in my frame without taking both bottle cages off which isn't an option for me.
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BeeKeeper
Posts: 1265
Joined: 29 Apr 2011, 6:45am
Location: South Devon

Re: bike locks

Post by BeeKeeper »

Has anyone else had a Litelok delivered? I ask because on another forum (non-cycling) there are quite a few folk getting more than a little upset that despite ordering months ago no locks have been delivered and the company are being very poor at communicating with customers to tell them when they might be expected to be delivered.
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