So a month after getting a new bike for getting to and from college it gets stolen, the lock and everything. I am looking for a new lock that will hopefully be better than my old one (an armoured cable lock). Not sure which to go for, the bike cost £250, so I don't really want to go spending something like £100 on a lock, but I also don't really want my bike getting stolen again.
The best combo is a U-lock and a decent cable lock. Spend about £30-40 on one, and leave it somewhere sensible, you shouldn't have too many problems. Look out for ones with the "Sold Secure" label too - they're tested by a regulatory body to withstand certain amounts of attack against tools etc. Check out their website for a list of their tested + approved ones.
There's a pretty active cycling community on here these days, so I'm sure you'll get fuller answers than this, but I think D-Locks are much better than the rubber-covered chain type ones, other than that, I guess you get what you pay for. I use a Trelock BS401. I guess the problem with giving an opinion on it is that I have no idea if anyone's ever tried to force it open, but it seems very solid, and it has a great mounting bracket that sits it out of the way on the side of my bike frame, and... it comes with 2 keys? Other security related things about bikes are the obvious - get locking bolts for the wheels and seat, if it looks flash maybe paint it a silly colour or just matt black - I've got a friend whose bmx is worth thousands, and he always paints his frames matt black so they don't look as eye catching, and he's never had a bike nicked. Oh and obviously - don't forget insurance! AH Edit: haha, a better answer came even as I was typing mine!!
Get both a D lock and a cable lock. A theif will only have enough space to carry either bolt cutters or a bottle jack. Other than that learning how to lock effectively is the next best thing.
Thanks for the replies. I locked it in view of CCTV cameras, locked through the back wheel and frame to the fixed bike pole thing (don't know the name). The bike was insured luckily, hopefully they will pay out, we still have to pay the first £50 though. Can the D Lock not also be cut through with bolt cutters?
+1. Forgot about that. Have a look here for a pretty good summary. No, D-locks aren't really susceptible to bolt cutters. They're the best ones for locking frames up.
I was told that you can't go wrong with Kryptonite or Abus, so probably best to stick to one of those. My Kryptonite U-lock came with a cable so I use to that lock the front wheel as well.
I've been using one of these atm. Excellent so far, apparently a pretty secure D-lock, provided they don't have mega tools.
The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit u-lock is, by far, the best bicycle lock. It's so effective that Kryptonite will pay out as much as $4500 if your bike is stolen while properly locked.
I have always used a 4' hardened chain (wrapped in cloth) with a big, strong Master-Lock. There are a few nicks from cutters, and I've seen my bike messed about with a few times, but nobody's ever gotten through. It's been my main-stay for about 5 years now. The chain is an older Kryptonite model, with a "hunters" grade master-lock. A few keys to remember when locking up: frame+front wheel are always best (though if front and back wheel are quick-release, lock them both up), and make sure whatever lock you have, it's positioned low, and as tight to the frame as you can. The more awkward the position, the better. Makes the thief look like an idiot, and puts him in a compromising position while breaking it. And the comment above about making your nice bike look like trash is absolutely true, if you're in a rich neighborhood. In the poorer areas (at least wherever I've been) the cheaper the bike, the more likely it is to get stolen. Reason being: there are literally hundreds of thousands of cheap bikes out there that all look the same, and almost all of them are without the owners having recorded a serial number. So the likelihood of a cop looking for a cheap bike is slim to none. Get an expensive bike though, and everybody and their dog will be looking for you, plus they're VERY hard to pawn off for quick-money (as it often involves selling it part by part over a period of months, re-stamping the frame, and masking anything unique about any of the parts). It sounds backwards, but that is how it happens (most of the time).
Nth the D-Lock/cable lock combo. Bike theft is rampant in Cambridge; I've seen it far too many times. If you lock up your bike properly with 2 solid locks, chances are they'll look for an easier target. (unless your bike is worth loads)
I'd say quite the opposite in the UK, no chav will bother nicking a cheap POS but a nice bike with decent suspension is easy to sell on for a bargain price.
Primarily because the police make no effort over real bikes. The only immense bikes i've ever heard of being recovered are true rarities like a Brooklyn Machine Works minilink i think and perhaps a custom Yeti with some lawill style suspension setup, both of which an insurance firm probably couldn't replace even if they wanted to. And they were recovered by virtually the whole downhill community keeping an eye out of them rather than the pigs putting in any effort like usual. As for security...just avoid giving thieves a reason...make it harder to nick than the bike it's next to and you'll be fine.
The annoying thing was, the bike next to mine wasn't even locked up when my bike was stolen, so I guess it wasn't just an opportunist.
Irritating isn't it? I have a motorbike chain lock and a thick cable lock on mine. Cost? £30 or so, but what's that against a new bike?
Just avoid Abus code locks. I managed to open two of these the other day in a matter of seconds. They were supposed to be high quality.... (They were securing about 250 computers)
Yea, combination locks don't seem to work, I managed to open my sisters' one twice when she forgot the codes. Am thinking of maybe getting the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit because altough it is ~£90, it is the same cost as the excess if my bike gets stolen twice, so it might be worth it.
The number 1 rule of commuting by cycle is to ride a beater bike - do you need a £250 bike to ride to college on? Ride something you're not attached to instead - if you're going to make a hobby out of cycling, keep a good bike for your leisure/fun rides and use a crappy one for getting to college/wherever on It just isn't worth it
I agree with this, but I guess it largely depends on the length of the commute. If it's like a 10 minute thing around campus then any old crap from Halfords/eBay will suffice. But if it's a 10 mile commute into the city... 10 miles on a beater bike is something noone should endure lol. Maybe that's something for the OP to consider... instead of getting an expensive lock get a crap bike and a lock at the same cost
