Locks that work

Sheldon's lock strategy is simply aren't able to cope with London's problem, everywhere else it's fine, apart from London.

Paris? Liverpool? Amsterdam? Barcelona? hell a £10 U-lock can able to do the job, but somehow in London people took advantage like Starbuck took advantage of 9/11 in New York by selling water for hipster price.

I have had 2 Kryptonite locks that I have been able to open with other peoples keys, not even keys with the same code on them. Has this happened to anybody else? Kind of scary really.

How old are the locks?

The locking mechanism and keys were changed some years ago.

Under two years old. I have a friend who has had two in the last 18 months that have worked with other keys too

Take them back to the retailer, and tell them that the locks are deficient.

Email Kryptonite also. Tell us what happens. It sounds as if its possible that both Onguard and now Kryptonite may suffer from over-promotion of the amount of "possible key combinations" for their locks, but not manufacture anywhere near that maximum.

man posting is hard

what on Earth are you doing hank? going around the forum posting stupid childish comment?

I did email Krypt and they sent me two locks to replace both my friends lock and mine. they requested key codes and all that jazz. They also sent me loads of crappy kryptonite stickers (gross)They just apologised
.I have another friend who emailed with same problem but did not get a response.

Has anyone ever had their bike nicked or tampered with when it's been secured by one of these? Are they any good as I can see no reference to them in this thread?

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...085-lock-14868

I have that as a simple deterrant, you can easily cut that with an angle grinder, having says that, what exactly are you going to use it for? if for locking something like frame and front wheel together, an small U-lock would be more than enough (Evo Mini).

They can also be cut with bolt cutters, my chain was literally cut through when by plug got nicked.

man posting is hard

oh please ! ffs

man posting is hard

Why would you want to post a man? You'd need an awful lot of stamps.

@GA2G - thanks chap, the feeling is mutual :-) and this is just one more of your extroadinarily useful threads of real information. The steel-o-chain will now be used in conjunction with a Fah as soon as verk pay me and I have funds.

@ask me recipes - thanks for the info, good to know from experience that it's only a mild deterrent on its own, but sorry to hear you found out the hard way with your Plug :-(

There is a psychological aspect to opportunist and amateur theft. If a bike LOOKS more easily nickable, someone (with an albeit smaller brain) will have a go. This then will leave a damaged bike.

I would recommend locking the rear wheel with the seatpost, or both seatstays, as it is then obvious how much cutting would need to be done to get the bike.

To defeat the Sheldon method.....Puncture the tyre, and cut the rim with an anglegrinder. I doubt this would take more than 5-10 seconds......as opposed to 3-4 minutes for the best locks.

There's a video by Northumbria police on Youtube that supports the Sheldon method, although annoyingly when it gets to the crucial bit where they demonstrate the wheel can't get out through the rear triangle we don't actually get to see everything we want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6xnkEkP2WY

The article linked below supports what GA2G and ed are saying

http://www.mechbgon.com/lock/index.html

In summary I think catching the rear wheel and the seatpost is probably the way forward, for me at least. Thanks everyone for their views.

Marco

(I hope it is okay to post this in this thread).
Spotted the below on a geared bike near Oxford Circus on Sunday.
The angle of the photos are not great - they are supposed to illustrate two padlocks around the chain and some spokes. I guess if a thief was able to quickly cut through the main locks, additional padlocks would not pose a problem, but an interesting idea nonetheless.

2 Attachments

Stupid question alert:

The Fahgettaboudit mini has its dimensions given as 8.3 cm x 15.3 cm, is this the dimensions on the inside of the lock or the outside? If it's the outside can anyone tell me what the inside dimensions are?

Thanks y'all.

the theft could cut a couple spoke and still ride it away, or a pro theft usually sling it in the back of a vans and drive away.

@ foudespaves that's a waste of time, it's not hard to break a spoke or undo a chain so it's not even going to save the wheel. The New York disc lock through the frame/wheel, if it will fit, is a serious way of doing this.

So I get that the fah mini is the best, but if you have a QR front wtf do you do ? I'm guessing there's no hope in hell of attaching it as well as the rear+post. So that leaves either saying screw it (it was a 25quid wheel) and not locking it, or getting a chain but which ones ?

I guess the other option is just get a NY M18 lock, and put the front wheel through it too ?

NY3000 + Abus Granit cable 1000

pinhead

Kudos to GA2G to making this thread, I was just thinking which exactly would be the best locks, and this thread has provided some useful information for me

Ta for the Pinhead info, will grab those and save carrying yet more stuff ;)

that's what i do. but make sure to carry the key with you if u get a puncture.

Stupid question alert:

The Fahgettaboudit mini has its dimensions given as 8.3 cm x 15.3 cm, is this the dimensions on the inside of the lock or the outside? If it's the outside can anyone tell me what the inside dimensions are?

Thanks y'all.

Measurements are from the inside of the lock.

Have purchased a new Fahg Mini and an Evolution Mini both for under £100 :) using Evans' price match policy.

Question: the Evolution Mini's keys have two code on them: one is 7 characters long, the other situated underneath it is 5 characters long so which do I use to reigster it on their site?

Thanks!