Locks that work

@ Rakesh - let me direct you to http://atomic22.com/. The bike is worth it, I feel.

You could use the Fahg as a visual deterrent.

Riding a 5k bike around town?? I would make a point of not taking any locks with me in case I was even tempted to leave it out of my sight.

Or buy a second bike to leave unlocked next to it to draw attention away...

Or buy a second bike to leave unlocked next to it to draw attention away...

The greedy bastards will probably try to take them both ;-)

I would make a point of not taking any locks with me in case I was even tempted to leave it out of my sight.

I know what you mean. Still, every now and then I'll need to leave it locked up so it's best to be as well prepared as possible.

@ Rakesh - let me direct you to http://atomic22.com/

I was looking at that too. What do you think set's this above the Pitlocks?

are you rakesh roshan?

Errr... No! Are you? ;-)

Thanks for the feedback so far.
Will the Fagh mini be long enough to lock my back wheel, seat tube and an 'average' bike stand post/lamp post? As far as I've learned, it's the toughest lock around so it should (primarily) protect the back of the bike (I presume?)

Only just, if you have low-profile rims and small clearances. Not lamp posts though.

Only just, if you have low-profile rims and small clearances. Not lamp posts though.

So the mini is only really good to secure the frame to a post, or front wheel to the frame?

RakeshS
This may help. With thanks to HatBeard

finally got a chance to take pics of the mini fagh locking rear(dp18 rim/28c tyre)/frame/sheffield stand.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3530/img0535si.jpg

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1862/img0533ra.jpg

I also figured out how to lock my front/frame/sheffield stand with an evo mini for the first time too...

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6096/img0534nf.jpg

RakeshS
This may help. With thanks to HatBeard

Thanks for that GA2G and HatBeard :)
GA2G, what do you think about the setup below. Any holes, weaknesses, or things you'd do differently? Cheers.

Hi all,

I've recently bought a very expensive (£5k) road bike and need a bit of advice to be able to secure it effectively. So far I've found this thread the best resource with regards to security :)
The bike will be kept indoors during the night, but I'll need to secure it while being 'out and about.'

My thoughts were to use the following:

1) Mini Fagh
2) Abus Granit X54 (230mm version)
3) Pitlock skewers, seat bold and headset bolt
4) a good cable + Krabus XL505 or a Xena XZZ6 disk lock

Is this overkill? Do you have any further suggestions?

Thanks,

Rakesh.

You only need 2 locks normally, but since your bike is worth £5,000 I'd not even advise locking up outside for extended periods. Its might be worthwhile giving a think about having a less expensive ride for normal use, then having your Sunday bike for the important things (racing, showing to friends, etc).

A guy on here had his bike nicked and it had TWO Fahg Minis on it. How did this happen??..... because he had hidden it from the general public, and they had 8 hours to grind through both locks.......but even better, they took the bikes with the locks, and then they had days to get them off.

The moral of the story? Lock up more expensive bikes where theft will be extremely noticeable - like right outside a Police station. Or, if someone were to attempt cutting the locks, passersby would alert the fuzz.

The maximum you need is a lock for the frame and back wheel, another for the front wheel to frame, and lastly (only if in a good public place where somebody will surely alert the police in case of theft) an alarm disclock. Yes, secure via skewers, as that increases your chances of keeping everything.

I think your solutions are possibly overkill, for most bikes, but for a bike that costs the same as secondhand car, its ok. :-)

I hate to do this to you Rakesh, but have you thought of securing your crankset? I'm sure its an expensive jobbie. Anyway, it was first done on here by edscoble, and I use that method now also. Its clever, and really discouraging to a thief.

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Thanks for your input GA2G.
To be honest, 99% of the time, the bike will be indoors at home, work or at friends' places. I'll only need to lock it up outdoors very occasionally, but the last thing I want to happen is it go missing on those few occasions. I also take note of your advise to lock-up in busy, noticeable areas

You preferred the alarmed disclock to the 'Cable + Krabus' solution any particular reason for this?

I hate to do this to you Rakesh, but have you thought of securing your crankset? I'm sure its an expensive jobbie. Anyway, it was first done on here by edscoble, and I use that method now also. Its clever, and really discouraging to a thief.

Hadn't thought about that GA2G. Thanks for the tip.
The pic above appears to show the Fagh Mini locking the crankset, seattube and back wheel to the bike-post/stand. This is the setup I was planning to use so I presume I won't need to add to my (already extensive) shopping list.

Thanks so much for yours (and others) input so far! :)

I just have very little faith in cables, and also think 4 security devices is probably alot to carry around.

brakes sometimes get in the way of the Hatbeard method, also if you have a lot of gears on the back a mini-U might not make it around a stand/post too.

brakes sometimes get in the way of the Hatbeard method, also if you have a lot of gears on the back a mini-U might not make it around a stand/post too.

What are this thing you call....................gears?

Anyway, if the Hatbeard method doesn't work, the edscoble method should. Though with deep-V rims, it wouldn't. A longer lock would be needed.

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What are this thing you call....................gears?

I was rashly assuming this £5k roadbike will have them ;)

Not really in the spirit of this thread, but if it's an OTP bike, just insure it and lock it however the insurance company tells you to

Point taken. Luckily I'd included the Sold Secure Gold labels in the list, next to the appropriate locks. I haven't added the Sold Secure Label to the Artago yet, even though it scores a Gold in the motorcycle rating.

I hate to do this to you Rakesh, but have you thought of securing your crankset? I'm sure its an expensive jobbie. Anyway, it was first done on here by edscoble, and I use that method now also. Its clever, and really discouraging to a thief.

Am I missing something as it looks like a thief could readily remove the pedal, lift the lock and then steal the crank? It is another deterrent and it also helps to fill the space inside the D-lock, both of which are very good so even if the extra security afforded to the cranks is imperfect, it's all still good advice in my opinion.

Putting the lock through the chainwheel can physically tether that crank but it is often not possible to do that as well as going through the frame and the stand/post, and it is surely more fiddley to do.

Not really in the spirit of this thread, but if it's an OTP bike, just insure it and lock it however the insurance company tells you to

This reminds me that insurers often regard it as your responsibility to ensure that the security you are using is still appropriately approved when it comes to each and every renewal. Buying something 3 years ago that was Sold Secure approved doesn't mean it is still approved and you should check or run the risk of an insurance claim being rejected. Manufacturers withdraw products and don't want to pay for the test renewal on products that are no longer on sale. Sold Secure test standards also go up (not as quickly as we would like!) so the bar does get higher. Products are improved/replaced. Etc.

This is another reason why we avoid a lot of the budget brands because they chop and change products frequently and you can be left in the lurch with something that no longer has the approval. It can happen to all manufacturers for a range of reasons so it is important to check the approval status when your renewal is due. Sold Secure have a rather hostile 'Approved Products Search' facility on their web site that allows you to check products from any manufacturer. E.g. the following shows what Kryptonite have approved today:

http://www.soldsecure.com/search?name=Kryptonite

Drill down to check the actual approval rating: a previous 'Bicycle Gold' might have dropped to a 'Bicycle Silver'. A product may have been uprated so a Silver may change to a Gold.

Beware again that products that are approved in conjunction with others (e.g. a padlock with a specific chain) creates a grey area as to whether that lock is approved with a different approved chain. That is why we always have our stuff tested individually and have encouraged Squire to do the same so you can mix and match and still know where you stand.

I hope that helps you to avoid a nasty insurance surprise if the worst happens!

Steve.

I hate to do this to you Rakesh, but have you thought of securing your crankset? I'm sure its an expensive jobbie. Anyway, it was first done on here by edscoble, and I use that method now also. Its clever, and really discouraging to a thief.

I think you're confusing me and Ed? See post #1341

I wouldn't recommend putting your helmet in the lock like I used to (someone knocked the bike and broke mine) but I still believe this to be a good way to secure the bike, rear wheel and crankset on a sheffield stand.

Putting the lock through the chainwheel can physically tether that crank but it is often not possible to do that as well as going through the frame and the stand/post, and it is surely more fiddley to do.

The distance between the inside of my rims and the outside of my seat tube is abut 8.5cm so, depending on the diameter of the stand post, I thick the Fagh should (just) fit if angled correctly. I guess if it doesn't in a particular instance, I could just switch the Fagh to the front wheel and use the Abus for the rear one.

Would a Mini Evo and a Series 2 be good enough for locking around a decent enough college campus? Have the Series 2 already, thinking of picking up the Mini Evo for a smaller lock to grab and to use the two when needed.

Not "good enough" according to the standards of this thread, which specify that locks should not be hand bolt-croppable... but much better than most locking on any campus, which is actually the threshold. You've not said what the bike is though. If it's desirable and you leave it overnight in a public place, you could get unlucky.

Tyrrell, just read the first post of this thread and you will find your answer there. But the quick answer is, No, it's not good enough. s785 is correct.

Does anyone know where to get the Kryptonite New York Lock M18-WS. Its very similar to the fag but is a little bigger.

I have the M18-WL but its just too big.

Having the M18-WS and a fag would be great but I just cant find anywhere that sells the M18-WS.

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=999300

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=997986

Is it safe to remove the silver bracket "catch" from a mini evo 5 or should it be left on covering the shackle in case of freezing attack etc?