How To Lock Your Bike

Where can you get ball bearings to superglue in? (Silly Q, but odd bits to buy)
Moving into a place in Dalston junction and want to keep my seat!

take them from your hubs, you only need two in there anyway..

The pictures upthread of cut bike stands made me curious about cycle stands and other street furniture. It seems a key element of knowing how to lock a bike is choosing the best object to which to lock it.

So, are some stands better than others, and how does one recognise good ones?

Do forumengers have their own favourite kinds of pole to lock up on?

There are a few easy ways to spot a good place to lock your bike.
1) Permanent fixture - no obvious bolts which a thief could undo with a spanner and remove your bike.
2) Thickness - the part you lock to should be significantly thick enough not to be cut through in a reasonable length of time
3) Security - It should be in a well lit, busyish place, where it's not possible to just lift your bike over the top (many bikes have been taken from standard street sign by removing the sign and lifting the bike...)

There are many other factors, but these are the main ones (excluding the lock itself).

I like locking my bike to the standard railings by the side of junctions. I put my d-lock through the back wheel, frame and the point where two sections meet (the thickest part of the railings) and an armoured cable through front wheel, frame and a few of the smaller bar sections.

Having said all that, i'm currently in switzerland, and haven't seen another d-lock since being here, most people use strawberry laces through the front wheel only... I think my method may be overkill here...

What is the best midrange lock to buy?
I know there is probably a direct correlation to the price of a lock and it's ability to deter theft but... I'm looking for the best quality buy. Thanks

You'll be wanting this thread. http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

what is the best way to lock a bike with a 16 mm (diametre) chain ?

around the good bits

yeah around the good bits and then around the hernia youve got carrying around a 16mm diameter chain and lock ;-)

Cable = no.

Utterly, woefully inadequate unless you live somewhere with 0% crime.
Only people with drop bars would have a 'useful' length of that crappy wire, would take 2 seconds to snap the lock. How deep is the cable anchored into the bars? Alu bars take seconds to saw thru so just lop the last inch off and you're good to go. Don't see the point at all, sorry.
I also imagine have that cable rattling around in your bars would be:
a) fucking irritating
b) affect the handling
Back to the drawing board.

EDIT - looks like the poster I was referring to didn't want feedback on his new product! Hence my post sitting here all alone looking out of context to the surrounding posts.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/taylorroan/riders-lock here is the product in question in case anyone was wondering.

Just had my chain (NOT a chain used as a lock I hasten to add, the actual chain) stolen from Specialized in Camberwell. Did not expect that. Wheels kicked in before, even would expect a wheel pinched... not the chain. And the frame got irrepairrably bent in the process of its removal... apparently.

Fahg through the rear and wheel and another abus d lock for the frame to the front?
That be suitable in central london?

Just had my chain (NOT a chain used as a lock I hasten to add, the actual chain) stolen from Specialized in Camberwell. Did not expect that. Wheels kicked in before, even would expect a wheel pinched... not the chain. And the frame got irrepairrably bent in the process of its removal... apparently.

Thats really shit.

From my experience they were probably trying to steal your bike, gave up and thought "fuck it, lets trash it instead". Saw a teenager do that to a bike in New Cross Gate a few years ago. They probably took the chain to use as a weapon.

Fahg through the rear and wheel and another abus d lock for the frame to the front?
That be suitable in central london?

I have a bit fuck off Abus Granite for rear wheel and frame and a smaller Abus D lock for front wheel to frame. Has worked for me so far.

Is this any good?

The pedal through the d-lock is a good idea you guys gave me :) & the chain is from decathalon...?? Can't find anything on it, but they seem to rate it. Got to say the paddlock on the chain is poor looking.

Also talking of the bike stations around Waterloo, especially outside the Evans, some guy has literally tried to break the stands out of the concrete beddings! Now most of the racks are alarmingly loose, as if one more go and you'd get them out. So perhaps even if it is cemented in... how safe is it if the thief is properly determined!?

You'll never be able to defend against every attack, as the locks used get better eventually the law of unintended consequences comes in to play, the lock is no longer the weak point, instead it is the thing you locked it to, or the easiest way of nicking it might be to crack you over the back of the head while you are kneeling down unlocking it, so be sure to have a look about to see who's watching.

Personally for me, I carry a New York fahgettaboudit and also a Kryptonite d-lock. Not had any problems with those (touch wood).

How to lock your ladder, at Balham Leisure Centre last night.

http://prft.co.uk/images/ladder-1.jpg
http://prft.co.uk/images/ladder-2.jpg

I need to get my pictures of "how not to lock your traffic light", a similar set up.

Two D-locks, or 1 D-lock and a chain? Any opinions on whats safer?

At the mo' i have a Krypto' mini D-lock and cheap cable lock to stop people walking off with my wheels, but i feel like i should be safer than sorry with my new bike and its fancy wheels

I thought two systems was the best option so D and chain. The best theory I think is bring no lock this forces you to take your bike inside with you, you would be surprised how few people mind or even really notice

I can bring the bike inside of work, which is good, but if i need to stop and get some food or drink i can't really do that

took my bike into Halfords once and got told off haha (I was buying spraypaint not bike parts)

You want to carry two locks to work every day just in case you want to stop off and grab a snack?