How To Lock Your Bike

They take what's there and then available; it's like having a cup of tea to them. Half the time it's just a laugh. Sell a wheel down the pub for £20 is no risk. Sell a frame and you have an identifiable item with serial nos, people who recognise it and trek down to Brick Lane and hunt them out, etc etc. Chances of Police being around are virtually nil, and even if they are, the chances of your average fat rozzer with all the stupid bat-belt and vest nonsense actually catching a scrote in trakkies and nikes is effectively nil, even if they can be bothered to chase them in the first place.

It's not a case of "ooh, let's not damage the frame coz it's worth more", it's "hack it to bits in no time and take the rest" as opposed to nothing. Unless of course it's yet more sophisticated "to order/knows the market" thief, but that's a tiny minority.

Its disheartening and dismaying. Still, this thread will help keep people's bikes safer.

Hmmm...I wrote a post earlier and it somehow got deleted, I couldn't be bothered to rewrite it but I think I will now.

First, I think this thread is a great idea. The main point of it is surely meant to be a constructive counter to the other thread. So far only a couple of people have actually posted helpful pics.

Re the bike abvove, my old hybrid had a big gap between the rear wheel and seat tube and you couldn't always lock it using the accepted method. To me that cdale looks like it had the same problem. In which case it's a good solution.

Yes, we all know you can steal anything. But the point is limiting your risk. 2 different locks, where te dlock has little space for sticking some sort of jack/wedge (which we all know is the most common way) is clearly a good way to lock that bike up.

And to try and keep this on the constructive track here's my contribution.

Like this;

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/edscoble/Lockingmethod.jpg?t=1283000003
http://static.lfgss.com/attachments/29753d1282288089-bioracer_well_locked.jpeg

Have to remember, the lock picking type of bastard (thief) usually carry one type of lockpick. so if your using two locks, use two locks of different makes..

Have to remember, the lock picking type of bastard (thief) usually carry one type of lockpick.

What on earth makes you say that?

good advice on the guardian's bike blog about bike theft by a reformed bike thief.. he was talking about Lock picking.. something like this, picked with a fucking PEN!!

YouTube - kryptonite

The tools needed to open those modern u-locks are pretty specific. But if you have them you can have a pop at all of them.

YouTube - Kryptonite Lock Mayhem

good advice on the guardian's bike blog about bike theft by a reformed bike thief.. he was talking about Lock picking.. something like this, picked with a fucking PEN!!

Obsolete info. They stopped making that type of lock a long time ago.

kevinsays

as per DFP

that is woefully out of date

making your post a little retarded

How common is lock picking? Doesn't really get mentioned on this topic, it's all about leverage attacks, cutting times and how useless cables are.

there is a wiki article on this

Vulnerability

Until 2004, Kryptonite locks used the tubular pin tumbler locking mechanism. In 2004, videos circulating on the Internet demonstrated that some tubular pin tumbler locks of the diameter used on Kryptonite locks could be easily opened with the shaft of an inexpensive Bic ballpoint pen of matching diameter. Trade website BikeBiz.com revealed that the weaknesses of the tubular pin tumbler mechanism had first been described in 1992 by UK journalist John Stuart Clark.[3] For an article in New Cyclist magazine, he teamed up with a bike thief to show how easy it was to break in to the majority of bicycle locks then on the market. One of the methods he revealed was the ballpoint pen method. His article led to follow-ups in bigger circulation bicycle magazines and a BBC TV consumer rights programme also carried a feature on the pen method. Some UK trade distributors of bicycle locks using the tumbler mechanism withdrew the products from the marketplace and introduced locks which were more pick-proof. Following BikeBiz.com's report about this 1992 knowledge of the pen method, the lock-picking video received widespread attention by the mainstream media, and after a few days of negative publicity, the company responded with a lock exchange offer. However, lawyers in the US and Canada had already launched class actions against the Kryptonite Corporation, citing the 1992 revelations on BikeBiz.com. Kryptonite Corporation later settled the claims out of court despite the fact that the 1992 magazine article had not featured a Kryptonite lock and Kryptonite employees said they were unaware of the 1992 article.
Two other methods involving brute force are commonly used to break open Kryptonite locks. One is the use of a small hydraulic bottle jack to spring open the lock. The other method is the use of a long pipe (its length dependent on the quality of the lock) to twist open the lock.[citation needed]

Edit: waaaay to slow..

YouTube - Kryptonite Lock Mayhem

Mate did you watch the beginning of the video? Maybe watch it again.

Also, a bit random but, the first interviewee with the curly hair says: "what do you think of when you hear the word kriptonite? Strength, right?"

No, not really I think of weakness, but hey ho thats just me...

Also, as this has been a bit of a Kripto-wank-fest so far, ABus make fucking good stuff, so if anyone is in any doubt or can't print off the parkers price before they go to Evans/Cyclesurgery just buy ABus.

i had a expensive MTB stolen by a lock picking thief. The lock i used was a Abus Granit Chain from 2007. I would say lock picking is very common with the experienced professional bike thief's but they do target expensive bikes. These people know what their doing, are very skilled and can pop a lock of within seconds.

Thats why having two locks by two different brands is the safest possible way of locking a bike.

Just my option..

These people know what their doing, are very skilled and can pop a lock of within seconds.

Thats why having two locks by two different brands is the safest possible way of locking a bike.

Lke I said, why do you say that?

What padlock did you have on your chain kevin?

Modern locks have pick proof mechanisms which are very tricky to open with expensive tools and lots of time.

This thread could sadly be turning into a clown's night out. It would be so good if this was kept on topic, with photos if possible.
I must say, lockpicking rumour and decade old evidence of locks picked, doesn't help a lot.

Hard to see what could be more on-topic than the ability of scotes to dispense with locks to relieve us of our bikes?

Another thing to think about is figuring out the location of where you're going to lock your bike in, what kind of stand you're going to lock it, and how long you're going to leave it there for.

don't lock a good bike outside. this really is the proper solution.

If you really have to lock your bike outside, for work or whatever reason on a regular basis, use a beater bike. really. £50 -£70, about the same as a good D-lock.

Nothing is safe, 1 lock, 2 locks whatever. Doesn't matter.

Quite recently a bike with 3 locks was nicked within 20 minutes in the stolen thread. A nice bike, which is no surprise to me since thieves only put the effort in once they have established it's worth their effort in the first place.

Proper locking or poor locking, the best locks or not, if it's a good bike, and a pro thief wants it, he'll get it.

I need a beer after writing all that. Hope you get the picture as i see it.
thank you and good night.

I was under the impression that a lot of the tools used by thieves were levered against the floor. So is there something to be said for having locks as high as possible?

don't lock a good bike outside. this really is the proper solution.

Unless thieves can't tell if it's a good bike.

http://brushlesspowertools.com/images/WebBaner.gif

i have no worries about leverage. :o