Any suggestions for a simple bike lock



On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:37:58 -0600, Pat Lamb <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Ken Marcet wrote:
>> "Peter Cole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:fdVvd.758540$8_6.692398@attbi_s04...
>>
>>> "Ken Marcet" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>>> bolt cutters, but then again how many casual thiefs walk around with
>>>> bolt
>>>> cutters in their pockets. And nothing will stop a serious professional
>>>> thief!
>>>
>>> I was at the tool rental place one day & say a few kids renting a big
>>> compound bolt cutter. I very much doubt they had bolts to cut. Thieves
>>> carry these under jackets, bend over a bike for a few seconds, then
>>> ride
>>> away.
>>>
>>>

>>
>> Oh I have no doubt that there are some people who will use bolt cutters
>> to
>> cut cables / chains / locks but these are not casual crooks they are
>> closer
>> to professional crooks! The simple cable locks will prevent your bike
>> from
>> being a easy target of opportunity!

>
> Is there such a thing as a "lightweight" hardened chain, about 2-3'
> long? I'm thinking more along the lines of the kind of chain holding up
> my porch swing, only hardened -- not a logging chain. Just how much
> iron do you have to lug around to defeat a 24" bolt cutter, anyway?
>
> Pat


Think 300 pound guy on a Harley in a bad movie kind of chain. The kind
that they were supposed to have slung over their shoulder. Was that from
an old Brando movie?


--
Bill (?) Baka
 
On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 09:52:36 -0600, Pat <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> : A well meaning friend gave me an OnGuard BEAST w/Padlock. Between that
> : and my BICYCLE COMPUTER SPEEDOMETER ODOMETER BIKE CATEYE (BEST &
> : STRONGEST MADE!) SUPER THICK WIRE! CATEYE ENDURO 8 which I purchased on
> : e-bay......my cheap bike is well equipped. Now if the weather would
> : cooperate maybe I could ride more with this fancy **** on my bike. I
> : have well meaning friends trying to give me things for my bike that I
> : really do not think I need in suburbia. Especially an ONGUARD BEAST!!!!
> : Maggie.
>
> and yet, you're complaining about people giving you things? And you think
> you don't need the lock even after your friend's bike was just stolen? I
> just can't get your logic.
>
> Pat in TX
>
>

ONGUARD BEAST, huh. Why not get a bad tempered Pit Bull Terrier and chain
him to the bike?
Steal THAT!


--
Bill (?) Baka
 
Bill Baka wrote
ONGUARD BEAST, huh. Why not get a bad tempered Pit Bull Terrier and
chain him to the bike?
Steal THAT!

Maggie writes.....
It would probably be easier than using the ONGUARD BEAST BICYCLE LOCK.
Fer sure.
 
Pat Dec 15, 2:00 pm
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc
From: "Pat"
I'm not ****** off. I am trying to find logic---any logic in what you
write.
So far, I have been unsuccessful. Maybe this group is just a diary for
you....

Pat in TX

And Maggie responds...
I am not a logical person. I am an emotional person. If you are trying
to find logic in what I write it is wasted effort. Writing and reading
this newsgroup keeps me riding....maybe it is a diary to keep myself
riding and the reinforcement I receive from some posters is wonderful.
Maggie - The illogical.
 
On 15 Dec 2004 17:56:45 -0800, <[email protected]> wrote:

> Pat Dec 15, 2:00 pm
> Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc
> From: "Pat"
> I'm not ****** off. I am trying to find logic---any logic in what you
> write.
> So far, I have been unsuccessful. Maybe this group is just a diary for
> you....
>
> Pat in TX
>
> And Maggie responds...
> I am not a logical person. I am an emotional person. If you are trying
> to find logic in what I write it is wasted effort. Writing and reading
> this newsgroup keeps me riding....maybe it is a diary to keep myself
> riding and the reinforcement I receive from some posters is wonderful.
> Maggie - The illogical.
>

Bill, of Vulcan logic finds amusement in illogical humans.
Indeed.
Live long and prosper. (and bicycle.)


--
Bill (amusement == lurking == trolling posts) Baka
 
Bill Baka wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 09:52:36 -0600, Pat <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> > : A well meaning friend gave me an OnGuard BEAST w/Padlock.

Between that
> > : and my BICYCLE COMPUTER SPEEDOMETER ODOMETER BIKE CATEYE (BEST &
> > : STRONGEST MADE!) SUPER THICK WIRE! CATEYE ENDURO 8 which I

purchased on
> > : e-bay......my cheap bike is well equipped. Now if the weather

would
> > : cooperate maybe I could ride more with this fancy **** on my

bike. I
> > : have well meaning friends trying to give me things for my bike

that I
> > : really do not think I need in suburbia. Especially an ONGUARD

BEAST!!!!
> > : Maggie.
> >
> > and yet, you're complaining about people giving you things? And you

think
> > you don't need the lock even after your friend's bike was just

stolen? I
> > just can't get your logic.
> >
> > Pat in TX
> >
> >

> ONGUARD BEAST, huh. Why not get a bad tempered Pit Bull Terrier and

chain
> him to the bike?
> Steal THAT!
> --
> Bill (?) Baka


On the other hand I came out of a store last summer and discovered a
very nice Rottweiller tied to the same post as my bike. I was just
debating whether or not to try unlocking the bike when the dog's owner
came back. Whew!

John Kane
Kingston ON Canada
 
"John_Kane" wrote: (clip)I came out of a store last summer and discovered a
very nice Rottweiller tied to the same post as my bike. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That Rottweiller was the answer to the original question. Did you thank the
owner for giving your bike better protection than any lock or cable could
have?
 
Tom Keats wrote:

> We've got plenty of bike thieves here in Vancouver BC.
> And what's particularly irritating about that is that
> there are so many almost-ready-to-ride bikes around
> that people just throw away. They leave them out in the
> back lanes along with defunct household appliances etc,
> free for the taking. I'm sure fixing up many of these
> discards would take less work than theft.


How do you know these are household discards, and not thief discards?

Matt O.
 
: > We've got plenty of bike thieves here in Vancouver BC.
: > And what's particularly irritating about that is that
: > there are so many almost-ready-to-ride bikes around
: > that people just throw away. They leave them out in the
: > back lanes along with defunct household appliances etc,
: > free for the taking. I'm sure fixing up many of these
: > discards would take less work than theft.
:
: How do you know these are household discards, and not thief discards?
:
: Matt O.

Ooh, good point!

Pat in TX
:
:
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:

> How do you know these are household discards, and not thief discards?


They generally show evidence of not having been ridden
for some time -- rotten tires, rusted chains, etc. And
missing minor parts such as seatpost binder bolts or
brake components. They're often unridable as-is. If
there's any doubt, one can always ask the homeowner,
which I've done many times. And I've always gotten the
bike with their blessing.

This past spring while hoofing it home from the Greyhound
Depot (busted axle), I took a rest at the 10th Ave Alliance
Church. The church's gardener stopped by, we chatted, I
explained my plight and he offered me his old MTB, which
he was going to leave out for whomever would take it. I
reluctantly declined his kind offer, largely because he was
a foot shorter than me, so I figured the bike would likely
be undersize for me. Legitimately getting bikes is easy.
Strangers even come up to me and offer me their bikes.
I see no need for anyone to resort to bike theft when so
many people are happy to give 'em away.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
Thu, 16 Dec 2004 20:29:02 -0800, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

> "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> How do you know these are household discards, and not thief discards?

>
>They generally show evidence of not having been ridden
>for some time -- rotten tires, rusted chains, etc. And
>missing minor parts such as seatpost binder bolts or
>brake components. They're often unridable as-is.


I was talking with Bryce who related having a cheapo ten-speed stolen.
He'd not locked it before dashing into the store figuring nobody would
steal that POS. It was gone when he came out.
He started walking home and found the bike parked at a rack about a
block away. The thief apparently thought it unridable as-is.
--
zk
 
Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> How do you know these are household discards, and not thief discards?

>
> They generally show evidence of not having been ridden
> for some time -- rotten tires, rusted chains, etc. And
> missing minor parts such as seatpost binder bolts or
> brake components. They're often unridable as-is. If
> there's any doubt, one can always ask the homeowner,
> which I've done many times. And I've always gotten the
> bike with their blessing.
>
> This past spring while hoofing it home from the Greyhound
> Depot (busted axle), I took a rest at the 10th Ave Alliance
> Church. The church's gardener stopped by, we chatted, I
> explained my plight and he offered me his old MTB, which
> he was going to leave out for whomever would take it. I
> reluctantly declined his kind offer, largely because he was
> a foot shorter than me, so I figured the bike would likely
> be undersize for me. Legitimately getting bikes is easy.
> Strangers even come up to me and offer me their bikes.
> I see no need for anyone to resort to bike theft when so
> many people are happy to give 'em away.


You ought to start a used bike shop, or a charity bike shop -- where the
unwheeled can get rolling for free, or at nominal cost.

Jon Issacs, who used to post a lot on these forums, wrote about doing this, or
something like it.

Matt O.
 
:
: You ought to start a used bike shop, or a charity bike shop -- where the
: unwheeled can get rolling for free, or at nominal cost.
:
: Jon Issacs, who used to post a lot on these forums, wrote about doing
this, or
: something like it.
:
: Matt O.

Dallas has "Spokes for Folks" and Fort Worth has "Bikes for Tykes". The
local bike clubs will know if there is someone in the area collecting bikes
and refurbishing them for charity.

Pat in TX
:
:
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> writes:

> You ought to start a used bike shop, or a charity bike shop -- where the
> unwheeled can get rolling for free, or at nominal cost.


We've already got a bunch of those. But I've fixed up a lot
of bikes and left them out for any takers, with a "Take Me"
sign taped to the saddle. Zoot's done similar, as have many
others here in Vancouver. Doing it full-time or as a "business"
would take the fun out of it. But it's nice to do it once in
awhile. So, once again, /stealing/ bikes here is really an
irrational and unnecessary waste of effort. But I think most of
our bike thieves are desperate crackheads wanting something to
immediately sell for just the price of a rock.

> Jon Issacs, who used to post a lot on these forums, wrote about doing this, or
> something like it.


I miss Jon. I hope he's doing well.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:

> The thief apparently thought it unridable as-is.


Unsellable, anyways.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
Fri, 17 Dec 2004 21:04:34 -0800, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

>> The thief apparently thought it unridable as-is.

>
>Unsellable, anyways.


He said he was happy to have the bike so he didn't have to walk back
but did feel somewhat insulted that it wasn't good enough for a thief.
--
zk
 
Fri, 17 Dec 2004 20:41:50 -0800, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

>So, once again, /stealing/ bikes here is really an
>irrational and unnecessary waste of effort. But I think most of
>our bike thieves are desperate crackheads wanting something to
>immediately sell for just the price of a rock.


Somebody stole Sophie the "yellow bike" from an unlocked storage room
in my building. None of the three other occasional users left it
anywhere.The cable must have been coiled around the seatpost. It was
left locked to its secure point. The key was on its hidden hook.
A 4ft. ficus benjamina disappeared from the foyer the same day.

*Sophie was the Polish made ladys single-speed Free Spirit I'd
salvaged from the trash and fitted with a rack and lights. I've still
got the pretty handlebars though.
--
zk
 
BanditManDan wrote:

> That's a pretty neat looking device but how stong can the cable be? Is
> the cable coated with something to protect the paint on the bike?


It is supposedly hardened, but it couldn't be very strong--it is really
thin. It is coated. I wouldn't depend on it at the university, even
for a few minutes, but out in the country I figure it is worth something.

Pam
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:

> Somebody stole Sophie the "yellow bike" from an unlocked storage room
> in my building. None of the three other occasional users left it
> anywhere.The cable must have been coiled around the seatpost. It was
> left locked to its secure point. The key was on its hidden hook.
> A 4ft. ficus benjamina disappeared from the foyer the same day.
>
> *Sophie was the Polish made ladys single-speed Free Spirit I'd
> salvaged from the trash and fitted with a rack and lights. I've still
> got the pretty handlebars though.


Well, that truly sux. I hope the thief gets his befitting &
educating qismat. I guess all we can do is try to limit
opportunities for thieves to commit their misdeeds, but
nothing's 100% fer sher secure.

Incidentally, while working at Broadway & Quebec I've been
noticing /lots/ of nice looking urban cruisers. Mostly
ridden by nice looking cyclist women. I'm guessing they're
chickening out and bypassing that annoying Devil's Staircase
on Ontario between 7th and 11th.

My condolences on your loss.


Regards,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
Pat wrote:

> Dallas has "Spokes for Folks" and Fort Worth has "Bikes for Tykes".
> The local bike clubs will know if there is someone in the area
> collecting bikes and refurbishing them for charity.


I heard they just started a "yellow bike" program in Charlottesville, VA, like
the one in Portland, OR. Charlottesville is a great town.

Matt O.