Bike Locks: What's a good lock to secure $300 bike in medium crime area?



lostic

New Member
Jul 25, 2007
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Can anyone steer me in the right directions as to the best lock for securing a $300 hybrid bike in medium crime public areas(i.e. train station, shops, etc.)?
Thanks
 
When I ride some where that I have to leave the bike unattended, I use a long plastic coated cable and a padlock. The cable is long enough to run through the front and rear wheels and around a stationary object like a bike rack. I know that all a thief needs is a pair of bolt cutters, so I try to leave it in a high traffic area with hopes that this will deter him. I actually hate to leave my bike unattended to the point that I sometimes will take it into the restroom with me if there is no one else in there that it might bother.:confused:
 
Cool, thanks a lot.



kdelong said:
When I ride some where that I have to leave the bike unattended, I use a long plastic coated cable and a padlock. The cable is long enough to run through the front and rear wheels and around a stationary object like a bike rack. I know that all a thief needs is a pair of bolt cutters, so I try to leave it in a high traffic area with hopes that this will deter him. I actually hate to leave my bike unattended to the point that I sometimes will take it into the restroom with me if there is no one else in there that it might bother.:confused:
 
I use the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit chain and lock which is one of the best on the market.

As i was always locking my bike to the same lampost each day i kept the lock around the post even when the bike wasn't there as it weighed around 5kg and was a bit of a nightmare to carry even on short rides.

The best thing about it was that i never had to worry about my bike at all as the lock and chain are immensley sturdy
 
Search around for reviews and such, like this one from Slate:

http://slate.com/id/2140083/

Remember that how you lock is important, too...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

Your wheels (esp. rear) are expensive, so consider a cable for your front wheel if you decide to lock like Sheldon does.

Nowadays, I use a mini U lock (OnGuard Bulldog) on my rear wheel and bike rack like Sheldon, a Pitlock skewer for my front wheel (having gotten sick of carrying a cable around), and solder in my seatpost and saddle clamp bolt heads. The only quick-steal---er, quick-release---on my bike is the rear wheel, which is fine, the way I lock.

As others have suggested, leaving a lock on a rack at a frequent destination saves hassle.

Good luck. It's annoying, what we have to do because of bad people, but that's life.
 
Thanks a lot, I do appreciate it.



SEAcarlessTTLE said:
Search around for reviews and such, like this one from Slate:

http://slate.com/id/2140083/

Remember that how you lock is important, too...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

Your wheels (esp. rear) are expensive, so consider a cable for your front wheel if you decide to lock like Sheldon does.

Nowadays, I use a mini U lock (OnGuard Bulldog) on my rear wheel and bike rack like Sheldon, a Pitlock skewer for my front wheel (having gotten sick of carrying a cable around), and solder in my seatpost and saddle clamp bolt heads. The only quick-steal---er, quick-release---on my bike is the rear wheel, which is fine, the way I lock.

As others have suggested, leaving a lock on a rack at a frequent destination saves hassle.

Good luck. It's annoying, what we have to do because of bad people, but that's life.
 
Forget about cables - they can be cut. Just use a U Lock preferably not a Kryptonite. Use a small cable for the front wheel then attach it to the U Lock when you lock up the rear frame and wheel.
 
bring it with you wherever you go, Thats what I do with my road bike, I never use locks
 
Cycler6n said:
bring it with you wherever you go, Thats what I do with my road bike, I never use locks
They sort of frown on that at our local library since they installed racks outside. Also the movie theaters and the mall won't let you bring your bike inside. The museum gets real testy when you try to carry a bike through the turnstile. The local department stores won't let you bring it in with you either, nor the pet store, etc. If your bike is part time or full time transportation instead of just a recreational device, you're gonna have to lock it up somewhere.
 
JTE83 said:
Forget about cables - they can be cut. Just use a U Lock preferably not a Kryptonite. Use a small cable for the front wheel then attach it to the U Lock when you lock up the rear frame and wheel.
Outta curiosity, why not Kryptonite? My impression is that their high end locks are quite good, and they got rid of the pen tube-vulnerable lock design a while ago.
 
Cables can be cut. I did an AU$80 Abus shielded one with a pair of bolt cutters in under two minutes. And no one stopped in the Sydney CBD at lunchtime on a friday to ask me what I was doing! (I was helping a courier who had lost his keys).
U locks are not that much better either. A car jack is all you need to break one of those.

Best to have the bike with you all the time. It's only worth using a lock on a cheap bike as a thief discourager.