Cycle locks

[jeremyrundle]

Ok you couldn't make this up.

I was in Halfords looking at Topeak bags when my son and I began listening to an idiot LOUDLY complaining to staff that his bike had been stolen. And being quite rude.

He had a £400 mountain bike stolen, the reason is that the bike lock he had bought (I later asked the staff, HE had bought it but not asked advice on what to buy) had been pulled apart.

DUH he had locked his bike with THIS, honestly. Are people really this stupid.

I have just got our teo bikes ready for summer with Abus Granite X locks


http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-locks/bike-locks/halfords-cable-lock-with-key

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Locks keep honest people honest. A thief can defeat any lock in seconds. Any lock. In seconds.

 

[jeremyrundle]

Errr No....

your facts are totally wrong

Abus Granite X, New york Kryptonite etc

 

[dabac]

Errr No....

your facts are totally wrong

Abus Granite X, New york Kryptonite etc

If I don't mind making some sparks, locks like those might last 30 seconds or so against against my small angle grinder.
The one with the 10" disc, maybe 15 seconds.

I've seen youtube videos of people cutting even rated locks using BIG bolt cutters. Prefer not to do that myself, as it tends to nick the shears.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYv4uq_eML8


Now Google how easy it is to buy a lock pick.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Frankly, most thieves don't bother picking locks. They just cut them. Battery operated DeWalt.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTYEcQAurs

 

[jeremyrundle]

oh yeah so in the middle of a town no one is looking, that is a shed

anyway that is what insurance is for

 

[jeremyrundle]

listen, why don't you start your own video thread and stop highjacking other peoples posts

 

[jeremyrundle]

get a life

 

[CAMPYBOB]

My apologies, Jeremy. I stand by my statement. Any lock can be defeated in seconds.

 

[Froze]

Thanks to Campy Bob who showed us how easy it is to defeat locks...any lock! Which is why I recommend to people who have a nice bike is NOT to use it for commuting to work or school where it will be locked up outside all day or night. Instead it's cheaper, not to mention the piece of mind, to buy a sub $350 used bike and take that for commuting and locking it up. With a cheap bike you can buy a cheaper lock like the Kryptonite Kryptolok series 2, which is a U Lock with a cable. Of course you need to lock up the bike properly, so see the first image: http://reviews.mtbr.com/how-to-get-your-stolen-bike-back/lock-it BUT the bottom row of images that shows the U-lock is the absolute best way to lock up a bike using a U Lock. The only problem with the first row image one is note that the U Lock does not go around the rear tire and frame but just the frame, this leaves the rear tire exposed to theft even though the cable is supposedly securing it, but if someone wanted a set of wheels they just cut the cable and be gone with the wheels.

Also be mindful what you lock the bike too, a parking meter is not a good idea since someone could just lift the bike up and over. A small tree is easier to cut then a lock. A gutter pipe may just come right out of the ground, or being aluminum be easy to cut. A bike rack not bolted to the pavement with rounded off bolts a thief could just take the entire rack, I actually attended a college where this happened! A flatbed pickup came onto the campus stopped a rack of about a dozen bikes locked to it, 3 guys got out and picked up the entire rack and placed it on the flatbed and drove off...while the campus was in class! There were people walking around but the impression of the flatbed they thought they were campus workers, this was about 40 years ago. Needless to say while security has improved so have devices to destroy locks or whatever the lock is attached to.

Also make sure you park you bike where it is visible to peds walking by, and park it next to a more expensive less secure bike. I had a friend when I was college took a nice used bike what would be today a nice vintage bike, and attacked the frame with a bicycle chain to beat the **** out of it to make it look junky!! then did a seemingly poor repaint in sections as if to attempt to make it look better, which made it look even worse! I don't think you need to go that far, LOL!! But it was creative and no one stole his bike even when it was locked with the cheapest lock he could buy.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

LOL...thanks, Froze!

We really should start a thread showing how easy it is for a bike to vanish into thin air. The videos that show people walking right on by a guy running an angle grinder and risking months in jail for stealing a $75 bike are priceless. Like you said, it's smarter to ride a beater that looks like ass.

My old NYC bike messenger pal had a nasty looking fixie. Under the rust and primer was a Frejus classic.

 

[kopride]

If you have a white van or pick up, coveralls with a fake name badge, clipboard, and white hard hat, you can practically do anything on a city street and nobody will question you. This guy tried to get caught in NYC and didn't get a look from the cops until he was wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and working for minutes with a grinder:

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGttmR2DTY8


I heard of one scam where two guys dressed in coveralls and a panel van, put a yellow "Notice" up on a sign on a college campus (backdated a few days) allegedly warning that all bikes left on a rack outside a dorm would be removed by "Property Management" and leaving a burner number to be called if your bike was removed. Five minutes after posting the sign, they blocked one rack off at a time with yellow tape, and cleaned all the racks off with bolt cutters and a hand grinder. They got about 25 bikes in 15 minutes from a few racks. Nobody bothered them, but I understood that their plan was to tell anybody who asked that they were ordered to remove them, and that if they wanted it back they had to call the number and provide proof of ownership and a $50 storage fee to have it back. Apparently, they got caught when they tried to sell one of the nicer bikes on Craig's List.

 

[Froze]

You mean videos like this, now this one is an example to show people how easy it is to take a bike in broad daylight with lots of people mingling about, and in one video a cop watches! :

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooa3NVfFlEU

This guy is a moron, has plenty of time though but doesn't notice the cop car pulling up; this video you can let roll and several others will pop up afterwards:

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7acZkWJ-Xg


There's also an interesting article about cyclists who use track and share devices and how thieves somehow hack into their electronic units, then track where the cyclists live and go there later and steal their bikes; see: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/...-staffordshire-as-thieves-use-gps-technology/ This should make a lot of people think twice about sharing data.

 

[kopride]

There's also an interesting article about cyclists who use track and share devices and how thieves somehow hack into their electronic units, then track where the cyclists live and go there later and steal their bikes; see: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/...-staffordshire-as-thieves-use-gps-technology/ This should make a lot of people think twice about sharing data.

Interesting. Strava has what it calls, privacy zones where you can add addresses or hide locations for final start and stop: https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000173384-Privacy-Zones
Reminds me of a buddy back in the day that used to ride to and from a woman that he wasn't initially public about seeing. (He did eventually date and marry her, but I think there was some overlap on other relationships when it began) Funny how social media and sharing of information has made certain interludes far more difficult logistically.

In my case, my bikes are all safely in my home protected by an alarm. I think this is more of a problem for younger folks who store their high end bikes in sheds or common areas. Here is another link that talks about what you can do to hide your bike's location.

https://www.wideopenmountainbike.co...-your-strava-more-secure-against-bike-thieves

 

[Froze]

Even home alarms are not all that good because they hide them in centrally located closets that the thief knows where they're at most of the time and kill the boxes; OR, they know they have 3 minutes to get what they need and get out, 3 minutes is more then enough time to get a bike and be gone. Alarms are a false sense of security, but if you have alarm stickers everywhere a bike thief may not have the expertise to know what to do with a home security system and may leave, but would think if they have the sophistication to track your bike thought your share ware device they've probably been in houses with alarms, which means they also have the sophistication to jam the alarm cell phone call.

I have a home alarm too, but hardwire phone system can be cut, cell phone system can be jammed, so it's more for the local effect even though it can dial through the cell, but really a pro will get past the phone issue, so it's more useful in case of a fire. I also have my security box hidden and not in a closet, I instructed the installer where to put it. But like I said, a thief who knows they have at least 3 minutes to get what they need and get out will do just that. My alarm system uses both the internet to call out first, if that doesn't work it goes to the cell.

So I also lock my bikes up at home, I do use a simple locking system, I just use a couple of thick 20mm braided cables and lock 3 to 4 bikes at time, so a thief will consume those three minutes pretty quickly from the time they enter the house, go to the garage, if they have tools, cut the cable, and leave.

But I live in good neighborhood with a security patrol, and this area hasn't had a break in for 20 or more years...according to what the security official told us anyways.

I also have homeowners insurance...duh!!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

You kidz! STOP posting your damned videos! If you want to post videos, start a new thread!!ONE11!!

LOL!

I love guys that buy those hunnert dollah locks. The 8th grade drugaholic dropout that swiped a DeWalt angle grinder from Lowes is pawning $1000 Road bikes for "I'll give yas like $50 for dat!" all day long in our civilized cities.

I have an alarm service and cameras. Big woop. I'll have a high res infra-red pic of the balaclava of the guy that ripped me off. Like Froze said, in a couple of minutes even the moron thieves can grab enough to make the risk worth it.

Remember at all times, logic and common sense do not function in a criminal's mind. That 'why' he's a criminal.

Personally, I'm laughing at the tons of ATM smash & grabs that's all the fashion now. Steal a van (high skool mad skillz GTA 101) and back that sucker at 30 MPH through the front wall of a stop & rob...er...convenience store. Pro tip: memorize ATM location on recon before hitting the joint! Toss ATM in back of van and boogie back to the ghetto most rikky tic!

 

[Froze]

Ok daddy, we won't post any more videos.

What's odd though is we do have quite a few prisoners in jail, that's why their prisoners, with above average IQ's with a lot of Mensa rated prisoners. The gifted prisoners are far less likely to cause violent crimes but they figure out how to do white collar crimes. You can read about that weird stuff here: https://qz.com/923648/why-do-highly-intelligent-people-commit-crimes/ So quite a few have a high degree of logic, but I think they're lacking in common sense, that alone doesn't make them stupid just lacking.

 

[dabac]

What's odd though is we do have quite a few prisoners in jail, that's why their prisoners, with above average IQ's with a lot of Mensa rated prisoners. The gifted prisoners are far less likely to cause violent crimes but they figure out how to do white collar crimes. You can read about that weird stuff here: https://qz.com/923648/why-do-highly-intelligent-people-commit-crimes/ So quite a few have a high degree of logic, but I think they're lacking in common sense, that alone doesn't make them stupid just lacking.

The thing you need to remember WRT crime vs punishment is that punishment only happens to those who get caught.

If I can convince myself that I won't get caught, then the punishment doesn't matter, since it's not going to happen.
From there on, it's ony my ability and morals that limits my actions.Then I'm "free" to do stuff that truly doesn't make sense in the bigger picture.

Let's say you make taking a napkin more than you actually need from a fast food joint punishable by the most horrible medieval execution method imaginable.
No one would risk THAT only to be able to wipe their fingers or blow their nose some time later - if they really thought it might be applied to them.
But unless there's a control mechanism in place making it likely that people actually would be caught, it'd still happen.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Prisons are filled with people that thought they were smart.

Ok daddy, we won't post any more videos.

Meh...post all you want. I'm pretty sure that's why they call these"discussion forums". Folks need to know that from $20 to $120 the only difference in lock choice to a bike thief is which tool he brings to the party.

49 cent Bic pens busted open many a Kryptonite lock with a "Drill Proof" barrel key tumbler. A pair of 36" notched (the videos rarely show the pro-lock guys using a notched pair to prevent slippage) bolt cutters will shear a lot of the hardened shackles. An angle grinder trumps all.

I've never seen a junior magician wield a set of lock picks to steal a bike, but maybe some of those really smart crooks use them. They're all over the internet for just a few bucks.

http://www.lockpicks.com/lock-entry-tools/pick-guns.html

Too hi-tech for swiping bikes! LOL!