Strongest lock? Magnum still turkeys?

[Robert Carnegie]

I'm looking for a seriously strong lock - because I'm planning to leave my bicycle out of doors full
time. I accept I am possibly crazy. But I don't have space indoors.

We're talking about a new Electra cruiser, cost GBP270 earlier this month. Risk will be mitigated by
leaving it under cover in a polythene greenhouse, attached to a Sheffield hoop / Sheffield stand or
something equally rigid (I'm shopping for that too at the moment), with suitable alarm and under the
gaze of PIR security light. But I reckon I still need a seriously tough lock, and my insurer will
probably agree.

I've looked at www.soldsecure.com , and at the results that were kindly posted online out of Cycling
Plus (don't know if Cycling Plus looks kindly on it). But I'm still confused. I've tried to
understand the different types of actual key/lock mechanism, but I'm pretty sure I don't get it. And
specifically, at the weekend I ogled Kryptolock Evolution 3000 sale price GBP50 -
I /think/ that's one of the good ones, or supposed to be - and a Magnum Dynamite LS, price GBP12,
which appears to have a similar modern unpickable mechanism. I haven't seen Squire bike locks
anywhere, although the store with the Magnum also had some Squire padlocks.

(This is Glasgow, in Scotland, by the way.)

Now, Cycling Plus is reported to have rated the Dynamite LS as a turkey - broken inside a minute.
But that was a couple of years ago. www.magnumlock.com offers a catalogues that boasts at length
about their "new MCylinder(TM)" lock. So is it possible that Magnum got better? Allowing Dynamite is
not the toughest model in that catalogue...

I want something to carry around too - of course - so what? Weight isn't an issue (for the lock;
/my/ weight...we don't want to get into that).

 

[Tony Raven]

Robert Carnegie <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm looking for a seriously strong lock - because I'm planning to leave my bicycle out of doors
> full time. I accept I am possibly crazy. But I don't have space indoors.
>
> We're talking about a new Electra cruiser, cost GBP270 earlier this month. Risk will be mitigated
> by leaving it under cover in a polythene greenhouse, attached to a Sheffield hoop / Sheffield
> stand or something equally rigid (I'm shopping for that too at the moment), with suitable alarm
> and under the gaze of PIR security light. But I reckon I still need a seriously tough lock, and my
> insurer will probably agree.
>

With all the extra money being spent on lock, Sheffield stand, lighting etc you could have bought a
Brompton to fold up and take inside ;-)

Best I can recommend is go to a motorbike shop to get a good ground anchor and lock for home. They
are bigger, beefier and cheaper than bike locks because they are not built to be light for carrying.
Then buy a normal cheapish bike lock to carry with you when you go out. How cheapish depends on the
risk away from home.

Tony

--
http://www.raven-family.com

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to
adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George
Bernard Shaw

 

[B.G. Finlay It]

Robert Carnegie <[email protected]> wrote:
: > I'm looking for a seriously strong lock - because I'm planning to leave my bicycle out of doors
: > full time. I accept I am possibly crazy. But I don't have space indoors.

Tony Raven ([email protected]) wrote:
: Best I can recommend is go to a motorbike shop to get a good ground anchor and lock for home. They
: are bigger, beefier and cheaper than bike locks because they are not built to be light for
: carrying. Then buy a normal cheapish bike lock to carry with you when you go out. How cheapish
: depends on the risk away from home.

Have a look at www.busters-accessories.co.uk under 'security'. There are locks and chains by Abus,
Kryptonite etc. Blair.

 

[Patrick Herring]

[email protected] (Robert Carnegie) wrote:

| I'm looking for a seriously strong lock - because I'm planning to leave my bicycle out of doors
| full time. I accept I am possibly crazy. But I don't have space indoors.
|
| We're talking about a new Electra cruiser, cost GBP270 earlier this month. Risk will be mitigated
| by leaving it under cover in a polythene greenhouse, attached to a Sheffield hoop / Sheffield
| stand or something equally rigid (I'm shopping for that too at the moment), with suitable alarm
| and under the gaze of PIR security light. But I reckon I still need a seriously tough lock, and my
| insurer will probably agree.

Locks are rated in minutes, really. A motion-sensing alarm is another suggestion.

A useful adjunct might be some rust-coloured paint, depressingly.

Also you need to think about securing parts like wheels and the saddle
e.g. by bolts that need Allen keys rather than spanners. There is a seat bolt design which has an
Allen key hole on one end, but inside a collar, and an ordinary bolt-head at the other. You
tighten it up with grease in the collar, then fill the Allen key hole with flour'n'water or
whatever - it then can't be undone from the bolt-head end 'cos the whole thing just turns in
the collar after a bit.

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK http://www.anweald.co.uk

 

[Allan McVie]

Have a look at your local B&Q Warehouse. The one near me has a range of posts and locks intended for
motorbikes. The also have what looks like an American range of locks which includes some for bikes,
including a "street cuff" which looks like a very very heavy duty set of handcuffs which come with a
bracket so they canbe carried on the seat post of a bike.

Allan

 

[Trog Woolley]

While stranded on the hard shoulder of the information super highway [email protected] typed:
> Have a look at your local B&Q Warehouse. The one near me has a range of posts and locks intended
> for motorbikes. The also have what looks like an American range of locks which includes some for
> bikes, including a "street cuff" which looks like a very very heavy duty set of handcuffs which
> come with a bracket so they canbe carried on the seat post of a bike.

My Master Lock Street Cuff didn't come with a bracket, not that it needs one. It folds enough to fit
into a coat pocket. OK so at 1.5kg it does weigh you down a bit I find it fits coveniently in a
small saddlebag. If they made the chain a tad longer, it would fold up even smaller... Yes I know
that doesn't make sense. It is much easier to carry on the Brompton than a U lock and the length
makes it better for locking your bike to something.

--
Trog Woolley | trog at trog hyphen oz dot demon dot co dot uk (A Croweater back residing in Pommie
Land with Linux) Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inanna

 

[Tony Raven]

Trog Woolley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> My Master Lock Street Cuff didn't come with a bracket, not that it needs one. It folds enough to
> fit into a coat pocket. OK so at 1.5kg it does weigh you down a bit I find it fits coveniently
> in a small saddlebag. If they made the chain a tad longer, it would fold up even smaller... Yes I
> know that doesn't make sense. It is much easier to carry on the Brompton than a U lock and the
> length makes it better for locking your bike to something.

Ditto. I find it especially useful for the Brommie and Bike Friday that do not have a conventional
triangle to loop a lock through. One end closes snuggly round the top tube and one round a
convenient fixed object. I do find though that, looking like handcuffs, they create a lot of
interest and its amazing how many people are driven to pick them up and fondle them. Never had
anyone show the slightest interest in picking up my U-lock, let alone fondle it.

Tony

--
http://www.raven-family.com

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to
adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George
Bernard Shaw