lock-up equipment

[AngryScientist]

evaluating the potential of doing some real deal cycle commuting. this would entail locking a bike up at a train station all day.

is the kryptonite lock the thing? any favorites? i'm guessing i can leave a chain on the bike rack and not have to trek it around with me.

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kR7BmAvcL._SX355_.jpg

[bicycletricycle]

Ya, those kryptonite "fahgetaboutit" locks are pretty much as good as it gets I think. The chain is nice cause you can take the front wheel off and weave that thing through both wheels and the frame and the pole or rack. Anything can be cut through with the right tools though so a crappier train station bike might also be in order.

[moobikes]

Abus also makes some good bike locks.

Basically, spend about $150 on various U locks/ chains, special keyed skewers and ride a bike you can replace cheaply.

[SlackMan]

Unless I am mistaken, I don't think any lock is really secure against a rechargeable angle grinder that a professional thief might carry. I certainly would not lock up a nice bike for that long...or even for a short time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YCwwvgYGT0

[bikinchris]

Put more than one kind of lock. The trick is to make sure it's locked up better than any other bike n the rack. Crooks don't like to work hard or long.
Also, you need to remember that any parts that can be stolen are a problem. I have seen many a bike stripped almost naked.

[JAllen]

10 hours in a public transit station would make me nervous. I do a u lock and a looping cable, but that's for quick outings or events. Don't do quick release on your saddle. You can do gun trigger lock for the saddle, and two of the best rated u locks (one for each wheel). Double check you have the wheels, framers, and solid pole enclosed together... But I'm sure you know all of this!

It's like bear analogy, but with bikes. You just have to be better locked up then the guy next to you!

[Peter P.]

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?


Ride a cheap, undesirable bike. Make it fit, make it comfortable, make it road worthy; just make it cheap.

[etu]

the more relevant question would be what bike are you going to use on your commute?

[fogrider]

evaluating the potential of doing some real deal cycle commuting. this would entail locking a bike up at a train station all day.

is the kryptonite lock the thing? any favorites? i'm guessing i can leave a chain on the bike rack and not have to trek it around with me.

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kR7BmAvcL._SX355_.jpg

I give you two videos for consideration...the first might answer your question, the second...well, you be the judge...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGttmR2DTY8

the second vid, at 3:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po85lER-qRo

[dustyrider]

Ride a cheap, undesirable bike. Make it fit, make it comfortable, make it road worthy; just make it cheap.

Locks only keep honest people honest. When it comes to bikes, only lock up what you're okay with loosing. Plenty of folks out there have found their bikes sawed in half instead of the lock; parts can total more than the frame after all.

[Louis]

Ride a cheap, undesirable bike. Make it fit, make it comfortable, make it road worthy; just make it cheap.

This is what I was going to suggest. Get the junkiest bike you can stand to ride, and if you have to have a nice saddle use one of those QR post clamp thingies so you can take the saddle with you.

[rugbysecondrow]

evaluating the potential of doing some real deal cycle commuting. this would entail locking a bike up at a train station all day.

is the kryptonite lock the thing? any favorites? i'm guessing i can leave a chain on the bike rack and not have to trek it around with me.

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kR7BmAvcL._SX355_.jpg


That whole "mini van" conversation getting to you? Haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AngryScientist]

still working out all of the details, but if i do this it will be with a cheap fixed gear bike kitted with the least expensive, but functional stuff i can find.

[schwa86]

FWIW -- my commuter (which was an old, nondescript Giant hardtail with 10K+ miles on it) -- in fairness it had some nice features like a dynohub and speedplay pedals -- was stolen out of a locked bike cage (and it was locked inside the cage with a u-lock and a cable). My replacement strategy was "wait for the Nashbar 50% off all bikes sale..." which for $300 has mostly worked out...

[AngryScientist]

were was this schwa, if i can ask?

[R3awak3n]

I use the kryptonite evolution mini lock and then a cable to run through the wheels. The fogetaboutit lock is stronger but also heavier and more expensive and to me if the thieve really has the tools to brake through the evolution they can brake through the fogetaboutit.

I have just built a lock up bike and have been locking it here and there in NYC and so far so good. This bike is really striped down though, coaster brake bike so not much to steal bit its a good looking bike so I am always aware that it might get stolen but I have been loving having a bike I can lock up again and ridding more than ever so its the price to pay.


There are other things you can do to prevent things from getting stolen on the bike, epoxy bbs to various bolts for example. Also I believe there is luck but also smarts in how and where to lock up a bike. There are places I would never lock up.

[EPIC! Stratton]

I carry an Evo Mini, and have for 8 years in Boston. Works great. The biggest thing is being smart about where you lock up and leave your bike. Don't give folks lots of opportunity to steal it.

[jojobos]

+1 on
"lock up what you are ok with loosing"

I wouldn't keep a chain lock at the bike rack. A bad guy can unsleve, cut, and make it look like nothing happened. And they can do this at their convinence while your bike is not locked up. Would anyone confront a dude griding away a chain lock that is appeared to be left alone at a bike rack?

I would at least keep a chain lock a few blocks away from your intended lock up place. Ulock is probably better because it is easier to see if someone messed with it.

In your situation, I would carry a mini ulock on me and leave a 2nd beefy bigger ulock/chain near by.

Check out Abus futura mini and Granit x plus lines. Also, don't try to park at same place everyday.

[yngpunk]

evaluating the potential of doing some real deal cycle commuting. this would entail locking a bike up at a train station all day.

is the kryptonite lock the thing? any favorites? i'm guessing i can leave a chain on the bike rack and not have to trek it around with me.

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kR7BmAvcL._SX355_.jpg

Check if your station has bike lockers for rent

[R3awak3n]

/\ thats pretty cool

[xjoex]

I commuted by bike for years in a big cities, when I would ride my mountain bike to work I used a NY chain lock through the rear wheel and main triangle, then another u-lock through the frame and front wheel with a cable and a small cable through the seat/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-lock-your-nice-bike-up-at-work/

However my regular commuter was a bianchi castro valley with Pin Head locking skewers and the NY chain lock. I did this ( or a version of it) when I was a courier in DC and commuting in DC and other places.

You just want to be the harder target.

-Joe

[Avincent52]

Locks only keep honest people honest. When it comes to bikes, only lock up what you're okay with loosing. Plenty of folks out there have found their bikes sawed in half instead of the lock; parts can total more than the frame after all.

My dad said that "Locks are made for honest people."

My brother, who had a Cinelli, a Frejus, a Raleigh Comp and an Alan stolen, taught me that every bike weighs 35 pounds. Either a 35 pound bike no one wants to steal, or a 20 pound bike with a 15-pound lock.

I would pay attention to what NYC messengers do. Not sure what the lock du jour is, but they've got it nailed in terms of expense-weight/security ratio.

Beyond that, they make sure their bikes don't look like they're worth stealing.
Some flaking spray can paint, messy bar tape, and a ton of just plain dirt and gunk on the bike will provide a deterrent.

[schwa86]

were was this schwa, if i can ask?

In Boston in a bike cage within parking garage in my building. It tends to be a reasonably traveled parking garage (there is an REI and a Staples in the building); I am not the only one this has happened to BTW. I just mention this as I am not convinced that "being in the bike cage" really makes much difference as you think about where to park.

[bobswire]

I use three different levels of locks depending on where and how long I plan on leaving the bike.

http://i59.tinypic.com/1m4jm.jpg

The chain is 3/8" hardened links with #15 master lock. 5lbs of ugliness but pretty secure though I wouldn't leave any bike in the open for 10 hrs no matter what kind of lock I used.

[bikinchris]

evaluating the potential of doing some real deal cycle commuting. this would entail locking a bike up at a train station all day.

is the kryptonite lock the thing? any favorites? i'm guessing i can leave a chain on the bike rack and not have to trek it around with me.

what's your lock up method/equipment of choice for leaving a bike out of sight for 10+ hours?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kR7BmAvcL._SX355_.jpg

Could you lobby to get bike lockers installed? Out of sight is out of mind.

[Veloo]

I use the Pinhead seatpost and axle locks along with a Kryptonite New York (yellow) U lock. No issues for many years.
The bike is a Schwinn S96.2 converted to a commuter with rack, plastic fenders, short stem, single chainring. Only thing that may be a bit flashy are the Mavic wheels.

A few years ago a radio DJ who rides to work mentioned that she was unlocking her bike after work which was locked up with a Kryptonite orange Evolution U-lock. The locking post had another bike locked up to it. As she turned the key and undid the lock, she realized she had just unlocked the other person's bike/ U-lock. That was back in 2013. She said she emailed Kryptonite but had not heard back since then.

I guess there are only so many key cut combinations but still pretty rare that you'd find the same in your own city.

[dustyrider]

bobswire. I think this VIDEO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIq9khF-axs) reaction may have you rethink your lock manufacturer choice.

[ScottM]

Find a cheap bike, ride a few hundred miles to get the position correct and then cyanoacrylate (Superglue) or round off every fastener. Use locks on the wheels and frame. That is the local recipe for leaving bikes. Of course, you have to replace the cheap bike yearly or biannually.

[bobswire]

bobswire. I think this VIDEO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIq9khF-axs) reaction may have you rethink your lock manufacturer choice.

That guy is a lock smith and does that for a living however I think he only helps out thieves looking for ways to get around tumblers. Anyways that is not a Master 15 like mine which is commercial grade and has more tumblers and very difficult to get at with picks though one lock smith did open a 15 but it took him a long time with special lock picking tool specially made to do it. I doubt a guy on the street with a chain in the shackle of my lock would ever be able to do it much less have the room to maneuver the picks. That lock and chain is pretty secure but I wouldn't leave a nice bike alone for 10 hrs no matter what, a funky bike, sure. Like my camo schwinn.
BTW I had the old style Kryptonite and was able to open it with a bic pen cap.
Kryptonite replaced it with a keyed lock in photo above, the long skinny one. It's my least secure u.
Cheers
BTW I ALWAYs research locks on U-tube before buying them after the Kryptonite fiasco. :)

[vqdriver]

once you decide on a lock, my recommendation would be to make it difficult to get tools in there. meaning, no slack in a chain, no excessively huge u lock, try to sandwich it in between a couple other bikes or in a rats nest of other people's chains. easy enough to pull your own chain out if one end's free. a major pita if you're hacking at it.

also consider that you'll be locking this up on a regular basis. same lot, every day, for ten hours. doesn't really matter what you use to lock it with if it catches their eye.

+1 to using riding what you're ok with losing. think of it as gambling.

[curlybro]

Thieves aren't going to sit there and try to pick your lock, they'll just walk up with a cordless angle grinder and hack your lock off. The thicker/harder the metal of the lock the better, but all it does is adds more time to the theft.

[Louis]

Thieves aren't going to sit there and try to pick your lock, they'll just walk up with a cordless angle grinder and hack your lock off. The thicker/harder the metal of the lock the better, but all it does is adds more time to the theft.

And there are plenty of videos out there showing a "thief" (guy acting like one) stealing his own bike in the most obvious way possible and folks just walking by, not lifting an eyebrow. In fact, there's one video of a guy doing it right across the street from a police station...

Locks and misc cables are only mild deterrents and from what I can tell don't do squat against the pros.

[blessthismess]

Like Veloo stated on the last page. Beyond using a u lock or chain be sure to check out Pinheads website. Buy the kit with locking wheel skewers, seatpost binder and saddlock. You won't regret it.

[Tony T]

Good Lock.
Cheap bike.
Lock next to the most expensive bike on the rack :)

[ajhapps]

I recently got a Fuhgettaboutit and cable. I've used it once in SF. I'm just not comfortable locking up my bikes in this city. I think it was better to not have a lock so I'm never tempted to leave my bike unattended.

That being said, the New York Fuhgettaboutit is pretty stout of a lock. It was fine for leaving my bike locked to a pole for ~30 mins, where I could see it. It does, however, weight like 9 pounds!

[brockd15]

Don't forget OnGuard locks when you're looking. They lock both ends of the shackle (U Locks) on lower-end models than Krytonite does, they get good reviews (especially the Brute models), and can be had for almost half the price of a Kryptonite NY lock.

For parts, you can also get security bolts to make things a little more difficult for thieves.

http://www.bicyclebolts.com/