U locks size - frame and back wheel?

fourmations

hi all

bought a bike off a mate, (a Focus flat bar racer style hybrid)
nothing mad fancy but looks good enough to nick!

i bought a decent U lock with that Sold Secure rating
but it wont fit the frame and back wheel together
i have read that the smaller the lock the harder it is to break
due to the lack of room to get leverage on it

so do i keep the small one and lock the frame only and
then use a cable for the back wheel and quick release front wheel?
or buy a much bigger U lock to fit the rear wheel and frame together
and even the loose front wheel. i was shocked to see a cctv video of some
dirtbags in dublin turning a bike upside and snapping the U lock in about 5 seconds!

the bike is only for fitness and wont be sitting in in high risk areas all day
but i would still like to be able to go to the shops etc
and the bike be still there when i get back!

i know this is basic stuff and probably pretty obvious to seasoned cyclists
but the last time i had a bike many moons ago bike theft was nothing like it is nowadays,
i had a combination lock you could bite through and my bike was never nicked,
no quick release to deal with either!

any advice welcome

thanks

tomasrojo

This is my general strategy, coupled with Pitlock security skewer on the front wheel, and epoxy putty in the hex bolt head of the saddle and steering column (or a waxed-in ball bearing, as visible there).

Mr. Grieves

What do you do if you need to adjust bars or saddle height?

CramCycle

What is the brand and size of the U lock fourmations?

ED E

Toms is a little OTT in my view, I use a larger kyrpto and put it in front of the seat tube and between the rear wheel spokes and also around the street furniture. Admittedly the Series2 is a lower guage than the faggetaboutit.

tomasrojo

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

What do you do if you need to adjust bars or saddle height?

Addressed to me?

Drill out the putty. Takes about five minutes. I only have to do it to regrease the saddle post or the headset once in a while.

The ball bearing is easier to get out, but I switched to putty. It's just paranoia for the headset, but it's worthwhile for the saddle. They do get stolen more often than forks.

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

Addressed to me?

Drill out the putty. Takes about five minutes. I only have to do it to regrease the saddle post or the headset once in a while.

The ball bearing is easier to get out, but I switched to putty. It's just paranoia for the headset, but it's worthwhile for the saddle. They do get stolen more often than forks.

Had mine stolen in town when I forgot my saddle lock. It was a cheap saddle but it was shiny and new, like magpies they descended. Stood up the whole way home in great fear of any accident occuring.

tomasrojo

ED E wrote: »

Toms is a little OTT in my view, I use a larger kyrpto and put it in front of the seat tube and between the rear wheel spokes and also around the street furniture. Admittedly the Series2 is a lower guage than the faggetaboutit.

Yeah, it's overkill for a lot of scenarios, but I like to use two locks, and that's a good default for me for standard Sheffield stands. It's quite quick to do too. I have another strategy for the two locks for the other stand designs (in particular, the ones that have a sloping tube and an upright tube).

I like it because the frame is locked twice (once indirectly, as Sheldon describes) and the rear wheel once. Pretty secure.

tomasrojo

CramCycle wrote: »

What is the brand and size of the U lock fourmations?

I thought you were asking the OP, but maybe you were asking me?

Fahgettaboudit and Kryptolok Series 2, both Kryptonite.

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

I thought you were asking the OP, but maybe you were asking me?

Fahgettaboudit and Kryptolok Series 2, both Kryptonite.

Asking the OP, there are other ways to lock the bike that are nearly as good, depending on his lock. Maybe it would get through the rear triangle near the top of the seat stays, or even just the rear wheel in the middle of the rear triangle. Might save him buying a huge lock when all he may need is another small one.

tomasrojo

Oh yeah, I see "fourmations" in your post now! Doh!

fourmations

hi

OP here, thanks for the feedback
this is the lock...lots of nice certs and stuff if they mean anything, lol
yes it was cheap at ?23 but i only paid my mate 100 for the bike
he's emigrating and it suits him, the bike is a few years old
and has seen plenty of miles,

the lock does actually work on the stays and rear and probably even the seat tube at an angle, i was just dubious and didnt want to unpackage it in case i was returning it,

heres the blurb on the lock CramCycle, a pic of it and also a pic of the bike! cheers

http://www.masterlock.eu/home-personal/product/8195EURDPRO

[IMG][/img]

[IMG][/img]

tomasrojo

Never used that lock, but the dimensions are about the same as the Kryptolok Series 2, which means you should be able to lock the frame and rear wheel together at most stands. How good the lock is, I don't know, but it has a gold Sold Secure rating, whereas the KS2 has silver, so it's definitely better. Which is good, as I wouldn't use the KS2 as my only lock (I do use it as a secondary lock), as I know people who have had their bikes stolen with just a KS2.

CramCycle

fourmations wrote: »

but i only paid my mate 100 for the bike
he's emigrating and it suits him, the bike is a few years old
and has seen plenty of miles

If its in good working order and your not selling it, its value is far more, in fact, the value is whatever you would pay for another bike if it was stolen. If it was my only form of transport, I would be treating it like it was worth alot.

the lock does actually work on the stays and rear and probably even the seat tube at an angle, i was just dubious and didnt want to unpackage it in case i was returning it,

Doesn't need the seat tube if you can get the stays in to the lock with the wheel. Here is a link of the two most obvious locking points in red. You should have a second lock for the front wheel and frame (yellow).

https://goo.gl/photos/nM1v8CfiJ1EAc4mV8

Your aim here is to do two things, make it less attractive than the bike beside it to steal (make it take longer or make them destroy the bike to get it off), make sure the easily removable bits are difficult to remove (two wheels are the most important, saddles next).

tomasrojo

This reviewer seems to know his stuff and recommends your lock:

And then get a Sold Secure Gold U-lock for the frame. If you want a standard sized U-lock the MasterLock 8195D is very light or of course there is the Abus GRANIT X Plus 540 230 which is just a little heavier, but more secure.

http://thebestbikelock.com/

cdaly_

Whatever way you lock it, make sure to fill the 'U' as much as possible. This reduces the opportunity to get a lever into the U which is how these locks are broken.

Chuchote

What wax do you use?

I'm still on tenterhooks waiting for a small enough SigFox tracker.

tomasrojo

Just wax from a tea light candle. It's not all that secure, which is why I switched to epoxy putty, which really does require some commitment (and a drill) to get it out, though not so much commitment that you'll never bother greasing the seat post or headset.

I also experimented on some spare hex skewers with the famous method of supergluing a 1/4" bearing into the hex head, and trying nail varnish remover to get it back out, but the extraction step was really tedious.

There is a thing called a hexlox now that is supposed to block any steel hex head with a magnet that can be extracted with a key. I don't know it the product is any good though.