D-Locks & Bolt Cutters

soma

Ok, I know it's impossible to 100% secure your bike, so Ive been adopting the "increasing the hassle factor of stealing my bike, so you'll steal someone else's" approach.

At the moment I'm using a oxford cable lock (cost about 50 euro if that helps anyone place the model) in conjunction with a (admittedly pretty cheap, 20 euro) D-lock. The idea here being that even though my bike tends to be nicer than the other bikes it's locked beside, the two (different) locks might encourage thieves to look elsewhere.

But of course this was based on my assumption that bolt-cutters wont cut thru a D-Lock i.e. the thief attacking my bike would need BCs for my cable lock and then something (else) like a hammer to break the D-Lock - thus increasing the hassle factor.

However someone recently said to me that they were fairly sure BCs cut thru D-Locks just as easily as they do cables. So is my assumption incorrect..? In which case I'm pretty much wasting my time i.e. if it takes 4 secs to slice thru my cable lock it'll only be a few extra secs to also cut thru the D-Lock.

Bascially I'm thinking about "the van" that Ive read about on other threads on this board

[My bike is a specialised MB, bought for roughly 500 Irish pounds]

damo22

yea bolt cutters will cut d locks alright.

soma

damo22 wrote:

yea bolt cutters will cut d locks alright.

balls.. well there goes my (already pretty small) sense of bike security

Chalk

pay 100eu or so and get a motorbike lock.
bit heavier but a lot stronger
granite or magnum are pretty good brands and im fairly sure theyll take some effort to open.
[i hope so anyway]

Downtime

Hmmm. I had D Lock on my bike and the blasted thing got stuck so I couldn't open it. So I wheeled it down to the bike shop and the chap there tried to use a bolt cutters to break it and couldn't and eventually he had to use an angle grinder.

soma

Chalk wrote:

pay 100eu or so and get a motorbike lock.
bit heavier but a lot stronger
granite or magnum are pretty good brands and im fairly sure theyll take some effort to open.
[i hope so anyway]

You mean those enormous chains right..? Arent they carried on the motorbike..? (cos of the weight..?). I think I've seen cyclists use them but only when the lock is actually left somewhere permanently e.g. at someone's place of work.

I'm one of those people who uses my bike for alot of purposes i.e. work, shops, gym etc.. so I do need a fairly mobile lock that wont do my back in..

Chalk

i have two,
one i leave at work, weighs about 5-6 kilos.
and another weighs bout 3 kilos that wraps around my chest.

ive nowhere on the bike to put it so ive always done that.
its not really that noticeable when you put it on over the shoulder style.

bringitdown

We popped a D/U lock with a car-jack - if you get me.
(When I lost my keys mind!)

Bolt Cutters didn't cut the thing, a local kid saw us and advised a car jack.

Trojan

Already been said... the main way to break a U-lock is car jack or if it's weaker, with a crowbar and torque (so they need something to push it against - not the bike).

I have one of the motorbike ones, which weighs a tonne. I don't leave my bike in city centre much, but when I do I bring that.

Spotted same lock securing someone's nice Honda, so I'm happy enough with it (in conjunction with Kryptonite U-lock) on O'Connell St.

DO NOT use the dodgy side street between Pennys and An Post

soma

bringitdown wrote:

Bolt Cutters didn't cut the thing, a local kid saw us and advised a car jack.

Well this makes me feel a bit better, i.e. in my original post I was saying I just primarily wanted to increase the hassle factor (with the 2 locks) enough so that maybe they'll attack a single-lock bike.

I was reading back over posts that were made on this board in 2004 and most people nominate the 2-bike approach, crap bike for commuting, good bike for decent cycling. Problem for me is that 90% of my time spent cycling is commuting and Id rather not be cycling some piece of crap that makes it such a chore to cycle that it just puts me off :rolleyes:

dalk

There is no substitute for a good quality lock for your bike... and there isnt really any good quality locks below about €60... Cheap locks can be removed very very quickly, and then your bike disappears quickly after that..

There is a dilema, if like me you move about, and cant leave a static lock... The better the bike, the lighter the bike. But the better the bike the more expensive the locks you need to secure it. And the better the lock, the more heavy the lock is... So after you add the heavy locks to the bike you bike weighs the same as my old heavy bike...

..oh well.

But hopefully it will stay where you leave it.

I use the same system as you, 2 locks, 1 cable & 1 U. I've used the same idea (with different locks) and not had a bike stolen in 4 years (and it has been left everywhere in town often for 2nights)...

At the moment i have a Granit Steel-O-Flex 1000 & a New York Lock - STD ... a good but heavy (and expensive) combo of locks...

daymobrew

Trojan wrote:

the main way to break a U-lock is car jack

There used to be a u-lock on sale with an extra bar across the 'U' to fill that space to make it more difficult to get a car jack in.

Trojan wrote:

DO NOT use the dodgy side street between Pennys and An Post

Please elaborate. If popping into the GPO I generally park there, figuring it's busy enough place.

Trojan

It's not that busy, it's dark, and it's out of plain sight - people need to specifically look down there to see what's going on.

People have reported several bikes stolen from there on boards, check history.

I would (and do) go with the middle of O'Connell St, and not on the outside. Even late at night it's a busy area, and it's generally always in sight of a Garda until the very early hours (if not all night - not sure if they stay outside GPO 24/7).

Cabaal

I'm just happy that people in waterford appear to go for the more lo-tech way of stealing bikes and bike related stuff

I have yet to see a bike lock cut or even hear of such a problem, I had the two wheels stolen off my bike when it was locked by the frame in my backyard about 2 years back but other then that I've had no real problems

Could have been worse, they could have stolen my then new bike

On the subject of locks, anybody suggest a good but light lock from the selection here --> http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=133

daymobrew

dalk wrote:

At the moment i have a Granit Steel-O-Flex 1000 & a New York Lock - STD ... a good but heavy (and expensive) combo of locks...

I was in Central Key & Lock on North Frederick Street (off Parnell St). They have a large selection of locks, including bicycle and motorbike locks.

I saw a 'Granit' model (can't remember the make) for e80.
I'm sure they can advise on whether U-locks can be cut and what can't be cut.

Trojan

Cabaal wrote:

On the subject of locks, anybody suggest a good but light lock from here

Not really no Which do you want: good, or light?

Cabaal

Trojan wrote:

Not really no Which do you want: good, or light?

ok how about a good lock hard to break but relatively light or light as can be done while still meeting requirments

Trojan

I'd recommend you get yourself a small Kryptonite U-lock, and an Abus cable lock and use both.

Mucco

Get a sold secure gold:

http://www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm

Expensive, but worth it.

King Eric

My friend had a U lock for his bike, he lost the key or something and had to get security in college to open it. Yer man brought out a bolt cutters and tried to cut it but it didnt cut straight through. SO he gave the lock a smack with the bolt cutters and it just popped open. Mind you I think it was a cheap lock to begin with.

copacetic

the current issue of cycling plus has a review of locks, they test them all
to breaking etc, most of the D locks that got good marks take 2 mins or
so to go through with power tools and lasted > 5 mins with manual tools.

on guard, pit bull etc got good marks, and some of them come with
insurance if the lock is broken when they take your bike..

damo22

i worked in a bike rental place last year and lots of retards lost there keys for there locks.We used to cut them with bolt cutters.Took a lot of effort but you'd have it done in about 20 seconds.They were Kryptonite U-lock's.

Gavin

https://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~wiki/bin/view.pl/Rbwiki/BikeLocks

A blurb I wrote on this a while ago after doing some reading up.


Gav

P.S.
To all the bike thieves reading. Haw Haw, I don't lock me bicycle in DCU no more.

Cassiel

Very good product which cost about €70 is the wheel skewers, headset and seatpost bolts from Pitlock
Uses a cam shaped profile on the bolt head which need the matching tool supplied to open. Very good for securing wheels and suspension forks. Any **** very probably has a pocket multitool for yer nice allen key held parts.

I lock the bike with an Abus 1010 Citychain (not cheap) and got a cheap seatpost carrier to carry the chain on. Again solid advice on the link in the previous post, esp. filling as much of the space in a U-lock as possible and locking yer chain above the ground, wrapping the chain as needs be to leave the minimum of slack. Using both a U-lock and chain is probably the best option.
Optional is to use a system like Datatag (about €40, hey if it's a 2 grand+ road bike then €40 is a small beer) which may help recover your bike or at least make it less attractive for sale as parts. Engraving your phone no. onto components is a good alternative.

Oh, and ALWAYS lock through a wheel as well as the frame, it just makes sense.
cassiel

air

Kryptonite U locks can be opened with a plastic biro.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/7796925370303347/

daymobrew

air wrote:

Kryptonite U locks can be opened with a plastic biro.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/7796925370303347/

And they have an exchange programme for vunerable locks.

air

I read elsewhere that they're still vulnerable to this type of attack.
I'll try & dig up a link.

dalk

Only the old Kryptonite locks with circular key were vulnerable... They havent made these locks for years and as mentioned earlier, if you have one of these locks you can exchange it...

Trojan

Existing, un-exchanged Kryptonite locks are obviously still vulnerable, because they haven't been exchanged.

The new replacement locks are not vulnerable to this attack, unlike many Kryptonite competitors, whose products are still at risk, and who did not implement a replacement programme.