Recommended Bike Locks? (1 Viewer)

[Clay Kilpatrick]

With school starting next week, I plan do do my commuting by bicycle, and I am going to need a way to lock my bike up. Does anyone have any good suggestions of a lock to get? I guess with quick release tires, you are supposed use something that will lock the tires as well as the frame, which would eliminate those D shaped locks. Cable locks look like they would be really easy to cut though.

The manual also mentioned that with quick release seats, you should remove the seat and take it with you, so it won't get stolen as well. Is this really a problem? I can't imagine having to take the seat off all the time, and spending the time trying to get it to the right height again. I thought that if it really should be done, I would see if I could replace the quick release with something a little harder to remove.

Anyhow, thanks for any suggestions.

Clay

 

[Mark Shannon]

I'd say get either a chain lock with a combination, or buy your own length of chain and get a padlock.

 

[James~P]

definitly take off the seat.



i'd take the front wheel with me too.


its not hard to get the seat right, take a sharpie that will show over the color of the seatpost and trace a line where its right.




just get a good chain, a good padlock, and wind it all over the bike like theres no tommorow, then lock it.


make SUUUUUURE that its secured to a heavy solid object, ie: lamp post, parking meter... etc etc.

i'd also suggest going over to www.bikeforums.com and asking there

 

[Jeff Gatie]

www.kryptonite.com

 

[NicholasL]

Yes, Kryptonite is the toughest bike lock brand there is. I have the GT XCR 5000 moutain bike, and i rode it around everyday to get from one class to another at college. I used 2 locks. Both Kryptonie chords...the 2 foot, THICK ones. One I would secure the back tire to a bike stand or railing or whatever, and the second I would use to secure the front tire to the bike frame. My bike also had quick release tires and seat, but I switched the quick releases out for bolt screws. This way, you don't have to lug a tire and seat into class with you.

If you REALLY wanna go nuts, you can get the kryptonite heavy duty CHAIN locks. My room mate has this for his lowrider GT. It's heavier than hell, but its a solid, thick ass construction quality chain. Nobody is stealing your bike with this.

 

[david stark]

Depending on what is available to lock your bike to, and the style of your bike then if you get a D shaped lock you can take the front wheel off, put it next to the back wheel and put the dlock through both wheels and the frame and post. Alternitively as mentioned above swap the quick release bolts with normal ones.

 

[Jay H]

Dunno, I was lucky in college to basically be able to stash my bike in the computer lounge where I used to work all the time. Even now, All I use is a really cheap cable lock but then I don't like in a bad place where i really have to worry about my bikes and generally I do all my grocery shopping and commuting on an old mtb.

Like mentioned before, you can replace a QR seatpost release with a simple hexbolt thing.

Other general things you can do... You can paint your bike black or cover it with tape so nobody knows what it is. Leave it in the highest gear for a slow getaway...

You can also try this:

http://www.cycoactive.com/bike/bvd.html



Jay

 

[Clay Kilpatrick]

Well, thanks for all the information. bikeforums.com was a great resource. I replaced the quick release seat post, and picked up a Kyptonite cable, and D lock, so I think I am going to be ready to go.

Thanks again,

Clay

 

[DwightK]

There is no way I would ever leave one of my bikes locked up outside without me standing guard. My bike goes wherever I go. In the store, work, anywhere. I am not giving someone a gift of a few grand due to a lock. Plus I can't imagine carrying around a lock that weighs more than my bike.

I did have a schwinn continental in the early 70's that was stolen, then got smart. Got a used Atala that had full campy record. Painted it with ugly brown spraypaint. Never locked it and it was never stolen. Very ugly though. Neat comments from people when they looked closer and saw the components

If I was young again and at college, I would buy the nastiest lookin', good ridin' bike I could find.

On looking at the Kryptonite site, the Now York fahgetaboutit would work for me at half the bike weight even! has 3500 insurance.

on another forum a guy just had his bike stolen last night from a second floor deck. Was locked with a cable lock that was cut clean.

 

[James~P]

LOL DwightK about the components.




i can imagine painting my Rockhopper Pro green or brown... people would look and see Shimano XT, SPD clipless... hehehe

 

[Clay Kilpatrick]

Yeah, if you think I have a bike worth thousands of dollars that I am using to commute, you don't have to worry, I am not. I have a lowly hybrid, worth a fraction of that, so that if it is stolen I don't really have to worry, not that I want it to happen though, hence the locks.

Clay

 

[James~P]

if a bike goes foward, it ain't lowly!

 

[david stark]

slightly off topic, but I had a motorbike and was living in Newcastle upon tyne in the north east of England. I had no garage at the time so I just put a chain through the back wheel and round a lamp post at night. One weekend when I was out cleaning this guy came up and started chatting to me and said that he lived a few doors up the road and he was coming back from work one morning (2/3am or something - he worked as a bouncer in a nightclub) and said he saw two blokes going at the chain with some industrial bolt cutters and they legged it when they saw him.

After much thanking him I went out and bought more locks, still had the chain round the lamp post and back wheel (now with some slight scratches from the bolt cutters), another chain chaining the back wheel to the frame, a disc lock on the front disc and a D lock through the front wheel and round the front forks.

The damage to the chain from the bolt cutters was negligble, from the looks of it they never would have got through the chain, but it was a seriously big and heavy chain. I doubt any of these wire locks would stand up to such bolt cutters.

If you are going to be leaving a bike (bicycle or motorbike) somewhere outside for periods of time it's best to buy a second commuter bike, or put more locks on it than most people, thieves usually go for the easy option.