Bike Locks

[vfr400]

All locks are vulnerable to certain attacks. The video a few posts above show a guy with 3ft or more bolt croppers cutting through a really cheap roller lock. Also, they're not the regular bolt croppers that normally have straight jaws. The ones he had won't work on hard chains. Have a look on Ebay to see how long it takes to find that type of cropper. He chose them very carefully, as a professional would.

Who do you see walking around the town centre with such a device? How would they conceal it? I have some 3ft bolt croppers. They weigh 5kg- not the sort of thing you can carry around. My arms were aching just bringing them in from the garage to weigh them. Sure, it's no problem if they're professional thieves waiting in a car, but then they're just as likely to have every tool they need to defeat any lock.

You're riding a bicycle. It's very inconvenient to carry around security devices that weigh several KG. By all means carry 3 gold certified locks with you if it makes you feel secure. I'd rather enjoy the freedom of riding a light-weight bike.

As I said, you have to find your own balance between risk and convenience.

 

[egroover]

You weren't kidding when you say you never clean or oil your drivetrain eh vfr400?

 

[mike killay]

You weren't kidding when you say you never clean or oil your drivetrain eh vfr400?
View attachment 38746

I thought that they all looked like that!

 

[Steed]

I use one similar to this. I carry it on my handlebars all the time. You need 1.2 meters length.

Master Lock Motorbike Cable Lock [Key] [1.2 m Cable - Armoured Steel] [Outdoor] 8115EURDPS - Ideal for Motorbikes and Bicycles: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Master Lock Motorbike Cable Lock [Key] [1.2 m Cable - Armoured Steel] [Outdoor] 8115EURDPS - Ideal for Motorbikes and Bicycles: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.co.uk

It's enough to resist the tools that the casual bike thieves carry, so OK for shopping, pubs, doctor, dentist, hospital or any similar types of stop. At 1kg, it's not too heavy, and it allows you to lock your bike to trees, railings, drain pipes and just about any similar immobile object. I haven't seen a wheel nicked off a bike for donkeys years, but if that worries you, it's long enough to put through a QR wheel, the frame and around the immovable object.

There are many stronger locks that are harder to defeat, but none can resist the professional thieves, so you're wasting your money on such a lock. Leaving your bike in the same place overnight or while at work will get it nicked whatever you have.

I tried other more secure locks, but found them too awkward to use, too heavy and limited in what you can lock to. Considering the risks, I'm happy with the armoured cable lock, which I've been mainly using on my electric bikes and motorbikes for 40 years without incident. They give a nice balance between convenience and security.

Here's how I carry the lock:
View attachment 38712

Very comfortable looking saddle! Might I enquire what make/model it is? Thanks.

 

[vfr400]

You weren't kidding when you say you never clean or oil your drivetrain eh vfr400?
View attachment 38746

It's not never. I think the last time was about three years ago. I knew some sleuth was going to comment on that. It's one of the hazards of using a Samsung phone to take your photos. It shows too much detail.

Interestingly, when I posted the photo, I started looking over the photo of the bike because it showed so much detail, which I've never done with the actual bike. I spotted quite a few defects, like the brake cable not in ptoperly, which I have since fixed.

Edit: I just checked. It was in May 2017 that I last looked at the derailleur.

 

[egroover]

Very comfortable looking saddle! Might I enquire what make/model it is? Thanks.

Looks like a Brooks Flyer to me, well broken in as well. Kudos for sticking with it, I lasted about 2 months with my B17 before I gave in

 

[vfr400]

Very comfortable looking saddle! Might I enquire what make/model it is? Thanks.

It's a Brooks B67

B67

B67

www.brooksengland.com

You can find Chinese knockoffs if you search around. Juicy Bikes sell a knockoff of the Brooks B66

Juicy Bike

Juicy Bike | Electric Bikes and E-Bikes Made for Hills

www.juicybike.com

 

[BazP]

How would you fit the disk lock on an ebike? Do you need to have disk brakes?

Well the clue is in the name. I thought that most modern bikes had disk brakes.

 

[Steed]

It's a Brooks B67

B67

B67

www.brooksengland.com

You can find Chinese knockoffs if you search around. Juicy Bikes sell a knockoff of the Brooks B66

Juicy Bike

Juicy Bike | Electric Bikes and E-Bikes Made for Hills

www.juicybike.com

Sorry for the tardy response but thankyou for the link to the Brooks website. Is the B67 you have quite old as it looks a different shape to the new one. Don't want to be breakingin a new one forever. Wish I had kept thesaddle from my old bike!

 

[vfr400]

Sorry for the tardy response but thankyou for the link to the Brooks website. Is the B67 you have quite old as it looks a different shape to the new one. Don't want to be breakingin a new one forever. Wish I had kept thesaddle from my old bike!

I bought it new about 6 years ago. They take forever to go soft. It's still a bit on the hard side. I had a B17 at first, but it was too hard. My mate acquired an old road bike with a well-aged B17 that was the most comfy saddle I've ever sat on, which is why I got the B17. If I were to buy again, I'd get one of the pre-softened ones.

 

[RossG]

Interesting read..

Inside Brooks: the saddle-making institution

We headed to the Midlands to uncover a secret or two about the saddle-making institution

www.cyclingweekly.com

 

[Bobajob]

I bought a sort of cut down arm chair from EBay. It has springs and is as wide as a bus but I still can’t get on with it. That’s 3 saddles I’ve tried. I thought it would mould to me a bit but like the last one which I’ve done over a thousand miles in which was still bloody uncomfortable.
Are brookes comfortable as they’re not cheap?

 

[Steed]

I bought a sort of cut down arm chair from EBay. It has springs and is as wide as a bus but I still can’t get on with it. That’s 3 saddles I’ve tried. I thought it would mould to me a bit but like the last one which I’ve done over a thousand miles in which was still bloody uncomfortable.
Are brookes comfortable as they’re not cheap?

It seems to me that they become comfortable after a breaking in period. The question is how long is this? VFR says he has been breaking his in for 6 years!

 

[vfr400]

It seems to me that they become comfortable after a breaking in period. The question is how long is this? VFR says he has been breaking his in for 6 years!

The one on my mate's bike looked antique compared with mine after 6 years. I would say, it's going to take another 12 years at least.

Where they score is on the wider back part of the saddle. It spreads the load. The springs make a small difference even though I have air suspension on my bike. My mate said he could see the springs going up and down as I rode along when he followed me.

As I said, brooks make pre-softened versions. that's what I'd get if I had to start again. Also, you can get well-used Brooks saddles on Ebay.

 

[Swizz]

+1 for a frame lock, in this case an inexpensive one off Amazon. It came with a hefty plug in chain to tie it to a bike rack or whatever, but that weighed a ton so when locking it to something I now use a Kryptonite cable with it - the type that comes with their D Locks - securing the loops to the frame lock hoop.

Much of the time when just nipping into a shop or where there is nothing to lock to I use the frame lock on its own, making a point of parking the bike in full view of passers by.

 

[GSV3MiaC]

+1 for a frame lock, in this case an inexpensive one off Amazon. It came with a hefty plug in chain to tie it to a bike rack or whatever, but that weighed a ton so when locking it to something I now use a Kryptonite cable with it - the type that comes with their D Locks - securing the loops to the frame lock hoop.

Much of the time when just nipping into a shop or where there is nothing to lock to I use the frame lock on its own, making a point of parking the bike in full view of passers by.

My insurer, LV, insists the bike be locked to something immovable.