Security lock that deflects power tools

[peasjam]

I've used a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit short-length D-lock in combination with an Abus Grannit chain/padlock. Not sure which chain/padlock the abus I have is, but it's the sort of size you'd expect to see on the front wheel of a moped.
It's kept a grands worth of bike safe on the streets of Cambridge, which has to be about as tough a test you could think of.

Has the UK changed so much in 8 years that all the chavs are walking around with cutting gear?

It's not the chavs that have the cutting gear, there are organised groups kicking around now with pre-stashed equipment, spotters... Cambridge is renowned for it, hence I have locks on my bike worth more than a lot of people would spend on a bike to begin with. It's the only way of keeping it safe unfortunately.

 

[indalo]

It's not the chavs that have the cutting gear, there are organised groups kicking around now with pre-stashed equipment, spotters... Cambridge is renowned for it, hence I have locks on my bike worth more than a lot of people would spend on a bike to begin with. It's the only way of keeping it safe unfortunately.

Correct me if I'm wrong peasjam but isn't there quite a bit of secure bike parking available in Cambridge? I'm sure I've seen some adjacent to the Crowne Plaza but I wasn't really paying much attention to anything beyond the bikes for sale there.

If I'm correct, I'm curious as to how much it costs and how it stacks up against the need to purchase top end security equipment yet still worry about losing one's bike to the organised bike thieves.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[jerrysimon]

My wife and I often park our bikes in Cambridge under the Grand Arcade next to Station Cycles. You can either pay £1.50 all day to park it within the shop/workshop premises or park it outside which is monitored with cameras and readily visable from the shop and workshop.

Regards

Jerry

 

[allen-uk]

Cycling Plus, in their lock review of the Masterlock Magnum, which took 4.6 seconds for a Halfords-type bolt cutter to demolish it, said:

A 2m long armoured cable with a 30mm diameter for £25 sounds almost too good to be true. Sadly that's exactly how it proved to be. ....


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested locks part 1.pdf

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1503128/tested locks part 2.pdf


If you click on those PDF documents, you'll find reviews of most popular locks; the results aren't encouraging!

It is often said that you should spend 10% of the value of your bike on security measures, but that must obviously be modified according to where you use it, where you park it, and so on.

Allen.

(PS And don't forget, Steve in glorious Denmark, that we've all been watching Forbrydelsen, and therefore know ALL about Copenhagen's crime wave...)

 

[indalo]

My wife and I often park our bikes in Cambridge under the Grand Arcade next to Station Cycles. You can either pay £1.50 all day to park it within the shop/workshop premises or park it outside which is monitored with cameras and readily visable from the shop and workshop.

Regards

Jerry

Jerry, please excuse my confusion. I don't know why I mentioned the Crowne Plaza but I meant the Grand Arcade as you have described. I was in Cambridge last week and walked through J Lewis before catching the Trumpington P&R bus. Had I had a bit more time, I would have wandered round to Station Cycles to see if they had anything of interest in the shop.

£1.50 per day seems very reasonable to me for peace of mind when any bus ride seems to cost in excess of £2.00 these days......free for me, I'm delighted to say!

Regards,
Indalo

 

[Mussels]

My wife and I often park our bikes in Cambridge under the Grand Arcade next to Station Cycles. You can either pay £1.50 all day to park it within the shop/workshop premises or park it outside which is monitored with cameras and readily visable from the shop and workshop.

Regards

Jerry

Don't rely too heavily on it. Canary Wharf has secure motorbike parking for £2 per day, monitored, gated etc but it doesn't stop plenty going missing!

 

[peasjam]

Cambridge is getting better to be fair, but provision for cyclist in town has historically been quite bad given the amount of people that cycle.

Also, a friend of mines bike was stolen from a locked compound with cameras at a previous office. Initially security couldn't be bothered to trawl through the tapes, and even after they eventually did the police were only interested in giving out a crime number for insurance. Perhaps the one in town is excellent, but it did make me think that sometimes these things just provide a false sense of security.

 

[Alex728]

Don't rely too heavily on it. Canary Wharf has secure motorbike parking for £2 per day, monitored, gated etc but it doesn't stop plenty going missing!

yes, there's still risks of unauthorised use of access control passcards, inattention from the security staff, not enough eyes to watch monitors or even blatant collusion between thieves and security staff...

however this sounds like a large-ish enterprise which would have more risks and is probably run by a more faceless organisation whereas the one run as part of a bike shop would maybe have more of a incentive to make security as robust as possible..

 

[oigoi]

Reviews I have read, where locks have been tested to destruction, rate Kryptonite locks highly. However my bike got stolen when I had a kryptonite lock because I forgot to put it on one day!

A good U lock by kryptonite for about £40 upwards would put off all but the most determined thieves, for them you need insurance - the lowest cost way of doing this can be to upgrade your house insurance to cover your possessions when you are away from home, and check this will cover your bike to it's full value.

If you have quick release wheels you may need to consider some locks to stop the wheels being removed, or change the quick release skewers for a bolt in type.

 

[morphix]

I haven't heard of this lock but it's about time someone came up with a decent lock or some anti-theft idea for bicycles.

 

[PennyFarthing]

Perhaps we should have a squad of 'vigilante Angels' - like the folks on the underground in the States (and at some point in the past in the Tube in London). We should set up our own sting operation en masse and wait, tooled up with bicycle clips (small weapon), pumps (baton) and helmets (cannon balls), ready for revenge. Not to mention some steel toe capped boots for a bit of 'irish dancing' in the nether regions. We'd have to remove our High Vis clothing beforehand though! Of course, we would all end up on CCTV in court and have to sell our bikes to pay the fines or the get out of jail free card.... ;oP whilst the would-be thieves would get away to strike again another day...

 

[Jon]

Perhaps we should have a squad of 'vigilante Angels' - like the folks on the underground in the States (and at some point in the past in the Tube in London). We should set up our own sting operation en masse and wait, tooled up with bicycle clips (small weapon), pumps (baton) and helmets (cannon balls), ready for revenge. Not to mention some steel toe capped boots for a bit of 'irish dancing' in the nether regions. We'd have to remove our High Vis clothing beforehand though! Of course, we would all end up on CCTV in court and have to sell our bikes to pay the fines or the get out of jail free card.... ;oP whilst the would-be thieves would get away to strike again another day...

Either that or we would all end up with ASBO's

I can just hear it now on the news,

"a group of cyclists were today issued with anti social behavior orders for stalking and causing harm to cycle thieves! The group were originally caught on CCTV by the London Met last month. They had sought a super injunction but because an MP had let it slip we are now bringing you this report.... Boris Johnson Mayor of London commented - Rar rar its a dam shame they didnt have stronger cycle pumps or they could have done some serious harm"

 

[Mussels]

I haven't heard of this lock but it's about time someone came up with a decent lock or some anti-theft idea for bicycles.

There are plenty of good ideas and products out there, the problem is wading through the mountains of advertising and misinformation by poor companies.