Some security chain testing

[BertYardbrush]

the way I read it is that the scum actually did cut the frame in two and then left the bike

That's exactly what happened.

He's 35, so a bit beyond being a 'lad'.

 

[eddieo]

cheers - those look promising...

round here the concept of a bike having an alarm would hopefully be enough to give any thief/vandal enough of a scare to make them give up and pick an easier target....

I would only recommend the Chaperone one though

 

[flecc]

Sometimes we'd find wheels bent just for the hell of it. There are some utterly **** people around.

In Croydon too. This is what scares me about having disc brakes, the spidery discs look like an invitation to be kicked by morons and that leaves a bike unwheelable unless the caliper is removed.
.

 

[Alex728]

That's exactly what happened.

He's 35, so a bit beyond being a 'lad'.

I'm 38 and still am thought of by many as a young lad (indeed, outside of real ale pubs I keep getting asked for ID!) apparently even normal commuter cycling can make you as fit and youthful as someone 10 years your junior..

Unfortunately there are too many people about with double standards who think stealing or vandalising someones transport is a "minor" crime (unless it happens to them when they want the offenders hanged or still to be able to carry out their own vigilanté attacks).

I still remember in 1992 watching the scene develop when some would be thieves were interfering with bikes outside Reading train station.

Two BTP constables saw this and intervened - however they were being watched by drunken crowds from pubs etc whose sympathies were clearly with the thieves .

They did arrest the thieves but cops had to call for backup from TVP (which arrived in the form of at least two serials (riot vans)) and it was the closest I had ever seen to a "riot situaion" in town all the time I lived there.

 

[allen-uk]

There is no protection against professional crooks. They come with angle grinders and vans, and maybe Almax would slow them down, a little.

Rather protect against the casual thief, who comes with far less equipment. Against him (or her, I suppose), 'ordinary' security is probably enough.

Have a look at these reviews:

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

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

(They're both PDFs each several pages long, so will take a minute or two to download to your machine. Patience!)

Me? I use a £40 Bulldog 'D' lock for quick stops at shops etc., and add my heavy Albus (about £60) shackle/lock if I'm stopping for a bit longer. Plus of course I don't leave it in back streets or dark alleys!


Allen.

 

[wonderpup]

I've just been reading about some of the issues about copyright and digital media, and th author (Laurence Lessig) made an interesting point. People don't tend to make off with skyscrapers, but they do with bikes because its actually quite difficult to make off with a big building. It sounds a bit daft, but when you think about how easy it is to copy digital material, his point makes a bit more sense. Anyhoo, that got me to thinking about bikes: seems to me that bikes are just so easy to steal because you can ride away on them. What could you remove from a bike that would make it that much harder to steal? I'm thinking I might start taking my seat when I leave it somewhere odd.

 

[weirdfish]

People don't tend to make off with skyscrapers, but they do with bikes because its actually quite difficult to make off with a big building..

I think that's the theory behind the Alien Aurora's built in security system. I'm pretty sure it has a uranium frame

 

[flecc]

What could you remove from a bike that would make it that much harder to steal? I'm thinking I might start taking my seat when I leave it somewhere odd.

In world war 2 the bikes that German troops used in occupied countries had a quick release saddle they took with them to prevent the locals riding off with them.
.

 

[allen-uk]

Maybe they hadn't worked out that the local resistance only had to quick-release the saddles and have it away on their toes in order to render the bikes incapable of being ridden...

Yet another reason why the buggers lost.

A

 

[flecc]

Maybe they hadn't worked out that the local resistance only had to quick-release the saddles and have it away on their toes in order to render the bikes incapable of being ridden...

Yet another reason why the buggers lost.

A

No, if Guernsey was anything to go by, the Germans always removed the saddles when leaving the bikes so no-one could hot foot off with one.
.

 

[Andrew harvey]

Bike theft isn't as modern as we think. One of my customers has rod brakes and a steering lock on the forks on a fifties bike, he also has a worn crank, his pedals flop about but he will not pay to fix them.

Some Dutch football fans visiting Germany were accused of having obectionable slogans on their tee shirts, it read
'We want our bikes back'

I like the Axa Defender locks, fix to the frame through the wheel types.
Review: AXA Defender rear wheel lock | Austin On Two Wheels
available with a plug in wire loop or chain.

 

[Blew it]

Oh well! it seemed like a good idea.

£700 bike stolen from Swindon's secure Bicycle park

 

[Synthman]

I've lost count of the number of people I know who had their bikes nicked in Oxford. I believe if they really want to take it, they will.

I have an Onguard Beast 5017 that helps me sleep a bit better at night. Also have a front fork lock, and an alarm built into the bike.

Anyone know anything about tracking devices? I would get one if it isn't too expensive!

 

[Mussels]

£700 bike stolen from Swindon's secure Bicycle park

“The chain was about an inch thick so whoever took it had to have bolt cutters. “I always put the chain through both wheels and the frame because it had clip-on wheels.”

An inch thick chain that is long enough to go through both wheels, the frame and a locking post? I don't think so, I suspect it was a lightweight chain that was easily broken with a screwdriver.

 

[allen-uk]

Have a look at these reviews:

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

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

(They're both PDFs each several pages long, so will take a minute or two to download to your machine. Patience!)

The reviews also list approximate times taken by two different levels of thief to crack the locks. I don't think any of them would crack an inch-thick steel chain (which would probably be as heavy as the bike!)

A.

 

[eddieo]

The bike was stolen because it was poorly protected with a rubbish chain...simples

If you commute and park the bike in same spot all the time the risk of theft must be VERY high........with an E bike I would be removing the seat and battery as well in this situation

articles a good find Allen! I have the Abus GranitX Plus. and the squire padlock with a better pragmasis 13mm chain (I hope)

The best rated Kryptonite with £2500 insurance has got to be worth considering for high end bikes...But I do remember in earlier tests some kryptonite locks being slated maybe these are better...

 

[Scimitar]

It's odd how people's perceptions vary. An inch-thick chain to me, means the links are made of 1" metal, but the owner probably meant it was 1" across, so not very thick at all, really. Bog chain is half an inch thick, going by that.

 

[Mussels]

The best rated Kryptonite with £2500 insurance has got to be worth considering for high end bikes...But I do remember in earlier tests some kryptonite locks being slated maybe these are better...

The insurance has a lot of small print including that you have to give the broken lock to the insurance company, not always easy. I got a slightly heavier New yorker D lock designed for motorbikes and similar vehicles so pushbikes weren't covered under their terms.