u-lock recommendations

Hey gang.  I think this winter finally killed my old Master lock u-lock.  It had been sticking for a while but last night I could barely get it open to ride home, and once home couldn't open it at all to check it out.  Does anyone have a recommendation about a great lock they've been carrying around for a while?  Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Melanie K on March 17, 2011 at 5:21am
Thank you for mentioning those cuffs- I may have to get some to try that with the trailer we have now- although I have some large U-locks for the trailer and a cable, it really is hard to secure a trailer in some areas and I hate using a cable for anything due to how easy it is to cut them.  

Sarah G said:

This is a really helpful thread. I want to also mention that I started using Master Lock Street Cuffs to lock my trailer. I wanted something more than just a cable lock which is what most people use. I don't know if they are a good second lock or not, but I figured since they are used to lock motorcycles they might be a good option. Plus it comes with an anti-theft guarantee up to $3500. The cuffs are a bit heavy but I've found that I can lock the trailer to all kinds of posts, bike racks, and even park benches without too much trouble. Anybody else have experience with these or know if they are a good option? I've been using mine all winter and so far so good.

 

I'm glad to learn that I should be using multiple locking mechanisms, especially since more bikes are out and about and I presume it is now prime season for theft. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Davo on March 17, 2011 at 6:08am
Maybe a c-wrench is all.

H3N3 said:
One could steal the bike in that picture with no tools at all in the same amount of time.

Permalink Reply by Davo on March 17, 2011 at 6:47am
Unless thats a quick release or you have gorilla hands, you have me stumped.
Permalink Reply by David on March 17, 2011 at 6:53am

I tend to Sheldon-lock my bike with an Evo-mini, partially depending on where I'm at.  I think that in a lot of ways where and when you lock your bike has a lot more effect than how you lock it, and I'm lucky in that my bike isn't left outside overnight or all day. 

 

Although I've seen this video before, my basic theory with the sheldon method is that it pays to be different.  This lock style is rare enough that I can't imagine serious bike thieves wandering the city with hacksaws looking for back-tires to rip up.  Requiring the thief to destroy the back tire makes the bike just a little less attractive to steal and makes it just a little more obvious that there's a theft going on.  If you've got an angle grinder you're going to get the bike anyway, but this method makes it just a little bit harder to saw off the lock without damaging the bike (just a little, I admit).

 

Does this work?  I honestly have no idea.  Decent stats on bike theft are really hard to come by.  I'm not really sure what percentage of thefts are opportunity thefts vs. people who make their living from bike theft.  I think once you pass a certain minimum (i.e., lock it to something decent with a u-lock), it's really just luck after that. 


James Baum said:

Sheldon had some good ideas but when it comes to his locking theory of using only the rear wheel through the rear triangle he's totally wrong.   

 

Gone in 20 seconds!

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 17, 2011 at 8:48am

While the hacksaw trick works well to defeat the Sheldon method I don't see one is going to pull the whole tire through the rear triangle very easily.  Sure, you could taco the wheel but it would be a bitch getting it all through the rear triangle without scratching the hell out of the paint or maybe even denting or bending it.  It'd take longer and still ruin the wheel if not the frame too.

 

The only reason why Sheldon's method works is because almost nobody uses it and the thieves haven't adapted to it or figured out just how damn easy it is to hacksaw through a flimsy tire and a skinny alloy rim.  

 

Security through obscurity is a huge trap..

Permalink Reply by Davo on March 17, 2011 at 8:57am

Is the Sheldon way just through the back tire like the video? I don't understand why one would just lock the tire through the rear triangle instead of using the lock around at least part of the frame.

Permalink Reply by Melanie K on March 17, 2011 at 9:03am

Quoted from Sheldon Brown http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html:

 

People tend to buy the big clunky U-locks because they don't know how to use them properly. A U-lock should go around the rear rim and tire, somewhere inside the rear triangle of the frame. There is no need to loop it around the seat tube as well, because the wheel cannot be pulled through the rear triangle.

Some will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire to remove the lock. Believe me, this just doesn't happen in the real world. First, this would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a useable rear wheel, the most expensive part of a bike, after the frame. Second, cutting the rear rim is much harder than you might think. Since the rim is under substantial compression due to the tension on the spokes, it would pinch a hacksaw blade tight as soon as it cut partway through. Then there are the wire beads of the tire, also difficult to cut.



Davo said:

Is the Sheldon way just through the back tire like the video? I don't understand why one would just lock the tire through the rear triangle instead of using the lock around at least part of the frame.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 17, 2011 at 9:11am

Test Sheldon's theory by just locking the rear wheel of your bike and see if the thieves don't take it because without the rear wheel (the most expensive single part of the bike). 

 

Finding a bike with an unlocked rear wheel in the correct size takes all of what, 45 seconds in this city?  5 minutes max if you have to walk down the street a block.   In a typical rack there is always one bozo who doesn't lock up his wheel(s).   I don't care if you have locking skewer, there is a really simple way to defeat those too with a common tool that can be bought in any second-hand store for $.50 or a dollar store for $1.  don't want to get into it here but the thieves know what it is already.  

 

The idea that someone won't take a bike without a working rear wheel is beyond being out of touch.  Rear wheels are easy to steal or to swap with other thieves.  

 

 

Permalink Reply by ad on March 17, 2011 at 9:40am

If you use Sheldon's method, it is physically impossible to get the rear wheel out of the rear triangle without using a hacksaw (or I guess tacoing it but how would you do that without destroying the frame) to cut the rim.  The quote above from Sheldon's site explains it pretty well.  I also think Sheldon is right that most thieves probably wouldn't bother to do this in reality.  I've never heard of a real world example of a thief hack-sawing a rear rim, but I'm sure it has probably happened somewhere.  

 

My problem with Sheldon's method, however, is that if a thief doesn't know you can't get the wheel out, he could end up damaging the rim or the rear triangle trying to force it out--especially if it is a carbon frame.  That alone has made me stop using the method, and I use to do it a lot.      

James Baum said:

Test Sheldon's theory by just locking the rear wheel of your bike and see if the thieves don't take it because without the rear wheel (the most expensive single part of the bike). 

 

Finding a bike with an unlocked rear wheel in the correct size takes all of what, 45 seconds in this city?  5 minutes max if you have to walk down the street a block.   In a typical rack there is always one bozo who doesn't lock up his wheel(s).   I don't care if you have locking skewer, there is a really simple way to defeat those too with a common tool that can be bought in any second-hand store for $.50 or a dollar store for $1.  don't want to get into it here but the thieves know what it is already.  

 

The idea that someone won't take a bike without a working rear wheel is beyond being out of touch.  Rear wheels are easy to steal or to swap with other thieves.  

 

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 17, 2011 at 10:01am

Oh, I understand that there is no way to get the rear wheel through the rear triangle.  I was just trying to say that it is NO BETTER than just locking up the rear wheel OUTSIDE the rear triangle.  The thief is going to either leave the rear wheel behind or destroy it.   

 

I was trying to say that if anyone thinks Sheldon's method is good then they might test the theory by leaving only the rear wheel locked outside the rear triangle.  We all know the bike would be gone and the rear wheel left behind.  We've all seen wheels left locked to poles with the rest of the bike gone.  The theory that the thief will bypass the bike just because he's going to ruin the rear wheel is silly.   If he wants the frame he'll take it and find another wheel to swap onto it.

 

That's my point.

 

Oh, and it's easy to defeat a locking skewer too with a simple everyday tool -but that won't help with Sheldon's method.  It was a secondary point ;)

Permalink Reply by David on March 17, 2011 at 12:28pm

With Sheldon's method, apart from the need for a tools, you also have the noticeability factor.  If somebody flips a quick-release and walks away with the bike most bystanders wouldn't even notice.  Tearing a tire apart, however, is very noticeable on the street.  At the very least it looks like vandalism. People might assume somebody with an angle grinder is rescuing their own bike, watching somebody tear the tire apart makes it look much more like a crime is being committed (ironically, because it looks like a less serious crime, I think people are more likely to intervene or call the cops). 

 

Does that matter?  Probably not very much.  IMO, if the pros want your bike, they'll get it. All you can really do is dissuade the casual thieves.

 


James Baum said:

Oh, I understand that there is no way to get the rear wheel through the rear triangle.  I was just trying to say that it is NO BETTER than just locking up the rear wheel OUTSIDE the rear triangle.  The thief is going to either leave the rear wheel behind or destroy it.   

 

I was trying to say that if anyone thinks Sheldon's method is good then they might test the theory by leaving only the rear wheel locked outside the rear triangle.  We all know the bike would be gone and the rear wheel left behind.  We've all seen wheels left locked to poles with the rest of the bike gone.  The theory that the thief will bypass the bike just because he's going to ruin the rear wheel is silly.   If he wants the frame he'll take it and find another wheel to swap onto it.

 

That's my point.

 

Oh, and it's easy to defeat a locking skewer too with a simple everyday tool -but that won't help with Sheldon's method.  It was a secondary point ;)

Permalink Reply by Naomi Ruth Jackson on March 17, 2011 at 1:25pm
I'd go with anything Krypotonite. I have the yellow New York Lock.

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