Fastest Way to Open a Bike Lock...

erider_61

erider_61

Well-Known Member
Was at a Locksmith trade show today and one of the hot topics was the latest trend of crooks using a Ramset Gun to defeat deadbolt door locks. For those of you who don't know a Ramset Gun uses a 22cal. blank cartridge to fire a 2 1/2 nail through a wood stud into concrete. If you don't use a nail the steel bolt in the gun will protrude from the barrel about a 1/4" delivering enough force to crack and split most lock cyls. After the show I got to wondering what a Ramset might do to a bike lock. A quick google search led me to these videos of a U-Lock and Abus Bordo Folding Lock. Much quicker than a cordless grinder it seems.


 
Thats a cheap lock , is only a 7 out of 20 on sec. level. This guy on you tube.... just to get views and monetize his vids...
Now try do that to the Granite extreme moto lock ! No chance.
 
Ebiker01 said:
Thats a cheap lock , is only a 7 out of 20 on sec. level. This guy on you tube.... just to get views and monetize his vids...
Now try do that to the Granite extreme moto lock ! No chance.
Click to expand...

The Abus Granite also contains hardened steel lock mechanism parts making it just as likely to yield to an extreme force/shock attack. The same hardening methods that make the metal stronger also make it brittle to extreme impact or liquid nitrogen. While the shackle itself is 4mm thicker than the U Lock in the video the actual locking pins in the barrel are going to be of similar size leaving them to be the weakest point of the lock to a Ramset attack.

Never say never when it comes to lock security. I witnessed a high security Medeco deadbolt defeated with 2 shots from a Ramset at the tradeshow today. This same lock takes me nearly a 1/2 hour to open with a cordless grinder as it is unpickable.
 
erider_61 said:
The Abus Granite also contains hardened steel lock mechanism parts making it just as likely to yield to an extreme force/shock attack. The same hardening methods that make the metal stronger also make it brittle to extreme impact or liquid nitrogen. While the shackle itself is 4mm thicker than the U Lock in the video the actual locking pins in the barrel are going to be of similar size leaving them to be the weakest point of the lock to a Ramset attack.

Never say never when it comes to lock security. I witnessed a high security Medeco deadbolt defeated with 2 shots from a Ramset at the tradeshow today. This same lock takes me nearly a 1/2 hour to open with a cordless grinder as it is unpickable.
Click to expand...
I seen in many tests the Granite extreme plus is nr. 1 as very secure and impenetrable, but they used this tool at that time !
What is your opinion about ALLMAX imobilizier system ? The top SQUIRE lock weights 4-5lb by itself... and lots of sec. features but again i haven’t seen it tested against this tool.
This is by far the strongest as of right now, the lock picking lawyer has “forgot” to test this one...

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=64&product_id=61
 
Wonder if a sargent & greenleaf 951C armsroom lock would withstand one of these.
 
Last edited:
If I had one of them , I'd be afraid a good citizen would shoot me.

"GRINDER!" Yawn......Rrrrrrrrrrrrr, Bike gone.

"GUN!". Blam. Blam. Dead bike thief, maybe.
 
indianajo said:
Wonder if a sargent & greenleaf 951C armsroom lock would withstand one of these.
Click to expand...

At $1,700 the S&G 951C is one of the strongest most secure padlocks out there. With ceramic inserts this lock is almost impossible to open with a grinder.

The Medeco core would be the way in or the weakest link would literally be the chain you attach to it. I highly doubt the Ramset would compromise it.

The $200 Abus Rock 83/80 padlock put up a good fight against the Ramset requiring multiple shots to break it.

 
Ebiker01 said:
I seen in many tests the Granite extreme plus is nr. 1 as very secure and impenetrable, but they used this tool at that time !
What is your opinion about ALLMAX imobilizier system ? The top SQUIRE lock weights 4-5lb by itself... and lots of sec. features but again i haven’t seen it tested against this tool.
This is by far the strongest as of right now, the lock picking lawyer has “forgot” to test this one...

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=64&product_id=61
Click to expand...

I am not familiar with the Squire brand and could not get your link to open. If you have a model # I can try to look it up
 
erider_61 said:
I am not familiar with the Squire brand and could not get your link to open. If you have a model # I can try to look it up
Click to expand...

erider_61 , Thank you for the informative reaponses ! that 1.6k price is quite shocking for the padlock, but if i had a 10k e bike i would probably buy it.
The other padlock is called : SQUIRE SS80CS STRONGHOLD, this one is “only” 2-300$ , is made by an UK company -Almax. They also make a massive lock with 22mm chain links.

From their website :
“Ultimate CEN 6+ rated MASSIVE padlock with 16mm Boron Steel shackle and solid hardened steel high guard lock body. ... Our SS80 locks are available with the already super high level Mauer R1 cylinder or the new NW4 dimple cylinder. ... As with all high security padlocks, cylinders are key ..”
“
 
SQUIRE SS80CS STRONGHOLD....It always worries me when I see a product advertised as the strongest padlock in the world. Yes it has a 16mm boron shackle & hardened steel body. Yes a dimple key cyl. is not easily picked. For me the issue with padlocks for locking a bike will always be the ability to cut the chain securing it. Unfortunately the same goes for even the best U Locks. My plan is to get a GPS tracker such as the https://www.sherlock.bike/en/device-app/#FAQ
For now I will fake it with this...
gps1.jpg
 
I'm already using the 1/4" master cable, which besides being a PIT* to saw, stinks badly when burned because of the plastic coating. With pannier (bags) I was able to upgrade to cable from chain, as the cable would squirt out of the wire baskets I was using previously and drag or foul the wheel spokes.
With $2800 invested in a bike I leave on the street cabled up 6 days a week, I might buy the ABUS rock 83/80. I'd then upgrade the cable to a stainless 3/8" https://www.mcmaster.com/8942T14 $37 + $18 freight which I would have to paint with my own plastic coating. I believe stainless steel has advantages in slowing down a cutting torch or grinder. Then the easiest thing to cut would be the city signpost, cart rack rail, or light pole.
Erider61, if you're an abus dealer, PM me. I don't want to buy a counterfeit Abus from Am**** or E-b**, and the ABUS dealer in KY is a 4 hour bus ride away. Probably take two trips to buy something this expensive.
 
Last edited:
erider_61 said:
SQUIRE SS80CS STRONGHOLD....It always worries me when I see a product advertised as the strongest padlock in the world. Yes it has a 16mm boron shackle & hardened steel body. Yes a dimple key cyl. is not easily picked. For me the issue with padlocks for locking a bike will always be the ability to cut the chain securing it. Unfortunately the same goes for even the best U Locks. My plan is to get a GPS tracker such as the https://www.sherlock.bike/en/device-app/#FAQ
For now I will fake it with this...
View attachment 29334
Click to expand...
The chain from the company(ALMAX) who makes the Squire padlock is a serious contender for a hard to break chain.
http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=64&product_id=63

It weights 16kg ! for the 1.6m length, but nobody will touch that beast of a chain...My system(2 Abus chains/padlocks weight about 9kg now, with a heavy chain/padlock i loose some battery range but it will be very, very safe.

“Almax Immobiliser Series V 22mm chain: Specifically designed for extreme home and industrial applications.

This is the heaviest chain in our product line. Weighing over 1kg (2.2lbs) per link. The Series V is only available in 2 lengths, 1.6m and 2.1m. Our Defiant ground anchor (Black Edition) is an excellent partner for the Series V, designed to fit even the largest of our chains with ease.

  • Cannot be bolt cropped manually, guaranteed! (tested with Irwin Record 42” HU bolt croppers
  • Impervious to HSS hacksaw attacks
  • Increased resistance against sledge/wedge and other impact attacks in comparison to other standard case hardened security chains
  • Almax’s (Black) Electrophoretic plating outperforms standard Zinc plating 3-1 in salt bath corrosion testing
  • The Electrophoretic process has the advantage over zinc plating as it does not cause hydrogen embrittlement, which zinc plated chains are extremely susceptible to
  • Our chain is supplied with an extremely hard wearing Black Cordura 1000 Denier fabric sleeve. Incorporating an internal durable backing that resists fraying and premature wear
  • The Series V weighs 16kg for 1.6m and 20kg for 2.1m”
 
This. Took 2 minutes and 28 seconds.


There isn't a lock made that can't be broken, picked or cut (w/ a grinder or a torch). Same with a chain or U lock. If somebody wants it bad enough........
And never mind breaking the lock or chain, just cut through what the bike is locked to.

erider_61 had a good idea on the GPS tracker. I was talking w/ a guy one day who had a cool retro bike. He mentioned that it had been stolen three times, and he found it every time because it had been microchipped. When I asked him where he had got the chip he laughed and said "from a dog". He went to the vet and bought one of those microchips that they put in pet's ears (or wherever). His chip had come from a dog that had been euthanized. $15.

I live in Albuquerque, where 10,000 cars are stolen every year, year after year, and cars have all sorts of theft protection like alarms, bars that lock the steering wheel, keyless entry, you name it. Many were stolen from locked carports while the owners slept. Buying insurance is always a good idea too.
 
Last edited:
I agree, and this lock picking pro doesn’t make it any easier by teaching en mass the common ways to pick on this better locks.
But it takes great skils to do that esp. in an open area (street , front of store, etc). Those 20-30seconds can become 4-5minutes and that’s a great risk.
Coupled with another lock/chain and that will greatly improve a bike’s security.
 
Ebiker01 said:
I agree, and this lock picking pro doesn’t make it any easier by teaching en mass the common ways to pick on this better locks.
But it takes great skils to do that esp. in an open area (street , front of store, etc). Those 20-30seconds can become 4-5minutes and that’s a great risk.
Coupled with another lock/chain and that will greatly improve a bike’s security.
Click to expand...

I think the average person just does not realize that there is not much difference between a $20 bike lock & a $300 one when it comes to security. The truth is EVERY padlock, U Lock, chain, etc can be defeated in seconds...not minutes. Forget picking, hydraulic spreaders, or freezing attacks. Tool of choice is no longer an angle grinder but a cordless die grinder. My recommendation as a locksmith for bike security is not what you are going to want to hear....skip spending the big $$$ on high security locks. The money you save with just purchasing an average lock is better spent on a GPS tracker and bike insurance. An E bike is just too easy a target for any thief regardless of skill level.

 
erider_61 said:
I think the average person just does not realize that there is not much difference between a $20 bike lock & a $300 one when it comes to security. The truth is EVERY padlock, U Lock, chain, etc can be defeated in seconds...not minutes. Forget picking, hydraulic spreaders, or freezing attacks. Tool of choice is no longer an angle grinder but a cordless die grinder. My recommendation as a locksmith for bike security is not what you are going to want to hear....skip spending the big $$$ on high security locks. The money you save with just purchasing an average lock is better spent on a GPS tracker and bike insurance. An E bike is just too easy a target for any thief regardless of skill level.
Click to expand...
I'm a little vague about what one does with his GPS tracker? Call up the cell phone app and drive around looking for his bike? I don't have a $60 a month smart phone, nor a car. I'm not going to get a smart phone. Yesterday a woman told me she received a text from the donut shop informing her that she was only 4 minutes away from the premises. I'm not going to put up with that sort of control by google. I carry an $8 a month stupid phone that doesn't know my location closer than the tower site.
Furthermore, if I found the bike in the next state with GPS, (2 miles away) thefts from across the state line are very far down the priority list of the law enforcement agencies over there. Besides there are obviously Nashville dumped goods sold here in Kentuckiana, and I imagine it works the other way too.
Insurance? USAA is real, other policies I've had are just a big fraud. I would have to call them 25 times before they would pay anything. And USAA doesn't insure bicycles. Homeowners policy has a $2000 deductable, which saves me $300 a year and no telling how many hassles recovering peanut losses.
 
Last edited:
erider_61 said:
SQUIRE SS80CS STRONGHOLD....It always worries me when I see a product advertised as the strongest padlock in the world. Yes it has a 16mm boron shackle & hardened steel body. Yes a dimple key cyl. is not easily picked. For me the issue with padlocks for locking a bike will always be the ability to cut the chain securing it. Unfortunately the same goes for even the best U Locks. My plan is to get a GPS tracker such as the https://www.sherlock.bike/en/device-app/#FAQ
For now I will fake it with this...
View attachment 29334
Click to expand...

erider_61- Can you please tell me where you purchased these GPS stickers? Not a bad idea to add before purchasing the actual unit IMO.
 
erider_61 said:
I think the average person just does not realize that there is not much difference between a $20 bike lock & a $300 one when it comes to security. The truth is EVERY padlock, U Lock, chain, etc can be defeated in seconds...not minutes. Forget picking, hydraulic spreaders, or freezing attacks. Tool of choice is no longer an angle grinder but a cordless die grinder. My recommendation as a locksmith for bike security is not what you are going to want to hear....skip spending the big $$$ on high security locks. The money you save with just purchasing an average lock is better spent on a GPS tracker and bike insurance. An E bike is just too easy a target for any thief regardless of skill level.

Click to expand...
Amazing, i’m speechless....there must br another way to secure a bike/moto
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back