Is this a good lock?

[theemartymac]

That thing is amazing but of VERY limited utility. In that you have to have the proper thing to lock the bike to with its limited girth.

And pretty much anything that could fit in there (Like a bike rack) could probably be cut or unbolted in a fraction of the time it took to defeat the actual lock. There has got to be a practical limit in there somewhere...

 

[Saratoga Dave]

My concern with these extreme locks is that any self respecting bike thief at some point will just cut the top tube of the bike in half just to get even, so to speak.

 

[kmccune]

What a crock of BS. Recycled steel is still steel. Any lock can be cut in 30 seconds with the right tool. Hint, that tool can be bought pretty cheaply at Home Depot.
McMaster's cable? It's still a cable, and can still be cut quickly with the right cutter.

The truth is that with ANY lock, you're just buying time these days, the days of cheap power tools and cheap diamond cutoff blades. Some locks will give you more time, but not much. If someone wants your bike, with enough time they'll have it. And don't expect bystanders to do anything.

True, however they have had to put increasing amounts of virgin iron metal in the"scrap stocks" to meet the "assay'. Ever hear of"copper bearing" steel? A lower grade of mostly recycled autos, actually caused problems in the nuclear power industry.
Our culvert pipes were mostly made of this type of steel.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Wow, never heard of it getting into the nuke industry. Any good machinist who works with steel can tell you there is a world of difference between steel based on skill and mfg understanding.

 

[retiredNH]

True, however they have had to put increasing amounts of virgin iron metal in the"scrap stocks" to meet the "assay'. Ever hear of"copper bearing" steel? A lower grade of mostly recycled autos, actually caused problems in the nuclear power industry.
Our culvert pipes were mostly made of this type of steel.

Are you implying that there are different grades of steel? Different formulations? Blasphemy. Alternate fact!

Yes, there are many different steel alloys - high carbon (harder), vanadium steel, many versions of stainless steel, and on and on. Most use generous amounts of recycled metal, but yes, the composition of the recycled steel varies.

Aren't we getting a bit beyond the purpose of this thread, though? I do know of other websites you can go to if you want to discuss metallurgy.

 

[antboy]

I always check this guys channel after seeing a lock that looks cool. This video is a good start, it's his own setup.

And he does some very good destructive testing videos as well that show the inherent weaknesses of pretty much every common design. I don't stress about the picking on complex keyways, as few thieves go that route when the destructive option is so damn fast and easy.

And he did discus that gigantic Altor. I would need a dedicated pannier just to carry it! lol

Yep, lockpickinglawyer is a good "rabbithole" channel.

While the heavy duty u-locks (16-18mm hardened shackles) can be defeated by an angle grinder, his summary of picking an OnGuard Brute lock is why I went with OnGuard over Krypto or Abus...

I've seen open, uncut, u-locks at bike racks (though cut locks are more common) in Toronto, so I assume there are some picking thieves out there, and might as well be safer with a less common mechanism.

 

[tomjasz]

different grades of steel

What are the Different Grades of Steel?

Steel grades are an interesting topic. And with over 3,500 grades of steel, there is no shortage of things to discuss. Let's dive deeper.

www.meadmetals.com

 

[indianajo]

Are you implying that there are different grades of steel? Different formulations? Blasphemy. Alternate fact!

Yes, there are many different steel alloys - high carbon (harder), vanadium steel, many versions of stainless steel, and on and on. Most use generous amounts of recycled metal, but yes, the composition of the recycled steel varies.

Then there is the badly managed stuff with copper, aluminum, tin, even lead. what is the tensile strength of lead? See above about copper bearing "steel".
I'm interested in buying some real alloy. A serious tip off, made in ***** label. You ever worked with Harbor Freight tools? A coworker with seniority on me would booger up the bolts & screws with his HF trash, then we would drill them out with $15 US made LH drill bits the tool crib issued us for "free".
You want some experience, buy a abus u-lock & time yourself cutting it. Then one of those ****-mart "bargain" U-locks.
I had abus hasps on my tool box in the garage. The burglar that hit me jacked the nuts & washers inside the tool box through the box shell, rather than cutting the abus hasps. Probably took him an hour. He spent 3 or 4 days hauling my valuables off; was still here when I got home & police caught him.

 

[zipur]

What are your thoughts on the Cafe style bike lock, Looks like a good addition to a wrap around lock. At least they can't roll your bike away.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Really good locks can add a lot of weight to a bike so I avoid them. In reality all locks are deterrents good for 10 minutes to a determined thief. If you leave your bike for hours unattended in the same place every day then there is no lock that can save you. Removing the battery may make your bike a bit less desirable for theft.
Having a heavy bike that is unridable without the battery also helps. Say 90 pounds or so.
Locks are for random quick stops where the bike is only out of sight for a few minutes. I like cafe locks for that purpose because they are convenient.
I wonder why none of the big bike manufacturers have never added a steering lock like on motorcycles. They weigh nothing cost little and you can’t ride the bike with the steering lock engaged. A grinder attack ruins the head tube and makes the bike useless. Better than a cafe lock.

 

[wshen123]

I own this bike lock, but I havent used it yet.

Robot or human?

Everything says to buy a more expensive lock, and I plan to buy a better one soon, but whats wrong with this one?

It has a 12 mm shackle, its double bolted, and it seems relatively sturdy.

One concerning thing is I cant find this model anywhere outside of walmart though.

What do you think? Is this a good lock?

The main difference between a a 50 dollar lock and a 125 dollar lock, to a bike thief, is about 38 seconds.

 

[RunForTheHills]

Well, I wouldn't use a cafe lock anywhere I was going to be out of eyesight of the bike for more than a minute or two unless you live in a small town where locks aren't necessary anyway. The difference between a motorcycle and a bicycle is that it isn't very easy to lift a motorcycle and throw it in the back of a pickup truck or van and drive off with it.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Well, I wouldn't use a cafe lock anywhere I was going to be out of eyesight of the bike for more than a minute or two unless you live in a small town where locks aren't necessary anyway. The difference between a motorcycle and a bicycle is that it isn't very easy to lift a motorcycle and throw it in the back of a pickup truck or van and drive off with it.

But even if you steal a bike with a steering lock you will need to drill out the lock or grind off the lock pin. In either case you make the bike less valuable for resale.

 

[kahn]

Wants a lock made of this stuff:

Proteus Technology: New Material Is Strong, Light and Non-Cuttable

Engineers have taken their inspiration from shells and grapefruits to create what they say is the first manufactured non-cuttable material. This new material, which could be used in the security and health and safety industries, can turn back the force of a cutting tool upon itself. The lightw

scitechdaily.com

It's been a year - where's the lock????

 

[kahn]

But even if you steal a bike with a steering lock you will need to drill out the lock or grind off the lock pin. In either case you make the bike less valuable for resale.

My neurotic fear is that if the thief is really thwarted by the lock, the thief might conclude "If I can't have this bike, neither can you!!!" and take the tools to the spokes or wheel or bike body and destroy it rather quickly.

 

[indianajo]

I just bought the abus 92/82 lock to go with the 1/2" stainless steel sling in post #2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/383864725103?epid=1701843584&_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item59601ede6f:g:5NEAAOSwY2Zf3Mpn:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!47130!US!-1&amdata=enc:AQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkxFtV7J5P58ubuVigtBH%2Fe5%2BEk1WNopZCsBUpmkJm1eW1nBvK7TC0Cq5RysvoqZPUjDaXZKTqMHmKbmshIReNkhmA2AqUyj2jyy4vJF3D4o2DZ9HOhV0VYU1hTQPImSHp%2B4xC%2F2RxyEjoGwPCzp31i6p%2F4iz9b%2B5fAVZfDkPcZoSXmGsdxzF%2BKav0zKpO02OwLBTA9LOaQxLCRUA1OxMeY51YVXPufqk%2FbVb%2FakSBMlZBlp49SScH%2BmR08%2Bm7H56Hq%2BdNwxNaZ9YCROBIjVCEVDH2AyPSMBMVd3tJ8%2FoVQpVaEDZ0FP%2BqP%2FV718%2FJjDhYri24sc6CClZggUSjVZYXn8xfoCvVEHoYr0CYjHaXca5M5JJOMGEENRInLYwLlm0e9KEmk2LDsjOlPR455HXakjLe6AaXtbbLYyejitIQpXyRTisHWhGsPLW8VueMvNJUDDcJ6Wfbuewb0wLfEP1MTJKWV%2BcAO1aaI%2FCY%2FQjNyJImhNTy9S0lv8SxuQylgVTdzKqHyo1yRjAIUB0hopFRk8JJBRd9M9J9bK3yCGz2GoTs5BunRrxlL4u9KKTiN0mHcn6nHFB3vCOWCJPif5sxAHZDvTV5sLrNXsbEY5qtL%2FIX8phEEE6SSi0XGbNYM3dvFGfMH4%2B%2FhvOL1e242w82J3cc8163OQeaL5QzpO7O8hXSezPMIP%2Ba%2BQjTO%2BZvWJoCLxH7r9%2B2QLp6aaUy3iKlwBd00FQJkIO2jXmvkrZO6SCAG4S%2B45ck3AQobNVLHDmnN4KAij6YSLeaQtI1eIrX4aCK42jA37fSnbZfBgxx700%3D|cksum:38386472510336f7d2a405514c58847f838b7a48ec80|ampidL_CLK|clp:2334524
Has room to clear two 1/2" cable loops. Has a 15/32" pin. Weighs 2 lb. Sling has room to wrap a large power pole, not just a 1 1/2" tube bolted to the cement sidewalk. Which my city doesn't have, anyway. If they cut my frame, oops, they got no money for it. If they use a chainsaw to cut the power pole, 60 blocks of power go out and maybe the wires fall on somebody.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

In my past life in the police department I’ve seen several instances of severe damage to a well locked bike just as an act of aggression by the thief. “If I can’t steal it, then you can’t ride it.” They don’t give a damn about the money.

 

[indianajo]

"Let them shoot up steel". Marie Antoinette

 

[wshen123]

All locks work for honest people. The difference between a 25 dollar lock and a 150 dollar lock, 38 seconds.

 

[antboy]

I just bought the abus 92/82 lock to go with the 1/2" stainless steel sling in post #2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/383864725103?epid=1701843584&_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item59601ede6f:g:5NEAAOSwY2Zf3Mpn:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!47130!US!-1&amdata=enc:AQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkxFtV7J5P58ubuVigtBH%2Fe5%2BEk1WNopZCsBUpmkJm1eW1nBvK7TC0Cq5RysvoqZPUjDaXZKTqMHmKbmshIReNkhmA2AqUyj2jyy4vJF3D4o2DZ9HOhV0VYU1hTQPImSHp%2B4xC%2F2RxyEjoGwPCzp31i6p%2F4iz9b%2B5fAVZfDkPcZoSXmGsdxzF%2BKav0zKpO02OwLBTA9LOaQxLCRUA1OxMeY51YVXPufqk%2FbVb%2FakSBMlZBlp49SScH%2BmR08%2Bm7H56Hq%2BdNwxNaZ9YCROBIjVCEVDH2AyPSMBMVd3tJ8%2FoVQpVaEDZ0FP%2BqP%2FV718%2FJjDhYri24sc6CClZggUSjVZYXn8xfoCvVEHoYr0CYjHaXca5M5JJOMGEENRInLYwLlm0e9KEmk2LDsjOlPR455HXakjLe6AaXtbbLYyejitIQpXyRTisHWhGsPLW8VueMvNJUDDcJ6Wfbuewb0wLfEP1MTJKWV%2BcAO1aaI%2FCY%2FQjNyJImhNTy9S0lv8SxuQylgVTdzKqHyo1yRjAIUB0hopFRk8JJBRd9M9J9bK3yCGz2GoTs5BunRrxlL4u9KKTiN0mHcn6nHFB3vCOWCJPif5sxAHZDvTV5sLrNXsbEY5qtL%2FIX8phEEE6SSi0XGbNYM3dvFGfMH4%2B%2FhvOL1e242w82J3cc8163OQeaL5QzpO7O8hXSezPMIP%2Ba%2BQjTO%2BZvWJoCLxH7r9%2B2QLp6aaUy3iKlwBd00FQJkIO2jXmvkrZO6SCAG4S%2B45ck3AQobNVLHDmnN4KAij6YSLeaQtI1eIrX4aCK42jA37fSnbZfBgxx700%3D|cksum:38386472510336f7d2a405514c58847f838b7a48ec80|ampidL_CLK|clp:2334524
Has room to clear two 1/2" cable loops. Has a 15/32" pin. Weighs 2 lb. Sling has room to wrap a large power pole, not just a 1 1/2" tube bolted to the cement sidewalk. Which my city doesn't have, anyway. If they cut my frame, oops, they got no money for it. If they use a chainsaw to cut the power pole, 60 blocks of power go out and maybe the wires fall on somebody.

I'm only here to comment on the size of that eBay link