Worried about my bike getting stolen...THOROUGH research.. my findings

M

motorbike57

New Member
Ok, I live in New Orleans and I'm EXTREMELY worried about my bike getting stolen - only when I'm out riding it and want to lock it somewhere. I keep the bike indoors at home, so no worry there.

First of all, I have a standard kryptonite u-lock.. nothing fancy. but i also have a 3 foot 'onguard' heavy duty chain, that is extremely heavy. I'm NOT going to carry that damn thing. oh, i also have the master lock handcuff 9" locks... very novel and easily carried but I'm not sure how good they are against an attack.

there are all kinds of neat locks on the market - that i found through reasearch. One of the ones I really like is the "Bully" alarm lock - with alarm and pager, but it's very expensive. I also like the ABUS granite U lock - some local bike shops say that it is the best you can get. I like the serfas puck lock and the abus fold up locks, but those are also sorta expensive and I worry about the rivets that hold them together.

Another thing I learned from research is that no one can tell me what is the ULTIMATE lock for a bike !!!

After weeks of research, I think I have come up with a plan.

I have concluded that the best lock is MULTIPLE locks !!!

So, I am going to use my master lock handcuffs, along with my standard u-lock, AND this really cool lock I got off amazon.. CHEAP !!! DO NOT LET THE LOW PRICE FOOL YA ! This thing is awesome and loud as ****.....


Looks like someone came up with this lock design and its been copied and it is for sale by SEVERAL different 'makers'. I got the "QQ-Tech" version and it's awesome. and only $12 shipped !!!

I was VERY skeptical when i ordered it, but i said, "what the ****, its only 12 bucks". definitely worth every penny. AND - it comes with 3 keys and an extra set of batteries !!!
so, I'm ordering more of them to give out to my bike buddies i ride with.

cheers
 
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I read a thread on one bicycle forum about locks, where a locksmith pitched in. He pretty much said to use two types of locks so that the thief would need to use different kinds of tools for. A kryptonite u-lock and a heavy hardened steel chain with a disc lock that doesn't have much more room than a few chain links. A thief with an angle grinder will always win, but the main thing is deterrence - if he has to use different tools to get through all the locks he might just move on to the next bike.
 
I do not have a criminal heart. I do have a criminal mind, and family. I own a 20lbs sledgehammer, and a number of other tools. No matter what it is or where it you put it, the only thing that keeps me from owning it is my honesty.

No lock is anything more than a temporary inconvenience to a determined thief. Say you ride to work every day. You park and lock your bike, everyday. A junkie meets his dealer down the street, everyday. He WALKS past your sweet ride everyday, he can see exactly what your set up is. With a little bit of talent he can get close enough long enough to get the numbers off your locks, swing by any place that cuts keys. Viola! Billy Chrystal-methanphetamine owns your bike. Its not that hard. I once bluffed a locksmith into unlocking a million dollar home. My friends and I threw a party...

Point being, a thief is a thief. Those master cuffs are pretty good, but they still only have so many key codes, and serial numbers= key codes. For that reason I don't like master locks, although I do use them. I like combo locks, the non key bypass type.

I'm currently working on a crank lock, one that discretely immobilizes the bike itself. I can only imagine the looks on the Billys faces... Jump on the sweet little motorbike...and the pedals won't budge...Priceless.

Still won't stop anyone who really wants it, but if there's easier prey...
 
I was on my way to work, stopped at a donut shop,parked my bike(peddler) by the door stepped inside to get a donut, my back to the door, and the clerk says, hey, someone's taking your bike, so I jam out the door,he's got a 20 yard lead, I'm pickin up rocks and throw em at the guy, got him distracted and he runs into a curb crashes and runs away. So I'm thinking man I just want to dash in get a donut w/o having to undo my 4'chain lock. What I did was drill a 1/8 hole centered on the headtube, and now I slip a 8 penny nail in and can now dash in for donut$ coffee. Steering lock..
 
I use both keyed U and cable locks. I have a hidden tracking chip in my bike. There are alarms you can buy as well. Don't lock you bike up in hidden places. This gives a thief a way to work on locks without being seen. Limit the time to little as possible you must leave your bike unattended. Know your serial number and take pictures of your bike with you.
 
scratchbuilder said:
What I did was drill a 1/8 hole centered on the headtube, and now I slip a 8 penny nail in and can now dash in for donut$ coffee. Steering lock..
Click to expand...

Wow. Smart!!


I would like to hook up a hidden taser between the handlebar grips. First moment said thief puts hands on bars goes ZAP :D
 
I pick locks for a hobby, and i would say get the Abus Granit. The Granit is almost impossible to pick, and it is good against physical attack as well. Whatever you do do not use any master lock. You would do better to lock up your bike with a piece of rolled up toilet paper than a master lock. They literally take no more than 30 secs to pick. With locks you get what you pay for, so don't lock up anything with a $10 lock, instead pay the $95 for the Granit and you will not be let down.
 
For me, it's a case of diminishing returns. My time is worth money, as is my peace-of-mind. I NEVER lock my bike. I figure, if someone's gonna be a d-bag thief, I'll just build another. In fact, I made a point of putting aside some emergency-funds for just that purpose. In 3-years, I've not had a problem. It really is freeing. I'm glad I can feel optimistic about the trustworthiness of my fellow man.
 
Kioshk said:
For me, it's a case of diminishing returns. My time is worth money, as is my peace-of-mind. I NEVER lock my bike. I figure, if someone's gonna be a d-bag thief, I'll just build another. In fact, I made a point of putting aside some emergency-funds for just that purpose. In 3-years, I've not had a problem. It really is freeing. I'm glad I can feel optimistic about the trustworthiness of my fellow man.
Click to expand...

Your post doesn't really make sense.

I just use one u-lock to lock it. It takes about 45 seconds. The lock lives on my bike between the crease where the top tube and seatstay tubes meet, and just on the other side of the seat post. The lock itself cost me $5 at the dollar store way back in 2008, and nothing has been stolen with it thus far.

You must be very fast at building bikes. I have over a hundred hours, probably way more in building my first and only bike. If you lock/unlock your bike twice everyday for a year, that's 18 hours of just locking your bike. In 3 yrs it is 56hrs. For me I don't lock it when I get home nor when I go somewhere where I can keep an eye on it (ie coffee shop) so that hours number is even lower. To build a new bike? I'd have to spend at least 100hrs ordering parts, cutting, grinding, going to welders, there really is no comparison, plus spend about $1300 on it.

I get it though, slapping a 2-stroke kit on a cruiser bike probably doesn't take more than a few hours. My bike is very far from that though.
 
all locks are only good for keeping honest people honest. a thief on the other hand, WILL find a way...

there is NO WAY i would leave my bike out of my sight, not even for 1 second.
 
beginner01 said:
Your post doesn't really make sense.
Click to expand...

Au contraire; it makes exquisite sense. The OP "extremely worried" about his ride being stolen. I shared my reasons and rationale for why I NEVER worry about my ride. I am at ease, and leave my bike where I park.
 
They way I lock mine up if I need to quickly run in someplace is the second kill switch I wired up and hid under my seat. (the first kill switch is in a really obvious location) I also have a clutch that engages when it spins in both directions, so when the clutch spins the required rpm faster than the engine, it engages the same as if the engine was spinning the required rpm faster than the clutch (I did this on purpose to make my brakes last a little longer). That being said, it is impossible to pedal the thing above about 12mph without the clutch engaging by itself, and with the second kill switch on, the engine doesn't start no matter what you do to it, and the one guy who tried to pedal away on it so far (actually just 4 days ago outside a riteaid) discovered to his chagrin that I could run faster than he could pedal it away with the engine engaged, and so he got off the bike and started running away, turns out I was still faster than him, so I made, I guess you could call it a citizen's arrest (I knocked him on his ass, tied him up with the bungee cords I use to tie my pack to my rear rack, and threatened him if he tried to get away) and then I called the police and he was arrested. The policemen thought my bike was cool and didn't say anything about it's questionable legality. Turns out the guy had sold about a half dozen other stolen bikes on craigslist, although none of the others had motors. If I'm going to be more than a minute in a place, I have a big chain and a sturdy combination lock that I use.
 
Combo locks, ummm..... maybe as a seat lock or as a second lock on a chain to skow someone with bolt cutters down if you have a pager alarm or something to let you know your bike is under attack. As a primary though, the thing about picking combo locks, is that its prettt easy unless you have something squirly or very unusual that doesnt work the way regular combo locks do, and it looks pretty much like someone who owns the bike unlocking it. Props on nabbing the bike thief though, and neat idea on the double switch set up, thats neat. Might have to use that myself. Get yourself some good chain if yours isnt already, if it came from home depot or harbor fright, its probably not good chain. A good lock thats really hard to cut and really hard to pick is not too expensive, and despite having to carry a key, is pretty much just as fast as a combo lock.it might be a little less convenient and heavier, but it will be more secure. It doesnt take long to steal a bike even one that is locked. You gpt lucky it was a ride off rather than a guy or two with a truck. If you are mostly dealing with ride offs, then a wheel lock like the master street cuff or a forever lock u lock would be good as well as the chain and good padlock. The street cuff is a master lock product, so you should check it out before you trust your bike to it. Cant find much on you tube about it but it looks good for medium security. There are also so called frame locks made by abus and others that bolt to the frame and lock through the rear wheel, so those imobilize the bike but dont secure it. Dont leave your bike unlocked, its too easy to pick it up and toss it in a truck. Dont rely on being able to get a tag number, you might not or it might be a vehicle other than the thief. Again good job on getting your bike back, but thats not likely to happen twice. Lock it up, even for a moment especially in places you might take your eyes off it.
 
Kioshk, WADR, thats the dumbest thing i have heard and the only place it makes exquisite sense is in your head, which i guess works for you, so whatever. You will spennd far more time replacimg a bike than locking it. I guess do what you think works for you. Hope you dont get your bike took.
 
Read this thread and I would think a thief would work harder to steal a Motorized Bike vs a normal pedal bike thinking its worth thousands. In way they are, yea I could build a motorized huffy cruiser in a day but to shake it out and get everything tweaked takes many many hours of fiddling. A deep fabricated custom bike takes untold hours. A price can not really be be put on them. ( I do not even want to know how many hours I have into may two custom builds and scrounging for parts. Keeping people honest is a responsibility I have always felt. As sad as it is, I hate to tempt people to become criminal. Yea those battery powered high rpm grinders and saws have been aiding thief's to steel stuff they couldn't very easy before. Some of the stories I hear from cops are down right scary.
 
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Yeah, the portable grinders are why its impotant use as high a quality security products for your bike and use reasonable procedures for securing your bike. You cant beat a grinder with brute strength, you have to beat it by making it a pain in the ass and a risk to steal. Multiple locks, more than one chain of you live in an area with lots pf bike theft. Alarms and trackers as well.
 
Newest and best tech is adding a small GPS transponder hidden inside frame to easily track your bike should your locks ever be defeated.
Several makes and models available under $100 looks like the best way to go imho
 
I've learned a new strategy! Take it inside! Mind, I live in a rual community, but that shouldn't make much difference, so long as the place ain't standing room only.
At bashas or wally world, I walk it up to the customer service desk and tell the clerk to keep an eye on it.

Results may vary, see related post in General Discussion, as I don't want to take up so much room here.
 
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