# Anti theft locks



## Iain G (29 Oct 2012)

I'm having a recumbent trike built with 1 wheel at the front & 2 at the back & I need a good theft proof lock for it. Any advice on what type is best & proven products please? Thanks Iain


----------



## Mr Haematocrit (29 Oct 2012)

I personally do not think any lock is really secure, I view them as a visual deterrent as much as anything. I personally use big motorcycle locks and chains


----------



## Iain G (29 Oct 2012)

I've got no experiance with any decent bicycle locks so the first thing I thought of was motorbike locks too as their hefty enough


----------



## Iain G (29 Oct 2012)

are brake disc locks any good? obviously you can pick the bike up but I've spotted a few alarmed ones I thought I could use them as a space saving secondary lock


----------



## Night Train (30 Oct 2012)

I always secure my bike to something solid and immovable, like a decent bike rack or lamp post, though a pile of bikes all locked together would do if I had no option. I wouldn't trust it if it could be carried away, no matter how noisy an alarm was.

I use an Abus Granit Extreme.






I also have an Abus disc lock and chain adjusted to form a loose noose at one end and a tight locked noose at the other end.





I also have an Abus Granit Quick 37 with an Oxford Monster 14mm chain.









Over kill and over weight perhaps but I can select one, or two, to take depending on need. (I originally got that lot when I had a costly motorbike, hence my user name. Motorbike then sold and a workshop built with the proceeds.)

With some of my bikes losing the lock would be a bigger financial hit then losing the bike!


Often I just have a cheap and light weight 4 digit combination cable lock fed through the wheels and frame and around something solid, and also a cheap D lock for speed, and I keep the bike in sight.


----------



## Iain G (30 Oct 2012)

Thanks safety is the best policy. They are pricey is it a case of you get what you pay?


----------



## mrandmrspoves (30 Oct 2012)

Yes absolutely you get what you pay for...there are no bargains in cycle security. If it is cheap it probably has a very low security value. It's very easy to pick a locked bike up, throw it in a van and then sort the lock out later - so even a good lock has limited value unless the bike is secured to something immovable such as railings. Don't make the mistake of leaving your bike unlocked in your shed or garage either.... lots are stolen that way. There's a security rating system for bike locks called Sold Secure where the best security is rated Gold. A search of eBay or Amazon for Sold Secure Gold will give you a range of results. Bulldog are amongst the cheaper brands for Gold rated products.


----------



## byegad (30 Oct 2012)

As has been said, if Bill the Burglar really wants _your_ trike they will get it. No matter what you do this applies. BUT you can make it difficult for them and, has been said above, the more expensive, and usually heavier the lock the more secure your trike will be.


----------



## Scoosh (30 Oct 2012)

I have heard it said that, as a rule of thumb, you should spend approx 10% of the value of your bike/trike on a lock.


----------



## Iain G (30 Oct 2012)

£900 on locks


----------



## Iain G (30 Oct 2012)

I might go for the Oxford Monster Chain 14mm x 1.5m as it looks pretty thick & solid on the photo's. This one looks good for £40 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROCKSOLID...15?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4168eeb7c3


----------



## Night Train (30 Oct 2012)

You also want to think about how you are going to carry the security device. If it is awkward it is more likely to be left at home for something easier to carry.


----------



## Iain G (30 Oct 2012)

The Daddy of all http://www.yanchor.com/profile.html unfortunately you'd probably have to invest in a trailer to carry the bloody thing


----------



## Mr Haematocrit (30 Oct 2012)

Have a look at hip locks, I think they are a reasonably practical lock for taking out in public, when at home use big damn locks and chains


----------



## Trail Child (30 Oct 2012)

I'm personally thinking of upgrading to a Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit u-lock. It's rated higher than the Magnum lock I have now.


----------



## Tigerbiten (30 Oct 2012)

I tend to use 3 locks on my tadpole trike and trailer.
Front:- Cable and padlock. From right front wheel to chainguard. Very visable and easy to fit around a post. Becuase the padlock is on the chainguard, even if the cable is cut it is still attached to the trike making it hard to pedal. This is the lock I alway use for quick stops.
Middle:- D lock through the back frame and wheel. Least visible but hardest to remove. As I've a Rolhoff in the back wheel I don't want it to go walkabout ... 
Back:- Mid quality cable lock. Locking trailer box and wheel together. Lightest lock so most easily cut. So used more as visual deterent.
At night it's left behind the alarms where I used to work, so no real worries about it going walkabout then.
I work on the principal if I leave it locked up well, then if it gets nicked then its being nicked to order so nothing I do is really going to stop the thief.


----------



## Iain G (30 Oct 2012)

After taking the advice of sold sercure gold standard I think I'm going to go for these http://www.oxford-shop.co.uk/item3382.htm & with 2 of these anchors http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Terr...V3W4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351636878&sr=8-1
I'm after hardcore but affordable any opinions on either of the one's I've posted or something else is much appreciated thanks


----------



## Night Train (31 Oct 2012)

Iain G said:


> After taking the advice of sold sercure gold standard I think I'm going to go for these http://www.oxford-shop.co.uk/item3382.htm & with 2 of these anchors http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Terr...V3W4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351636878&sr=8-1
> I'm after hardcore but affordable any opinions on either of the one's I've posted or something else is much appreciated thanks


That lock should be ok. The lock that came with my Oxford chain was one of those using cylindrical keys, and I found out shortly after that they were easy to pick with a Bic pen tube IIRC.

The ground anchor set in concrete is a good idea.
For mine I used a 15 ton, 2" diameter pin D shackle buried in concrete with just the top of the D sticking out. I put 'rebar' through the shackle and in the concrete floor at the same time just to be overkill sure.


----------



## ufkacbln (31 Oct 2012)

I have looked at the Draisin and the trike will be a swine to lock.
Security needs to be step by step

Use theft proof releases for wheels and attachments such as Pitlocks or similar

A couple of cables to restrain wheels from being removed

You can get an aluminium lockable box for the rear or a motorcycle top box

However the good news is that a good high quality lock such as the Abus above can lock the main strut of the frame to an immovable object quite safely... or at least as safe as it gets


----------



## starhawk (2 Nov 2012)

I don't trust padlocks and chains they are too easily cut by a boltcutter. A good wire can however not be cut by a boltcutter, it will flatten it and the thief then has to cut the strands one by one with a sidecutter, a timeconsuming and tedious job. Most thiefs avoid this, so place your bike beside a less locked bike 
I use a Kryptonite U-lock to lock the rearwheel to the frame then I thread a wire through the frontwheels, the seat, around the frame and around some solid object and lock it with a special wire-lock


----------



## Iain G (10 Dec 2012)

I've spotted this- http://www.oxford-shop.co.uk/item3174.htm 
my trike is very long so a long one would be better I'm thinking but is there any securer ones out there that I haven't seen? Thanks


----------



## starhawk (11 Dec 2012)

That looks very interesting at present I have two cables coupled together they take up a lot of space and weight


----------



## Iain G (11 Dec 2012)

has anyone had or known of anybody using this - http://www.motohaus.com/acatalog/copy_of_Xena_.html#aW13_2dXUL210
I can't find any reviews on this & have read of other alarmed locks can play up and be faulty


----------

