bike locks - unwinding?

[chqshaitan]

Hi Guys,

This may be a silly question but i bought a new bike lock over the weekend and its all spooled up nice and compact at the moment, but what is the easiest way to get it over the bike frame for storing/transport without it all unwinding?


Hope i am making sense

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Just pull and untwist then re wrap around the post, you can't hurt it....

 

[vickster]

Just be wary of where you are using a cable lock - bikes can be gone in seconds

Did it not come with a bracket to attach it with a frame?

 

[chqshaitan]

yea, it came with the bracket, going to fit it tonight.

You think that cable locks are not that good?

 

[vickster]

No, they are rubbish
I had a bike stolen from outside a bike shop on a very busy Lodnon street at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. I left the bike for 15 minutes - the lock was still there, cut clean through. Luckily the bike was insured on my home policy, without any specific lock stipulation, still cost me money on the excess and nop doubt has affected my premiums. You live and learn!

D Locks are the way to go - probably need to spend £50-80 on a good one. Use for one wheel and frame, cable for the other wheel. Means the thief needs two bit of equipment to nick the bike

 

[chqshaitan]

ah good stuff, an recommendations?

 

[snorri]

and its all spooled up nice and compact

Just take care when stretching it out, it can spring back and hit you in the teeth.

 

[fossyant]

Best place for a cable lock is in the bin. Get a D lock if you want to keep your bike, really. Cable locks can be snipped easily

 

[chqshaitan]

ah damn, i should have done some research before buying one.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

ah damn, i should have done some research before buying one.

spiral cable locks have their uses. mostly for the front wheel to frame option or in a fairly safe location (wait for battering from others) but really need to be used in conjunction with D lock. Abus Granit X-plus and Squire Paramount plus locks are both rated highly. I have both and have no preference over which I use. the downside with D locks is that they are heavy, but it is something you just have to put up with to be honest.

 

[vickster]

Or Kryptonite fahgettaboutit...apparently try to get a small as one as possible but can make it awkward to lock. I have an Abus GranitX 54 which is a beast but quite bit

The cable will be ok for short comfort stops out in the sticks, but next to useless in urban high bike theft areas

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

...The cable will be ok for short comfort stops out in the sticks, but next to useless in urban high bike theft areas

sorry - forget sometimes that the rest of the world live in towns and cities...

Like i said inconjunction with a good D lock.
I too have the Abus GranitX 54 which I use for my road bike at college. All the other bikes are on the Squire Paramount Plus locks except my OH who uses just a spiral lock but he works on a secure site in a city, so it is rather unnecessary really.

Your best option is always to make your bike look less attractive to a thief than another bike, so if someone is using just a cable lock, and you have a D lock & cable lock, the thief is more likely to go for the other bike... assuming bikes you are not trying to leave a +£2,000 bike next to someone else's £299 bike! Also don't leave your lock behind when you cycle away (some people do with heavy D locks) - it could be tampered with in your absence making theft the next time around much easier...

 

[Pale Rider]

Keep the D-lock as small as you can use as some can be breached with an expanding jack.

The bike is safer if there's little room inside the lock, so try to lock the bike in such a way as the 'D' space is filled by the bike frame and the post you are locking to.

 

[chqshaitan]

thanks guys, just checked amazon and they have the abus granite plus for £42, seems cheap compared to other sites that have checked.

that worth getting? My bike is used for commuting so generally will be secure either end(in a garage at home) and in the office at work, but when i start riding at the weekends its going to be out in the wild wild west

 

[vickster]

Only the 30cm one. I'd look in a bike shop to see which that is