lights & lock suggestions

"tony" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got a new dawes discovery 201 yesterday and I love it! I havn't ridden a
bike in over 10 years, it was nothing like I expected.

I now need a a set of lights and a lock. I'll be doing very little night
time riding, even then on well lit roads and I'll be using the lock as a
deterrent, not an anti-theft device. I'm also on a budget but not
necassarily looking for the cheapest. I looked on wiggle and one or two
other places but as usual, the choice is staggering.

is there any concencus no which brand of lights/locks to go for and which
to stay away from?

I like my Kryptoloks, and you can get them fairly cheap (£15 ish). Lights
wise, a couple of big LEDs on the seat post and the biggest light you can
afford for the front.

tony said:

I now need a a set of lights and a lock. I'll be doing very little night
time riding, even then on well lit roads

Battery LEDs: For the rear I use a Cateye AU-100 on the seatpost, 2 AA
batteries last for /ages/. There's plenty to choose from but the really
small ones aren't much good. Make sure you can see anything you get
from a wide range of angles.
I'd suggest something with a bit more oomph than just a flashing "I am
here" for the front, and I say this because I wasn't too far from
driving into someone in last night's rain who just had one of those on
the front. Go for a steady beam that you could usefully use as a torch,
at the very least

Quoted message said:

and I'll be using the lock as a
deterrent, not an anti-theft device.

But if it /isn't/ a useful anti-theft device then it won't act as much
of a deterrent... D-locks are both, but are heavy and relatively
awkward. Cables are easier to use, but a pair of bolt-cutters will go
straight through them.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

is there any concencus no which brand of lights/locks to go for and
which to stay away from?

A policeman who posts here <waves> said:

"I was told by a hire shop that bolt croppers capable of cutting
chain sizes greater than 22mm are difficult to find so using a chain or
lock with an cable of a larger size could be an option"

If you use a D'lock then lock it through both the rear triangle, back wheel
and bike rack (or lampost, railings etc). If you lock it through just the
frame the thief will pick bike up and use it as a lever to break the
locking bits of the lock. I've seen both dead locks and no bike, or alive
locks and a dented bike frame. My frame is carbon fibre, so I DO NOT want
the local scallies to try this on my bike!

Very important is to use a lock to stop 'em nicking a wheel. For various
reasons[1] wheels get stolen quite regularly.

As for lights, as you're under streetlights you want something that spreads
it's light wide, rather than something that concentrates into a bright,
central spot.

Having two front lights; one flashing, the other steady, is really good at
getting you seen.

Mark.

[1]
1. Idiots lock bike up only by a wheel. Two bolts or quick releases are
all it takes to get a complete bike. One of those wheels may well come
from your bike.

2. Theirs has gone out of true or has punctured. No, they won't leave
their old wheel behind for your to get home.

3. Because it's there. And not nailed down.

tony said:

I got a new dawes discovery 201 yesterday and I love it! I havn't
ridden a bike in over 10 years, it was nothing like I expected.

I now need a a set of lights and a lock. I'll be doing very little
night time riding, even then on well lit roads and I'll be using the
lock as a deterrent, not an anti-theft device. I'm also on a budget
but not necassarily looking for the cheapest. I looked on wiggle and
one or two other places but as usual, the choice is staggering.

is there any concencus no which brand of lights/locks to go for and
which to stay away from?

Front light: Smart Polaris II - http://tinyurl.com/y5vqmb - reliable,
economical, bright & white.

Rear light: Cateye AU100 or LD600

Lock: Any old lock will deter the casual opportunist, but if you don't
mind the weight then you should get a decent D-lock that will actually stop
someone a bit more determined too. I think it's worth paying for something
at least as good as the Kyrptonite Evolution (from Chain Reaction).

~PB

Mark Thompson wrote on 25/10/2006 12:03 +0100:

Quoted message said:

If you use a D'lock then lock it through both the rear triangle, back wheel
and bike rack (or lampost, railings etc).

Akshuley locking the rear rim within the rear triangle to the post works
best. Cutting a rim under spoke tension is pretty impossible and you
cannot get the rim and post out of the rear triangle if they are locked
together.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Tony Raven said:

Mark Thompson wrote on 25/10/2006 12:03 +0100:

Quoted message said:

If you use a D'lock then lock it through both the rear triangle,
back wheel and bike rack (or lampost, railings etc).

Akshuley locking the rear rim within the rear triangle to the post
works best. Cutting a rim under spoke tension is pretty impossible
and you cannot get the rim and post out of the rear triangle if they
are locked together.

I think good old Sheldon has that one on his site.

It also means you can use a shorter U-lock, which is, lock for lock, harder
to force open.

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Nigel Cliffe said:

Tony Raven said:

Mark Thompson wrote on 25/10/2006 12:03 +0100:

Quoted message said:

If you use a D'lock then lock it through both the rear triangle,
back wheel and bike rack (or lampost, railings etc).

Akshuley locking the rear rim within the rear triangle to the post
works best. Cutting a rim under spoke tension is pretty impossible
and you cannot get the rim and post out of the rear triangle if they
are locked together.

I think good old Sheldon has that one on his site.

It also means you can use a shorter U-lock, which is, lock for lock,
harder to force open.

I got the short mini version of the Kryptonite Evolution with this method in
mind (and to save weight & space). It is often more inconvenient though.

~PB