Which Lock: D or Chain?

Colin said:

D-Lock:

I would get a decent D-lock and a reasonable cable lock.

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

Quoted message said:

So does the panel have any thoughts on which lock type gives the better
protection? Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave the
lock at work rather than carry it back and forward. Pootles into town will
see the lock slung in a pannier, I'm prepared to carry the weight for the
security it offers.

The CTC magazine Cycle has just examined bike locks and the relative lack of
security that they offer when a a determined thief decides to have your
bike.

A Sold Secure Gold rated cable lock costing £25 lasted 10.6 seconds against
a cable cutter
A Sold Secure Gold 110cm chain and padlock costing £84.99 lasted 26.1
seconds against 36" bolt croppers
A Sold Secure Gold 11mm thick linked chain costing £100 lasted 37.3 seconds
against 36" bolt croppers
A Sold Secure Gold £34.99 D lock lasted 10 seconds against a bottle jack
A Sold Secure Gold £55 D lock lasted 42.7 seconds against a bottle jack.

Apparently the resistance time quoted by Sold Secure is derived from a bike
thieve's 'tool kit' that does not include bolt croppers and bottle
jacks........

I have seen it suggested that the use of chain/cable and D lock is the most
effective method of securing a bike as bike thieves are rarely equipped to
deal with both types of lock.

Another deterent is to buy a tourer as it's one of the least attractive
bikes to a thief.

Quoted message said:

So does the panel have any thoughts on which lock type gives the better
protection? Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave
the lock at work rather than carry it back and forward. Pootles into
town will see the lock slung in a pannier, I'm prepared to carry the
weight for the security it offers.

Get both. The D-lock goes round the rear wheel, frame and bike
stand/railing; the cable lock goes round the front wheel, frame, D-lock and
bike stand/railing. The cable lock doesn't have to have a lock on it - you
can get a length of cable made for the job, with a loop on each end to go
through the D-lock.

A shorter D-lock will be more secure than an otherwise identical but longer
one. There will be less room for theives to get their tools in.

If the bike looks good/expensive then don't leave it locked up
overnight/for long periods of time.

Leaving the locks locked to the stands at work saves carrying them around
with you all the time. Whether this is worth the hassle of buying extra
locks for when you're not at work depends on how many hundreds you spent to
shave a couple of kilos off[1]

Never leave the wheels unlocked - they take 5 seconds to remove and for
some reason the theives love 'em.

[1] There is a theory that the total weight of bike+lock remains the same,
with lighter -and more expensive- bikes needing heavier locks.

In message <[email hidden]>

Colin said:

I'm
looking at either a D-lock, or a heavy-duty chain & lock.

The ideal is to use both as thieves are unlikely to go equipped for
more than one type of lock.

You could have a D-lock at work, another keyed-alike D-lock at home,
and carry a chain and lock with you when pootling.

With the D-locks it is best to lill the D completely to avoid an easy
puchase for a bottle jack.

Personally I just use an Abus cable lock, and carry it diagonally
across my back.

--
Charles
Brompton P6R-Plus; CarryFreedom -YL, in Motspur Park
LCC; CTC.

In article <[email hidden]>, Mark T
pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid
says...

Quoted message said:

The cable lock doesn't have to have a lock on it - you
can get a length of cable made for the job, with a loop on each end to go
through the D-lock.

So all they have to do is break the shackle lock and the cable is
useless.

Pop into your local bike shop, by which I mean local motor bike
shop. They should have a selection for locks a bit more serious than
bicycle ones.

Jon

In article said:

Quoted message said:

Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave
the lock at work rather than carry it back and forward.

[...]

Quoted message said:

[1] There is a theory that the total weight of bike+lock remains the same,
with lighter -and more expensive- bikes needing heavier locks.

Yes, but leaving half the weight of a cheaper bike at work while you
cycle back home is trickier than leaving a lock :-)

In article said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Mark T
pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid
says...

Quoted message said:

The cable lock doesn't have to have a lock on it - you
can get a length of cable made for the job, with a loop on each end to go
through the D-lock.

So all they have to do is break the shackle lock and the cable is
useless.

But it does stop thieves taking the front wheel which the shackle lock
on its own wouldn't protect (unless you take it off and lock it beside
the back one). (But yes, a second lock makes more work for the determined
thief after the whole bike.)

You can't practically protect everything on a bike though - a co-worker
recently had his handlebars stolen by someone who undid the stem and
cut the brake and gear cables.

Quoted message said:

So does the panel have any thoughts on which lock type gives the better
protection? Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave the
lock at work rather than carry it back and forward. Pootles into town will
see the lock slung in a pannier, I'm prepared to carry the weight for the
security it offers.

Thanks for your input,

Colin

Another consideration is what your insurance policy says. (Many will be
covered via household contents insurance). No point in shelling out for a
lock only to find that even if you've locked your bike with it, it's not an
'approved' lock under your insurance policy so you end up not being covered
for your loss. Some will specify a particular type of lock. Cuurently mine
insists on a D-lock (no particular type though) and the bike locked to an
immoveable object. So I use a D-lock and cable lock wheels to frame for a
*bit* of extra security. I work on the theory that no lock is going to
guarantee safety from theft, where the thief is determined. But having at
least a couple of locks is more likely to deter the opportunist - especially
if the bike next to yours is unlocked or has something flimsy locking it.

wafflycat w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com said:

Quoted message said:

So does the panel have any thoughts on which lock type gives the better
protection? Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave the
lock at work rather than carry it back and forward. Pootles into town will
see the lock slung in a pannier, I'm prepared to carry the weight for the
security it offers.

Thanks for your input,

Colin

Another consideration is what your insurance policy says. (Many will be
covered via household contents insurance). No point in shelling out for a
lock only to find that even if you've locked your bike with it, it's not an
'approved' lock under your insurance policy so you end up not being covered
for your loss. Some will specify a particular type of lock. Cuurently mine
insists on a D-lock (no particular type though) and the bike locked to an
immoveable object. So I use a D-lock and cable lock wheels to frame for a
*bit* of extra security. I work on the theory that no lock is going to
guarantee safety from theft, where the thief is determined. But having at
least a couple of locks is more likely to deter the opportunist - especially
if the bike next to yours is unlocked or has something flimsy locking it.

they will steal any bike, stole my partners old bike, which was a cheap
raleigh from the last time she had the bike stolen.

all ends well though as we got her a nice comfy giant bike, which seems
to be very poplular though it's a sod to get on the bike rack!

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

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

Quoted message said:

I've finally persuaded my employer to utilise the government's cycle to work
scheme, so I'm looking to get that expensive bike I've always hankered
after. Before I do though, I'm having a security review (insurance,
datatags, locks etc.). I'll need a quality lock, so I'm looking at either a
D-lock, or a heavy-duty chain & lock. Assuming the locking mechanisms are
secure (disc locks rather than Bic-o-matics!) The pros & cons (as I see
them) are:

D-Lock:
Pros: large diameter shackle (harder to bolt crop/hacksaw)
Cons: can be snapped with a hydraulic jack (if there's space to fit it in);
Bike can be damaged by would-be thief trying to use frame as lever to snap
lock; can only be locked around objects the same diameter or smaller than
the shackle.

Chain & lock
Pros: Flexible, so frame cannot be used to lever lock / Jack cannot snap
shackle; Can lock around larger objects.
Cons: Links would be easier to bolt-crop than a d-lock, Lock with a shackle
small enough to fit links could be a weak point.

So does the panel have any thoughts on which lock type gives the better
protection? Weight is not necessarily an issue as I could always leave the
lock at work rather than carry it back and forward. Pootles into town will
see the lock slung in a pannier, I'm prepared to carry the weight for the
security it offers.

Thanks for your input,

Colin

I have taken a "D" locks on every summer tour -- and on every summer tour I
have given it way / dumped it. They are just so heavy. I certainly do not
carry them on my normal daily runs

To be honest |I meet the minimum requirement for my insurance policy -- and I
never leave my velo alone for long.

When I was in Avignon last year I gave up on a "supermarché" because the area
was "littered" with very down at the mouth characters. Actually it was very
much like Doncaster! I never leave my velo alone there locked or not!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

x-no-archive:Trevor A Panther said:

I have taken a "D" locks on every summer tour -- and on every summer
tour I have given it way / dumped it. They are just so heavy. I
certainly do not carry them on my normal daily runs

To be honest |I meet the minimum requirement for my insurance policy --
and I never leave my velo alone for long.

When I was in Avignon last year I gave up on a "supermarché" because the
area was "littered" with very down at the mouth characters. Actually it
was very much like Doncaster! I never leave my velo alone there locked
or not!

I agree with you about heavy locks. You can pare down your luggage for
touring then ruin it all with a heavy Abus or equivalent.

When solo touring it is inevitable that it is necessary to leave the
bike alone from time to time. I've done a fair bit of riding in Asia and
never used more than a pretty average chain, and sometimes leave it
unlocked in someones care (for a few pennies). My humble hybrid usually
attracts a lot of attention, young ladies having a penchant for fondling
the Brooks saddle and men more interested in what the bike cost. In
fact, it is so unusual no-one would be able to steal it because it would
stand out too much.

If it does go missing one day, or comes out of a plane banana shaped,
I'll just put it down to part of the cost of the holidays I've enoyed
over many years.

I'm happy to say that in all my travels, I've never come across a place
like Doncaster. 🙂 In fact I've been to Donnie a couple of times but it
didn't seem that bad!

Trevor A Panther said:

I have taken a "D" locks on every summer tour -- and on every summer
tour I have given it way / dumped it. They are just so heavy. I
certainly do not carry them on my normal daily runs

Actually, that was something else I'd considered. I hope to do some solo
touring at some point (possibly even a LEJOG) so I might need to get
more than one lock (a heavy duty one for home / work, a lighter one for
touring), but I still haven't worked out how to secure luggage or what
to secure the bike to when camping, when not camped next to a sheffield
stand.

Still, that'll all be part of the fun: Thanks to everyone who replied so far

--
Colin

"Alan Braggins" wrote

Quoted message said:

You can't practically protect everything on a bike though - a co-worker
recently had his handlebars stolen by someone who undid the stem and
cut the brake and gear cables.

Yeah, someone where I work had their suspension fork stolen, leaving the
frame and wheels still locked up.

In message <[email hidden]>, Colin
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Trevor A Panther said:

I have taken a "D" locks on every summer tour -- and on every
summer tour I have given it way / dumped it. They are just so heavy.
I certainly do not carry them on my normal daily runs

Actually, that was something else I'd considered. I hope to do some
solo touring at some point (possibly even a LEJOG) so I might need to
get more than one lock (a heavy duty one for home / work, a lighter one
for touring), but I still haven't worked out how to secure luggage or
what to secure the bike to when camping, when not camped next to a
sheffield stand.

I've never bothered with securing my panniers, though so do have
arrangements for using a cable lock or some such I believe. I've never
had a problem with it and left it loaded in all sorts of places.

Re camping, these is often a fence or post of some sort if you feel you
have to secure it too something, - look at all that expensive camping
gear we leave lying about (and yes I know there have been cases of
people coming up and nicking someone's gear, but it's uncommon)
--
Chris French