Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391 
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Post by Jem on Apr 26, 2014 19:57:41 GMT
My son is going to college in London in September and is taking his ultra minimal Aerospace Pro down with him.  Aerospace Pro by Sooper 8, on Flickr Would those big city sorts amongst you give some ideas on bike locks please? Is he going to need a big Kryptonite D lock and extra cable for front wheel and some sort of locking device for his seat post/saddle? At the moment a regular combi lock is fine for up here, and his bike attracts almost zero attention from 99% of the population, so even if unlocked, thieves might not want it - but then again we can leave our doors unlocked at night around here... |
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Post by Stella on Apr 26, 2014 20:20:34 GMT
I rarely leave my bikes locked somewhere, but if I do, I have a massive chain with shutter lock and a cable through front wheel and saddle. Brooks are hot in London and they're stolen quickly. Any shiny bike will get attention. I'd advise to even chain the saddle to the frame as a cable lock can get cut through easily with a bolt cutter. D-locks are fine, doesn't need to be Kryptonite, though, Abus do quite good ones for less money.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391
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Post by Jem on Apr 26, 2014 20:23:36 GMT
I rarely leave my bikes locked somewhere, but if I do, I have a massive chain with shutter lock and a cable through front wheel and saddle. Brooks are hot in London and they're stolen quickly. Any shiny bike will get attention. I'd advise to even chain the saddle to the frame as a cable lock can get cut through easily with a bolt cutter. D-locks are fine, doesn't need to be Kryptonite, though, Abus do quite good ones for less money. Thanks for that appraisal Stella. I will check out the Abus one now. You can see I have my priorities sorted for getting him settled at college - bike locks first, pots and pans etc later. |
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Post by Stella on Apr 26, 2014 20:31:00 GMT
LOL Rightly so! And if he has a problem with his bike, you know where to send him to. :-)
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391
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Post by Jem on Apr 26, 2014 20:40:39 GMT
LOL Rightly so! And if he has a problem with his bike, you know where to send him to. :-) Indeed I do! |
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Post by cusqueno on Apr 26, 2014 23:47:23 GMT
I think that Viscounts generally would not be very attractive to thieves as they are sufficiently rare to be difficult to sell, but not of sufficient rarity to go for big bucks. But as Stella said, parts such as good saddles and wheels might be removed. Perhaps replace q/r skewers with locking / Allen key ones? This site has useful info about the different locks available: www.lfgss.com/thread17938.htmlI generally use a heavy old chain and a cheap combination cable lock. Nothing offers 100% protection - the aim is to slow down the thief so that s/he passes by to an easier or more valuable target. Welcome to London! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Apr 27, 2014 1:09:28 GMT
Recently there were some tests done in Melbourne on a range of locks in terms of ease of cutting through, and what they found was that locks that had that kind of sticky, rubbery silicon covers on their cabling were slower to cut through as the silicon fouled the blades of whatever cutting tool was being used. b
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Post by Stella on Apr 27, 2014 12:02:00 GMT
Yes, there are also now locks (D-locks) with a thick silicone layer because of that reason.
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Post by whippet on Apr 27, 2014 13:12:01 GMT
I'd even question taking the Pro if the risk is that high. The writer Tim Moore was interviewed on the radio recently and he said he's had several bikes stolen in London. His eventual solution is to ride a ladies pink mountain bike.
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Post by Stella on Apr 27, 2014 13:16:29 GMT
No, he should bring his Pro, but take it to his room when not riding. Even leaving in a hall way in a shared house can be risky. Best to lock it whenever you leave it. London needs more Viscounts. :-)
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