veggiemafia

So, on Saturday night my bike (velospace.org/node/905, nothing special, I know, but it was my bike and I loved it) was ruined when some drunk dickhole picked it up, wrenched it between the signpost to which it was locked and my u-lock, bending the downtube, headtube, fork, and front wheel. The frame is completely ruined, needless to say. Parts are going to go toward building my girlfriend a singlespeed so we can ride around together. (Thanks again to SingleSpeeDemon for the frame!) The lock (OnGuard Pitbull DT) did not fail, but it's pretty beaten up. I wrapped the rubber parts that were torn in duct tape, and it will probably end up locking my girlfriend's bike now.

Anyway, this whole experience has made me feel like I need a little bit more of a **** off vibe when I lock up so I'm considering getting a chain lock. So, feel free to make suggestions as to which lock as well (input from the Brooklyn/SF/LA kids would be awesome), but what I'm really after is, what length of chain do you guys use? Advantages of such and such length? I didn't think it'd be an issue in Pittsburgh, but this whole thing has just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Sorry for the rant.

babychris

sucks that happened. I dont have any experience with chain locks. sorry.

BuddyMike

the 3'3" chain is easier to carry. Any longer than that, I would imagine can be a *****. Its just long enough to get it through both wheels.

veggiemafia

Through both wheels and around something, or should I get one that secures with a mini-u so I can go around a pole with a mini-u and then around the wheels and frame with the chain?

BuddyMike

My preferred method for locking up for an extended amount of time. Chain through the rear wheel/rear triangle, around what I am locked too and locking each end of the chain with the lock, but with the lock passing through the bars of the seat. Then u locking my front wheel to the frame.

number18

nice idea, with the bars of the seat in there, too!

BuddyMike

I forget where I saw the seat method, but I can't claim it as original.

pretendlee

through both wheels? i think thats only true if you remove the front and lock the wheels together. i have a 3'3'' krypto chain and i can't get both wheels. maybe im doing something wrong?

my chain lock is the faggedaboudit and im looking to trade it for a good U lock. at 9 lbs it's just too much of a hassel

deimos

A fear of returning to my bike and having it wrapped around a pole or otherwise mangled is one I have visualized many times before, especially in a sketchy area.

When I bought a chain ( I don't use it anymore), I just went to home depot, found the beefiest chain from the spools, wrapped it around my waist and cut it there. For a lock I just grabbed this hefty master padlock. It wasn't too bad riding with that wrapped around the waist but i ruined a lot of shirts.

number18

I have one of those--it seems like overkill, but then, it's NYC and u-locks can be pried. the chain is beefy enough (and the lock on it is small enough) to provide a deterrent, it seems to me. heavy, yes, but I'll take it for a feeling of security.

BuddyMike

did it leave holes in the front of your shirt?

BuddyMike

I typically didn't do both wheels, but its a tight squeeze and can be done.

number18

i have a mini-evo that I throw on the front to lock it. a little extra weight but it's convenient as hell.

deimos

yeah.. little holes, and got em dirty too
i thought about fashioning a sleeve or somthing to go around but.. eh, it sure is nice not to lug a huge chain around anymore. where i live i get by with a ulock mini stuffed im my back pocket

veggiemafia

So...value of a chain lock as opposed to the burden of having to carry it around?

Keep in mind I am in Pittsburgh, where we've got some pro thieves on occasion, but they tend to target college campuses at night (which is not where my bike lives) and they also tend to target cable locks (which is not what I'd ever even consider using to lock up with).

Either way, I'm going to be more careful about locking up in places that are really, really visible.

veganwar

I use the reguarl NYC chain since moving to Brooklyn. The size and wheelbase on your bike will affect your ability to get both wheels in the chain and the chain around something else. My usual bike is about a 54 and has a bit longer of a wheelbase (70s frame) so I start with the backwheel and put the chain through the spokes just above the bike's chain and then around whatever pole or whatnot and then have to angle the front wheel in order to connect the chain. It seems to work well and the bike isnt' going anywhere. You can also try to rotate the rear wheel a bit higher so that the chain lock isn't resting on the bike's chain but that is more of trying to avoid lube on my shirts.

I have seen the rear wheel to seat method and it looked like a good idea if you are using something else to look your front wheel to the frame or b) have a brake which makes it that much less easy to steal the from wheel.

Don't get a chain much longer than the 3.3 ft that the NYC chain or the standard Fughattabaout chain comes in. A friend used to ride with the extra long Fughattabout it chain and he seemed to put it around his waist, tie it in a bow and then lock it and it still dangled. He now carries two Krytpo EV minis. One through the rear wheel/triangle and onto something, the second through the front wheel to frame.

Aves

I have an OnGuard chain/lock which I am trying to get rid of. PM me if you are interested and I can give you all the info.

I Like Peeing

I'm thinking about getting rid of my 3'3" as well. Wearing that thing around my neck actually caused me some neck problems that I luckily spotted quickly. Although it's reliable (I know of one person that had it cut), I don't want to carry it anymore unless I have lots of room in my backpack and nothing else in my backpack. I just bought the mini u and in one week, my neck swelling has gone down quite a bit.

As for 2 wheels locking up, I could lock up my 54 cm through both wheels plus an object, I loved seeing my bike locked up like that.

Kilgore_Trout

the kryptonite 3'3" does NOT go through both wheels. i have it and use it for going through the frame and front wheel. once i get a nicer wheel set i'll buy a mini u-lock for the back wheel and rear triangle. that being said, i really like my chain lock and have never had any problems. i also assume it's intimidating as all f*ck.
sorry about your bike man, that's just a ******** thing to do on that other guy's part.

Landgolier

I have the 3-3, the secret to getting both wheels easily is to put one wheel inside the shackle of the lock. This works even on my 59cm conversion with a 41" wheelbase and fenders, though the fenders make it a little tougher as you have to angle the lock just right. I've gotten a 32ish tire in there as well, bigger would fit but I don't know what the limit is and it's going to depend on rim shape. Never tried a deep V but they're 30mm thick and the gap in the shackle is about 57, so unless you run bigger tires it should work.

I would not buy this lock again if I expected to carry it, it's fine for leaving at work but I can't justify it over a pair of evo minis for riding around, it just weighs too much. Around the waist you don't notice the weight as much, but with a slight spare tire I find it uncomfortable while riding in the drops for more than a few miles. I do advise everyone who uses them to get a small hardware store carabiner and use this to close the thing, it allows you to adjust it and lets you (or the paramedics) get it off of you without the key if you wreck or need to defend yourself.

My little survey in my sig has so far failed to turn up any good U lock actually being defeated by a thief, and I live in Chicago and have never gotten first-hand info of it happening either, so I'm sticking with minis from here on out.

chase.

I went the home depot chain & master padlock route. Got probably five feet— enough to wrap around my skinny waist twice. I was going to go with a single wrap but it wouldn't have been long enough to lock up to the light poles we have here. I'm experiencing the dirty shirts from the shot peened and oiled finish on the chain, but no holes; if that starts happening I'll sew up a fabric chain tube.

TheBrick

I did thing of going to a hardwear store and buying a big chain, get one with square links (harder to cut aparently), heat treated and spend some money on a good padlock. Contractors use good chains and locks to lock up stuff much more valuble than most bikes. Remember ny chains just come from a chain supplier then a good lock is added. Bike stuff is usually bumped up becuase it's bike stuff

pretendlee

**** man, i can't believe i didn't think of this! i just checked it out and it does work perfectly even though there is only enough slack to lock it up on skinny poles. but still i could never get both wheels without taking the front tire off. my fork thanks you, Landgolier.

and to the OP: i would only get the chain and lock if you leave your bike locked up for hours outside of work. what happened to your bike sucks, but that is a fluke that has nothing to do with the lock really. if some drunken idiot decides to **** with your bike they will. ****, last summer some psycho decided to stomp the **** out of my rear wheel. what could i do?

Landgolier

Yeah, the wheel in the shackle trick rules, I'm not the first to figure it out but I actually came up with it locking up two bikes, one through the back wheel and frame on a light pole, and then for the other I didn't have much chain, and while I was wrestling with it trying to get some slack and scratching both of our bikes I had a little light go on in my brain and just locked the other bike's wheel inside the shackle sheldon-style. With one bike it gives you enough for a bike rack or maybe a really skinny light pole, if all you have is a big light pole it's a no go but it will get you around anything a U-lock would have. YMMV based on wheelbase, obviously. An added advantage of this method is that it fills the shackle pretty completely, making prying harder and risking making the bike unrideable when breaking the lock, though if someone is jacking your colnago to throw it in a van this won't help.

For people who need chain sleeves, try going to REI, EMS, or anywhere else that sells climbing gear and getting 2" tubular webbing. I don't actually know if it will fit krypto chains, but it should fit most home depot chain. Should be like $2 for 3', explain to them what it's for so that when they cut it with the hot knife they will leave the ends open rather than smushing them together as they normally would. But be sure you get tubular webbing, they will probably try to sell you 2" seatbelt which is flat. 2" tube is kind of an old-school thing, not every place will have it. If you do this please buy 4' extra and send it to me, and I will be your friend forever and buy you beer when I'm in your town, and we will both bask in the eternal glory of knowing that we finally figured out if this is a good way of getting cheap replacement chainskins or if it's a little too small, and were able to share this knowledge with all mankind. I'm actually very serious, I have wanted to try this for like a year now but have not been near anywhere that stocks it and am too cheap to pay $6 shipping for $2 of webbing. The stock krypto webbing is like 2 1/4" or so, but seems to fit pretty loose, if this stuff works it would be the one ultrajam to rule them all as it is burly as hell and comes in a couple of colors.

Link to the stuff in question: https://www.rei.com/product/472049

nayr497

I have a kryptonite chain, but somewhere during one of my moves lost the lock. Does anyone have any idea if you can/where you can buy just the lock itself?

Most retailers sell the lock/chain as a pair.