tcs

There are others who claim even the best quality bike locks can be picked "in under one minute". I'd still like to see some proof of that.

himespau 

If my bike is crappier and my lock looks sturdier than the one next to me, I figure I'm safe. I actually have a Specialized branded U-lock from the late 90's. I've always sort of wondered if it was vulnerable to the same attack as the Kryptonite (or if it was even a rebadged kryptonite), but so far I've been hesitant to replace it because a) I'm cheap, b) I don't have the nicest looking bike and I park next to others with cables, c) it's the perfect size/length for me. Oh, and did I mention that I'm cheap?

Cfiber

I once cycled over to my brother's house and locked my bike up to his chain linked fence in the backyard. Near the end of the day, when I returned to my bike in order to leave, I observed that the lock was now neatly placed on top of my seat. The bicycle itself, was leaning against the fence. I immediately returned to the entrance of my brother's home in order to inform him of some type of property trespass, and possible bicycle mischief. He then fully disclosed to me, that he was the culprit, and that he used a bic pen to open my lock, just before I was to make my exit. He had been watching for my change in facial expression the whole entire time...

fuzz2050

I've never claimed Voodoo magic, but it's a non-trivial skill, and one that takes a while to develop to the necessary levels. You see lots of people picking easy locks, and a few people picking the high security ones. Just because someone can open a Medeco Biaxial in about a minute doesn't mean it's not a secure lock. It's all about picking a lock that's secure enough for the type of attacks it is going to face.

the sci guy 

I've got a U-lock from the mid 90's, when they first starting getting popular. It has a Trek label on it (got it with my Trek 720 way back then). Its one of the versions that has the circular key - the kind a bic pen can fit into. I honestly haven't used it since probably the late 90's, and I literally just got back into biking and had my mom send it to me from home.
Now I'm not so sure I want to even bother using it. Especially after watching some videos on Youtube.
Thankfully I park my bike in my classroom closet at school, so it's not a total issue - yet.

I guess my question is - what specific u-lock and cables with locks would you recommend?

rekmeyata

There was a poster, who I will not name, deleted his post but I thought it was actually quite good. In it he said he uses a cable lock and has never had a problem and others thinking about this sort of stuff like picking or angle grinder, etc are just plain paranoid. I agree...to some degree. I think in most cities and towns in the US there is no need to have a fancy $150 lock and those that do it's plainly paranoia. However there are exceptions, I know that many universities and colleges are huge targets for bike thieves, and some very large cities most notably New York, if you live in those areas you should be paranoid! And if you live in an area that makes you paranoid then you should seriously consider taking either a nice used around the $250 mark for a bike or a Walmart special and lock it up with a decent lock but nothing expensive. All I have used in several cites I lived in was a thick cable with a Abus Discus lock for the last 40 years. When I was going to college I bought a Schwinn Traveler and left the good bike at the apartment, and that bike was never stolen, though people around me had theirs taken while I used nothing but a cable lock.

Winfried

Thanks for the input.

BTW, how big is the kind of bottle jacks used to pry open U locks?

A couple more lonely U locks seen today:


I'm beginning to wonder if some bike thiefs play it like magicians, and relock U locks they broke so that bike owners can't tell how they did it. Incidently, I didn't find the U lock lying around the bike I was stolen last Xmas. That Abus U lock was mid-range and probably wide enough to insert a jack bottle or something.

Snowman219

SRSLY just carry 1 lock and lose 10 keys LOLOL. What a waste. You must have to spend like 200 bucks on all these locks and only use maybe 1 or 2 most times. They invented this new thing called a backpack!

Burton

Somehow I think you have an overactive imagination. Lots of commuters leave their U-lock permanently attached to there destination parking spot. Since they don't need it any other time - it saves lugging around a boat anchor.

And for the average biker - its pretty easy to pick a U-lock. They just come into the shop, check out all the different models, ask a few questions - and pick one! The more expensive models must be more resistant cause they get 'picked' less often!

JCNeumann

Liquid nitrogen or some type of rapid freezing agent, a hammer used to be popular for thieves in Boston in the 1980s and early 1990s. It would just shatter the lock mechanism.

Also the ever popular van pulls up, open the door, a small hydraulic jack or diamond saw, and bike is gone.

If someone wants your high-end bike, they will get it. If you are that concerned (hey, even paranoids have enemies!), the best insurance is to keep the bike inside in a secure area at your work or home.

My understanding is a lot of bike thefts were for the components - is this still the case?

Winfried

Incidently, I spotted this adjustable Chinese U lock:



It's a neat idea to be able to lock the bike as tight as possible, but I wonder if that lock is as tough as regular U locks.

rekmeyata

Yes, there are thieves who go after the components because their never locked, and their easy to hock with no identification marks to worry about. But stripping parts takes more time then busting a lock and taking the whole bike.

Actually the best way to freeze a lock is with a large can of compressed air which does not contain liquid nitrogen. Turn the can upside down and spray the liquid on the lock till the can is empty and hit the lock immediately. https://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bull...-bicycles/1182 This guy is using small short strikes, but one powerful strike is all that's needed.

tcs

Entertaining video. But have you ever noticed how the non-metallic coating on a quality U-lock is way thicker than it needs to be just to prevent it from scratching your bike? That's right - it's insulation! So now let's return to the real world and see the same test with a quality, insulated U-lock that's hanging off a bike rather than laying flat, backed by a steel table - oh, and perhaps with no video breaks so we can see how much compressed air and how much time it actually takes.

Air doesn't contain nitrogen?

fuzz2050

We all seem to be debating a factual issue. How are bikes stolen in practice. We all know a dozen or so ways to bypass a lock, but I for one have no idea how common any of them are.

I like in an area with fairly high bike theft, but it seems to be almost all crimes of opportunity targeting poorly locked bikes, and I've had remarkable luck with a mid-range u-lock and just not leaving my bike sitting around outside all day.

fietsbob

Anyone try picking their own lock to see how easy it is?

spare_wheel

considering that the best quality locks can be defeated by other methods in a few minutes its kind of a moot point. if you don't believe me check out the stolen bike listings on bike portland. there are some very busy u-lock cutting thieves in my town.

spare_wheel

you either do not live in a high theft area and/or are lucky. u-locks are a mild theft deterrent at best.

erig007

Some ulocks are tougher to defeat when several security layers are mixed together though
https://www.xenasecurity.com/product/.../main/showall/

But alarms can be disabled pretty fast and people don't care much about an alarm ringing. At least, if the bicycle's owner is not far from the bike, it could be a good way to know when the average joe the thief is working...

rekmeyata

Compressed air contains either difluroethane, trifluoroethane or tetraflouroethane compressed into a liquid state, not liquid nitrogen.

I never tried to break a lock by freezing it, but one site I saw the guy took a hammer and broke off the rubber outside and then froze the lock. How many cans did either video use? I have no clue but the one I showed here appears, (note that word) that he only used one large can, most cans are about half that size so it may take 2 of the normal size cans. In addition, I'm not saying that the method works all the time, but it probably works some of the time, enough times that it is known that it does work at least on some locks. Probably like you said an expensive insulated lock it may not work at all, but for a company to use insulation on their locks tells you there has been at least one occurrence where the method worked. But cheaper U-locks have no such insulation except for a thin layer of plastic that can be easily removed first.

tcs

Ah, so when you said 'compressed air', you didn't mean compressed air. Different industries.

Super cooling metal to decrease its strength and plasticity is a well known phenomenon and I'm guessing lock companies knew about it without first having one of their locks defeated by that technique.

So, anybody got a video of smashing a frozen lock hanging mid-air off a bike rather than conveniently sitting on an anvil?

Winfried

But then, how many bike thieves 1) hang around on forums like this and 2) would be willing to explain how they do it? It's like asking magicians to give up their tricks :-)

cycle_maven

After the cut in the video, you can see the bottom part of the lock smoking. It was dipped in LN2 for a while between cuts.

Also, rubber turns into glass at LN2 temperatures.

fuzz2050

Well, we could ask the police and use some forensic evidence. Or, I suppose I could go to the dark side and try out some of these techniques. If the police stop me, I can tell them I'm doing it for science!

spare_wheel

carbide cutting saws and carbide portable cutting tools are common in portland. photographs of bike thieves using these tools have been posted on bikeportland.

Rayxt

A guy with a battery powered carbide angle grinder walks up to your very expensive cycle, with a very expensive U-lock, cuts through it in 30 seconds and walks off, leaving the lock in two pieces on the ground. A minute later another guy wanders past, sees a bike which is unlocked, and rides away.
The 1st guy broke a lock. The second rode off with an unattached bike.
A third sells it.

Another scenario for U-locks is: you lock it onto the strongest part of your bike and the bike rack.
No need for a crow bar or even bolt cutters to break this bolt which weighs half that of the cycle.
All the thief does is pick up the bike and turn the entire bike around, using the leverage afforded by the cycle's frame length to warp the U-arms, then break the locks out.
Moral, especially if you have 'cheap' u-locks, attach them to the weakest part of your cycle and the cycle rack. That way a thief will realize in advance he will most likely break the bike before the lock - and he wants a quick buck, not repair bills.

The bottom line sadly is however: if they want it bad enough, they've got it.