Originally published at: While no bike lock is really secure, here is what I chose | Boing Boing
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Your bike lock does not have to be totally secure.
It just has to be more secure than the bike next to it.
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… and also take too much time for someone to easily steal the bike.
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There’s your problem.
I deliberately ride junky looking bikes.
Problem solved.
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Looks heavy.
“Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable. If it does not work, you could always hit him with it.”
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The Fahgettaboutit Mini is just over 2 kg. Last year when I got a new bike, I got a new U-lock and it was one of the locks I considered, but went with an Abus that is 2 lbs lighter. I ride an extra large steel frame road bike; its heavy enough as it is
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There’s an old adage that all bikes weigh fifty pounds.
The reasoning is that a twenty pound bike requires a thirty pound lock, a thirty pound bike only requires a twenty pound lock, and a fifty pound bike will still be there when you get back.
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The best way to avoid having your bike stolen is to weld it to the bike rack every time you’re not using it
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Definitely, nothing wrong with having a nice bike but i know and heard of quite a few people that will deliberately use some real beaters for daily use to avoid theft. And if it is stolen then its not the worst thing in the world.
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The Lock Picking Lawyer inspired me to take up lock picking. I will never rise to his level but it has shown me that locks will never keep things from being stolen. They will keep honest people honest but a thief that wants something is going to own it.
That and they often resort to an angle grinder/cutter.
Well that’s just cheating.
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Got sent this today. I’d like to see the LPLhave a go at these. (I suspect the folding one may already have been done by him and, of course, failed.)
(Apologies for complex link - it’s a browser version of a mail from Which? the UK consumer organisation. Two locks shown as getting high scores.)
When I was in school, a friend of mine had a bike whose pedals weren’t quite in line. He was used to that, but whenever that bike got stolen, he’d find it again a few metres away because the thief wouldn’t be able to get the hang of it.
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I’ve had one of these for about 11 years, and I still have my bike, so there’s that.
But buy it from a real bike shop, and not Amazon.
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Also on BoingBoing: watch the Lock Picking Lawyer disable this lock in 5 seconds.
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I had my bike stolen from my house once - I never got it back but since I lived at the top of a steep hill and the brakes were not working, I bet it was a wild ride for the thief for a few minutes.
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Want a secure bike? Move to Taiwan. Back in Scotland I had a few bikes stolen over the years, one which was chained up on George Street, right in the centre of Edinburgh, in broad daylight. Since moving to Taiwan, I barely bother with the chain at all. I have two pretty pricey bikes and they sit outside my house every night, unlocked. I’ll often leave them outside stores and the like while I go shopping, only ever bothering to chain them up if I know I’m going to be several hours. Been doing this for over a decade now.
Taiwan is awesome in this respect, among many others. I can’t count how many times I left my keys in my scooter (back when I owned one) overnight, and returned to find them still there or put in a safe place the next day. We don’t lock the door of our house unless we’re going somewhere overnight, and we’re right in the centre of the second-largest city, Taichung. I happily leave my phone, laptop, whatever on a table in a busy cafe when I go to the bathroom. And there’s literally not a single place I’ve been where I wouldn’t feel totally safe wandering around lost at night. Taiwan numbah one for personal safety.
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I’ve seen U-locks broken with a can of compressed air (to freeze it; it’s basically bottled refrigerant) and a hammer.
