Need bike lock advice

racybike

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Nov 12, 2022
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I'm looking for a bike lock suitable for about a 5 minute stop at the gas station to use the bathroom and grab a cold drink on my rides. I'm going to stick with the Kryptonite brand.

I would get a U-lock, but the gas station I frequent often has tall handicap parking poles/signs where I usually lock too, and I think they're larger than 4" in diameter.

As for the folding locks, the whole draw to them is the way they mount to the frame in those neat holders. I don't think it's going to fit with the massive battery on my frame.
My Bike

That leaves me with chain locks, like this one:
Keeper 712
The only thing is, it's kind of heavy, 3.75 lbs.

Then this one caught my eye:
Keeper 585
It's only 1.61 lbs! Do you think that lock would be adequate for a quick drink stop/restroom visit at a busy QT gas station in the northwest valley of Phoenix during the daytime? Or do you think some pickup truck could back up to my bike, cut the through the chain like butter with a bolt cutter, and be gone in 30 seconds?

My bike is a $1200 e-bike. It's not the most expensive e-bike out there, but it's certainly the most expensive bike I've ever owned. So I don't want to take stupid risks either. But I don't want to be hauling a bunch of weight around either for one quick stop.

Thanks, Matt
 
Hardened steel will defeat most bolt cutters. The biggest risk is a cordless angle grinder with a cut-off wheel. Having multiple, beefier locks will only increase the amount of time it will take to steal your bike. But if your concern is a theft by someone pulling up in a pickup truck to steal your bike, they likely have any tool plus the skills they need to do the job quickly. Probably not much you can do.

More generally speaking, there are a gazillion articles on the web on this topic. Fortunately, I have no first-have knowledge on the topic but offer what I think are the most reasonable approaches. But remember this: If someone what's your bike bad enough there is nothing you can do to stop them short of keeping your bike in a safe. But then, what is the purpose of having a bike?

1. Make sure your bike is not an easy target. Using multiple hardened steel locks of different types make your bike less appealing to the thief. Perhaps use a D-lock along with a hardened chain lock. Hopefully the bad guys will look for an easier target. Along with this, make sure whatever it is fastened to is secure, e.g., bike rack, sign post, gas meter, etc.

2. Take the battery with you when you leave the bike. It is usually the single most valuable item on the bike. If the computer is removable take that, too. The bike is worth a lot less without these.

3. Take the seat and front wheel with you. This will discourage someone from simply cutting the locks and riding off with your bike.

4. Lock the bike in a conspicuous area. Avoid parking on the side or in back of buildings. Even talk with the shop owner about parking your bike inside the building. Someone would need to be pretty nervy to cut your locks with a cordless grinder when your bike is in a high visibility area.

5. Make sure your bike is not the prettiest one in the rack. Put some duct tape on it to make it look patched up. You can even buy fake rust to put on it.

Hope this helps.
 
Hey, Matt. Happy Sunday!

I know it’s kind of cliche within the topic these days, but it’s said that there in NO lock or device with cannot be broken very quickly by an experienced bike thief, and I believe it. Especially with those handheld angle grinders out there.

I think the goal is to assess your risk situation (location, surrounding circumstances, time of day, length of time unattended, etc) and make things as inconvenient for the thief as possible.

For a 5 minute gas stop, you’re probably pretty low risk, unless you use the same station repeatedly and at the same time of day. The chances are low otherwise that an experienced thief would happen to pull up in a pickup truck, equipped with a grinder, and willing to do his deed in front of others pumping gas. But, of course it’s possible.

Check out these Ottolock Hexbands. A prior forum member shared them with me once, and he used them for just such short stops. They are a bit pricey, but they look effective, and they store very compactly. The bands are available in various sizes on Amazon.


Good luck!
 
I found a disc brake lock on amazon that uses a motion sensor. If someone tries to move the bike it chirps once as a warning. Any more movement and it sets off quite a loud siren. I used that in conjunction with a Kryptonite chain type lock. Having said that, for the few times I take my mid drive fat bike to a store or a Dr appt I've started using 3 locks instead. An Abus and a Kryptonite flex lock plus one Kryptonite U-lock. The weight adds up but I hate thieves
 
Matt,

All good advice, above. I would echo, taking the seat and battery with you will discourage many thieves. Some kind of carry-bag will help, there. A cover you can lock over the display will make it an unknown device, to most. I would not worry about the weight of locks, just let the bike carry them, in a pouch on the bike.

Look for the security cameras where you may stop; any reasonable thief will avoid that area. Verify with the store people that those cameras work. If they tell you the cameras don't work, they would tell anybody else the same thing, too. I don't know about the tamper alarms, but if they scream when they should,, and are difficult to silence, you might want one on board. Some may even send you a radio signal when they go off, but those alarms are costly.

Even with all of that hardware, check to see what insurances may be available. Some places will have coverage for their premises (parking lot), some will not. Your existing policies (home or renter's) may have coverage. An independent agent may be able to cover your bike for theft only at some reasonable price. After a theft, you may not get a lot, but it's still better than nothing. Good luck!
 
Wow....not sure where you ride but if you are really that worried.....I wouldn't get off my bike at that location. Take a drink with you and find a bush to take a leak.......for a 5 minute break......chaining up the bike....removing the battery and/or seat....tires....etc.....just doesn;t seem worth it to me. A real shame we even have to talk about this....good luck.
 
The only D lock that will provide more than a minute of protection from a thief with a battery powered cut-off tool is the Hiplok D1000 that sells for $400. Better to hide the bike out of sight or use a bike locker that enclosed the bike from all sides.
 
Hey you all thanks for all the suggestions, I checked them all out.

I think that Keeper 585 chain lock will be perfect for me.
Keeper 585 Chain

It's still alot better than a cable lock. BTW, I've been locking up my Cannondale mountain bike with a cable lock for the past two years with no issues. We're talking busy suburban gas stations along the Aqua Fria trail on NW Phoenix.

Of course I would never lock up a bike like like mine long term with this lock. I just need something when my back is turned for few seconds while grabbing a cold beverage out of the fridge section. Once I'm in line to pay the cashier, my bike is basically in sight. As far as pee breaks, I can do that on the trail with my bike next to me.

Of course I still have my big Kryptonite Evolution Chain/Ulock from when I had my had my Harley Davidson Sportster. But there's no way I'm hauling around 9 lbs of steel on my bike rides!
 
You can avoid the thief by using a high-quality lock to secure your bike. If you don't have a bike rack, you can try hiding it. Thieves will only steal noticeable bikes. If you keep the bike away from the visible eyes of burglars, chances are it won’t be stolen. If you have to lock a bike without a lock, you can hide your bike in the bushes or behind a car. The key here is not to make bikes visible to a lot of people.
 
The angle grinder guy is not what you have to worry about. Those are one in a zillion unless you are parking in certain urban areas.

Kryptonite makes a disc lock that works really well. Its enough to make someone have to carry off the bike. It is what I use when I am making a quick pit stop and I am within almost arm's reach of the bike, or just on the other side of a door from it etc. This kind of lock uses a reminder cable that you put over the hand grip to remind you not to try riding off with the lock still on. Its good for a 10-second attachment and if all you need is to slow down a thief when you are close enough to get right back to the bike and discuss their life choices with them.

Beyond that, a U/D lock threaded thru the rear wheel and seat tube does the job, also in a few seconds. Get a proper one and they will need two cuts to get thru, and they will cut thru in about two minutes per cut. Also a battery-operated angle grinder faced with a for reals motorcycle grade D lock that is Diamond Sold Secure rated will go thru multiple blades an quite possibly need a battery change to get thru the lock. A grinder on mains power will have much more torque but no places to plug in usually next to a bike. And they will still need to change blades. For me the best of these D locks is the Xena XSU-310 but they are BIG. Along the lines of the level of prevention you get from a HipLok.

Better than a Hiplok by a fairly wide margin is the Litelok X2 and X3. If I didn't already have a couple of Xenas and a couple of Pragmasis DIB's, I'dmaybe spend the US$300 they want for one. Maybe. But the real deal is to protect against the easy-opportunity theft, and quit worrying about angle grinders and Hilti attacks and such.

 
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