U locks and Pitlocks

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Hi All,

Every year I drive across the country from Nevada to Minnesota to spend a month of the summer among family. I've always done it with my bikes on the hitch-mounted rack, secured with a couple of cable locks. I've never had a u lock or pit locks as I live in a low-risk area and ride to low-risk areas, rarely needing to park my bike or leave it out of sight. I'm poor in knowledge of security for bikes, I'm afraid. And with TBBITW (The Best Bike in the World) in tow, I'm fearful about losing it. I've been operating under the belief that Minnesota Nice reigns, but times have changed, I guess!

My sister and brother in law recently moved to Minneapolis, and his bike was stolen from his yard (his fault for forgetting it out there). This is the reason why there's a grilver Clem L arriving at his local bike shop for assembly tomorrow. Today, I got a frantic call from my sister. They have a married pair of doctors (paradox? haha) visiting them from out east, and knowing that MN is prime bike country, they brought their bikes. While visiting the Swedish museum in Duluth, they parked their bikes at the rack in front of the museum entrance and the doctors secured their bikes with cable locks. They were away only briefly, and when they emerged, a museum employee was wheeling away Dan's bike. She had seen that the cable lock was cut, and she was astute enough to realize what must have happened and she was rescuing it. Christine's $1300 brand new bike had already been cut loose and taken. My sister's Birea (sp) was u-locked and thus undisturbed.

You might imagine I have some anxiety over this, as we have lots of bike adventures planned for our stay next month. I've started looking at old threads here, but the Abus u locks mentioned aren't the current ones being sold, or the ones referenced aren't in stock. If someone out there has recently been in the market for a new u-lock, would you mind posting here? If I could lock two bikes together with one u lock, that would be even better. I'll have 4 bikes - a Betz, a Clem H, a Specialized Hotrock at 20 inches, and a little Islabike. Do you think I need pit locks for our Brooks saddles? Do I need them for the wheels if we have front and rear racks on the Rivs? How long should the locks be? I've seen mini, but I think that might limit how I can park. I have a huge front basket, so that complicates parking anyway.

I'm most grateful for the wisdom shared here!

[Drw]

I like the kryptonite evolution series. quite secure but not as heavy or expensive as the new york series. Personally, i wouldn't consider anything other than a very high quality u-lock for an expensive bike in any city setting. 

 Pitlocks are cool, but i'm really enjoying hexlox, which are little magnetic buttons you put in the heads of your existing allen bolts. you can buy a bunch, even for multiple bikes,  and have them all keyed the same.  you can also move them around from bolt to bolt/component to component in a matter of seconds. 

If it were me, i probably wouldn't lock all those nice bikes together with one lock. it would only take 1 cut to get 4 bikes and might encourage potential thieves to take a risk that they otherwise would be too time consuming. 

[Edwin W]

I think the chains are more flexible (haha).

https://www.kryptonitelock.com/content/kryt-us-2/en/products/product-information/current-key/002345.html?type=bicycle

Edwin

[Jon Dukeman,central Colorado]

Sad to hear about the stolen bikes. I have Pit locks on my wheels and an  Abus lock.I also have a Kryptonite New York. The folding ABUS lock seems to have more options for locking your bike . REI usually has a good selection of both.

I have the Abus Bordo Granite 6500 folding lock. www.abus.com

It just depends how big the bulldozer the thieves have.

[Kainalu V.]

Here in NYC I use a small U-lock around the frame to the bike rack or post with a fairly heavy cable running from my front wheel, through my seat rail, down through the rear wheel, terminating at the U-lock.
Someone could clip the cable, but then they'd be faced with removing the parts they want from the frame which is still firmly affixed to whatever.
Further tips- make sure whatever you're locking to is actually stable, many sign posts pull right out like golf flags. And huge huge hugest tip- use the cable to keep your bike from falling over. I've seen countless beautiful bikes stomped flat to the ground by enraged thieves or drunken hooligans, or drunken thieves. "If you can't steal it, at least destroy it" is their mantra.
-Kai
BKNY

[Kainalu V.]

And dirt the bikes up a bit. Many thieves can't differentiate between any bike's quality and judge purely by how shiny a bike is (and how tangled up in locks it is).

[Surlyprof]

In higher bike theft areas (which is most of the bay area, although some less than others), I use the Kryptonite Evolution series u-lock through the frame and back wheel and a Kryptonite cable looped around the front wheel and hooked to the u-lock as per Grant’s suggestion in Just Ride. I’ve had no problems although it is a lot of trouble. If I was buying today I’d consider the Abus Bordo Granit X 6500 folding lock Jon mentioned. Not much weight savings but more compact than a u-lock. It’s rated 15 rather than 7 like the one Riv now carries. The Riv one is a lot lighter but I’d rather have the beefier lock for the peace of mind. Even with the lock I’m covered by insurance for replacement value rather than depreciated value. The bike and all details of the build are well documented. If stolen, I want another set of Rich’s hand built wheels on the replacement!

John

[Eric Karnes]

I agree with what's been said so far. Small, strong U-Lock like the Kryptonite NY. I've used cables for wheels and saddle in the past, but picked up a set of pitlocks for my SimpleOne about a year and a half ago. In that time, locking my bike all day, every day in Philadelphia, I've never had a problem (knock on wood). My bike has some beausage and it's securely locked. Most thieves will dismiss it for the flashier (but crappier) bikes held with only a cable lock. If there's a knowledgable thief looking for a Rivendell or equivalent price-point bike, there's not much you can do. But this is extremely rare. Most bike thieves are opportunistic.

Eric

[Ed Carolipio]

Unless you're leaving your bikes locked outside overnight, for the nice bikes I'd go with an Abus Bordo 6000 (or equivalent) folding lock for the frame, Abus Nutfix for the wheels, and an 18" Otto lock (along with a plastic grocery shopping bag) for the Brooks, while for the small bikes a Bordo 5700 and/or 30" Otto locks are probably good enough.

If you're always locking a bunch of bikes together, nothing wrong with just using a length of chain and a good lock instead of the Bordos. I'd say a single Abus 6KS (1/4" diameter links) 4' in length - probably do a "dry run" in the garage with rope to get the length right - with an Abus monoblock lock. The chain is heavy and kinda tricky to transport, but at least there's only one and it comes out cheaper for multiple bikes.

I like the Bordos since they're easy to pack, more flexible than a U-lock, and much more secure than a cable lock. I prefer the Nutflix to the Pitlocks for wheels since I really don't enjoy torquing nuts down with those Pitlock keys.

Good luck on your adventures!

--Ed C.

[Corwin]

Hi Leah -

I have a wife and four kids. We live in the East Bay of the SF Bay Area. Lots of bikes get stolen here. I have used several solutions to lock my bikes and the bikes of wife and kids (all adults now). The locks range from the Kryptonite Fahgettaboutit (New York U-lock - weighs about ten pounds) to cable locks, boron chains with square links secured by Mul-t-locks. We have lost a bike - but only to carelessness.

In my opinion, the best solution is a Kryptonite Messenger-Mini+ U-lock. This U-lock provides a way to lock the frame, rear wheel and chain to a fixed object. If you pair the Messenger Mini+ with a cable you can secure the front wheel as well. The advantage to using a good U-lock with a cable is that most thieves only come prepared to defeat one method of securing a bike. If your bike is secured by more than one method - the thieve(s) are likely to move on seeking an easier target.

In my opinion, the only method more effective than the Messenger Mini+ paired with a cable is the square link boron chain paired with a really big Mul-t-lock (really hard to pick).

The Messenger Mini+ can be had from Amazon for about $56 (no tax as this is sold by a merchant and fufilled by Amazon). Cables can usually be had for $10-20.

Namaste,



Corwin

[Corwin]

Although - If you are securing multiple bikes, the boron chain can be very effective. If you get at least six feet of chain, you can easily lock up two bikes to a fixed post.

Namaste,

Corwin

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

So much good advice here! Are these folding locks you discuss taking the place of U Locks? I’ve never heard of them before today. Other than portability, is a folding lock superior to the traditional U Lock?

[Ed Carolipio]

For me, I treat the Bordo 5700 folding lock as an alternative to a mid security, standard size U-lock, like the Kryptonite Evolution. Security-wise, the thicker/heavier Bordo 6000 series is more secure than the mid security standard U-lock and may be comparable to a med security mini U-lock, but still not as secure as a high security U lock (like the Kryptonite NYC).

One other advantage folding locks have over mini- or standard size U-locks is they're more flexible in terms of finding places to tie off a bike - closer to a cable lock in that sense - so that allows one to optimize security when picking where to park.

One other disadvantage of the folding lock (well, at least the Abus ones which I prefer) is they tend to be a lot pricier than a U-lock at the same security level.

--Ed C.

[Tom Wyland]

Since it has not yet been mentioned, I'll suggest getting a Frame Lock that bolts to the mounts on the underside of your seat stay on the Clem.  It locks the rear wheel to the bike and prevents it from being ridden off. I have the type that accepts a plug-in chain or cable. This type of lock will not secure your front wheel but is fairly hard to defeat. These types of locks are also uncommon in the US which helps because bike snatchers don't know how to break them.

PM me if you'd like more details, as there are many different styles of these locks.  No, I don't sell them but I have one on my (non-clem) town bike.

 

 

[Doug Bloch]

I use a Kryptonite U-Lock and cable as others describe. The cable is more of a visual deterrent as I have pitlocks. They give me a lot of peace of mind.

Doug
Alameda CA USA

[Shoji Takahashi]

Hi Leah,

Quite a few recommendations for ABUS Bordo folding locks-- so here's my counterpoint. I have two Bordo folding locks (sold as a pair with matching keys). One reason I got them was compact fold and carrier, which can be affixed to water bottle mount. 

In practice, they are not very easy to use. The pieces swivel on one axis and it can be very difficult to get them in the proper orientation to affix to a pole or other object. The total length of the Bordo lock is misleading, because the pieces are ~6" long and solid. By contrast, a cable lock is very easy to wrap around many objects (and your bike).

Another downside is once Bordo is locked around bike, it can flop around. This is potentially a problem as your bike can move, possibly falling and getting damaged. Yikes. To avert that, I've used Irish straps around the bike rack+bike to keep it from falling.

I find a small U-lock (e.g., Kryptonite Mini-U) to be much easier to use. It is small-- which means lighter, easier to carry, and more difficult to defeat via leverage break. The small size also means that my bike stays upright-- I lock via Sheldon Brown-method or at the headtube. (My bike has pitlocks, so I'm not worried about the wheels or seatpost.)

When I'm riding with my kids, I usually lock my bike with the small U-lock. I have a separate cable that I loop around their bikes. I also add a cable lock through the main triangle of all the bikes. (Admittedly it's to prevent grab and go. Otherwise fairly easy to defeat a cable.)

Good luck!

shoji

Arlington MA

[Vincent Tamer]

It's clear that using a combination of locks (u lock and chain) is great for a extended lock up, but what about a quick lock up? Say, under 30 minutes? Do you still do the whole thing, or does anyone just go with a smaller lock? 

I'm looking for something for a quick lockup in a decent area. I like the idea of a lock that is very easy to deploy. A u lock with cable can take some time with Clem's long chain stays.

Any advice?

[Sean Kline]

In addition to a U-lock, I have Pitlock skewers on all wheels of three bikes and Pitlock nuts on seaposts and a small Pitlock nut inside all seat Allen bolts. All of this is meant to deter and slow down thieves for the 30-60 minutes I may let a bike out of my sight, rather than absolutely prevent theft if someone is determined. Last week, I cycled by someone selling a battery-powered saw on the street. My understanding is it would take a thief minutes to go through a u-lock with that.

I’d worry as much about where the bikes are stored overnight as where they’re locked throughout the day. In the Bay Area (and I imagine many places), more bikes are stolen from shared and private garages than from poles and bike racks during the day. So, locking bikes wherever they are inside overnight is prudent.

I grew up in the Twin Cities and go back Summers to visit family and ride the amazing bike infrastructure. The TCs are not the Bay Area, but why take a chance with your beloved bike? I have given up driving. So, my bike is more important to me than ever.

Enjoy the land of nice!

[blakcloud]

Inside my condo bike locker which is locked with a padlock and Kryptonite Evolution mini. There are two Rivendells and they both get;

• 2 Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini
• 1 Kryptonite Evolution Mini
• 1 Krypto Cable
  
• Pitlocks for both wheels and seat post.
• Bicycle chain to lock Brooks saddle to bike.
  

Out in the wild, where I don't leave my bike for extended periods.

• Pitlocks as described above and seat chain
  
• Kryptonite Evolution.
  
• New York Fahgettaboudit Mini

If it is for short periods, less than an hour, I will omit one U lock.

If it is a super high risk area, I will bring my Brompton and carry the bike with me. This is the safest way to do it.

At my work place same as home, the full gamut. I keep the locks at my work place for convenience.

Currently I own 11 Kryptonite U locks, 5 Krypto cables, 2 Abus Bordo 6500 locks.

I just purchased the Abus Bordos for the two Bromptons that we are planning to take to Amsterdam next week. You can't always bring your Brompton with you so I thought this would be the best lock for that style of bike. You can also daisy chain these locks together to lock multiple bikes.

Some would say, overkill but after having three high end bikes stolen over the years by using one Kryptonite, I decided to up the ante and make my bike the most difficult to steal.

[William!]

Here are some tips for streamlining locking if you lock your bike often.

1. Go with pitlocks instead of a cable. Will save you a bunch of time and it’s less to carry. Get the 3 piece set with skewers for the front and rear plus a replacement for the seatpost binder bolt.

2. If you haven’t already, get a dynamo lighting setup! The lights stay on the bike, one less thing to remove or forget to remove when you lock. Secure them with security type bolts (available at most hardware stores for cheap) or just shove some wax in the holes to prevent casual theft.

3. If you leave a saddle bag on your bike, put a bunch of zipties through it to the rack. It’s more involved, but you can also use an old chain wrapped in a side stitched waxed canvas tube. Consider a basket up front so you can keep a bag there that removes easily and contains your tool kit and what not.

[Kainalu V.]

Regarding battery powered angle grinders. It's not minutes, it's seconds. I just cut a friend's wheel lock and U-lock a couple weeks back on 11th st. in the East Village. Like I said, seconds, and no one stopped to ask a thing about whether or not it was my bike or even to complain about the brief ruckus.
-Kai
BKNY

[Shoji Takahashi]

I would use mini-U-lock and pitlocks (or equivalent). If there's a convenient pole or bike rack to lock to, it's <10 seconds.

Shoji

[REC (Roberta)]

Hi, Leah. 

I wouldn't have anything to do with a cable. I had my bike stolen 30 years ago from a high traffic area of sunbathers and pedestrians in the middle of the day with a heavy duty cable lock.  I'm still skittish about locking my Joe A. in the city, but I'm OK with my locking protocol for outside the area.

I have two heavy duty Arbus u-locks--a big one and a bigger one--that I purchased last year.  I think they cost me about $100/$125 each. I lock my bike frame and one wheel to an immovable pole with the bigger lock.  I use the big lock to lock the second wheel to the immovable object or to the frame.  If they want to steal my bike, they have get thru two locks.  

I suggest you put the best lock(s) you have on your much-loved Betz.  The other bikes, should anything happen to them, will be much easier to replace.  I think with some good locks, thieves will more likely walk past your bikes.

Enjoy your bike rides and your vacation.

Roberta

[John Phillips]

   I live in Berkeley in the SF bay area where bike theft is common. As someone mentioned above, with the right cutting wheel, a portable angle grinder can cut the heaviest u-locks with two cuts in less than 2 minutes, so where you lock up is important. I like to sleep with my Hunqapillar under my pillow to make sure no one tries to run off with it in the middle of the night. ;-)

   My go to u-locks for when I can't keep my eyes on my bike are the Abus U-Lock GRANIT XPlus 540's. They're about 6 lbs each. Their locking mechanisms are supposed to be more resistant to rust and jamming. I also have a couple of Kryptonite Mini Fahgettabouditu-locks, they're 4.44 lbs each, and if you go with one of these read the care & feeding instructions online. Kryptonite recommends lubing the lock once a month with a teflon-based chain lube to keep it from rusting & jamming.

    If I can keep an eye on my bike, I use the Tigr mini locks w/ or w/o an Abus u-lock.

   The tamper resistant allen bolts or Pitlock Pitstoppers are a nice way to prevent thieves from stealing racks, seat posts, saddles, and handlebar stems and pedals.

   I haven't had the best luck with Pitlocks, because the plates of the Pitlocks were smaller in diameter than the plates of my quick releases, and weren't able to hold my wheels on as securely as the quick releases. Maybe something with my dropouts? I don't know. They work well for others.

I would stay away from any lock that can easily be cut with a pair of bolt cutters. Just my 2 cents...

Have a fun trip!

John

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

This is great information. I have been reading and re-reading all your responses. I'm leaning toward the Abus locks for my bike and maybe the Kryptonite for the boys' little bikes. I've decided the Nutfix would be a nice way to go for the wheels and seat post/seat, but when I get to the website, there are lots of size options and I have no idea what sizes to order. If I called Rivendell and asked, would they know which ones I should order?

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I found a dealer that can order Abus Nut Fix for the quick release skewers, but I’m not finding anything for the seat post from Abus. Abus seems to want something with a seat clamp, which these bikes don’t have. Am I wrong? Do I need to look elsewhere?

[Jon Dukeman]

Correct. You could replace the seat binder bolt and saddle bolt with a Security Bolt that takes a special allen wrench. Also secure the saddle with a small diameter cable (hardware store) to the frame.

Jon

On Fri, Jun 8, 2018, 5:55 PM Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I found a dealer that can order Abus Nut Fix for the quick release skewers, but I’m not finding anything for the seat post from Abus. Abus seems to want something with a seat clamp, which these bikes don’t have. Am I wrong? Do I need to look elsewhere?

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[Drw]

I’m telling you. For the whole seat area, hexlox. So easy. You use the existing bolts and just pop a little button in the bolt head.

[Leah Peterson]

Drw, I’d love to order them if I could find anywhere that sold them. Not Amazon, and when I put in my location there was no seller/dealer. Where did you find yours? Are you in the US? They sound perfect!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 8, 2018, at 5:44 PM, Drw <drewbe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I’m telling you. For the whole seat area, hexlox. So easy. You use the existing bolts and just pop a little button in the bolt head.
>

[Drw]

Hexlox.com

Here is the seatpost set
https://hexlox.com/collections/ready-bike-security-sets/products/saddle-lock-security-set-protects-saddle-seat-post

they’re European, but ship to the states just fine. Customer service is really good too. I ended up getting like 10 of them and just swap them around to various parts on various bikes depending on what I’m riding and what I want protected. Securing wheels with them is no better than pitlocks though, since you have to use proprietary skewers.

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Thanks for all the input, all. I settled on an Abus Granit 640 (or something) from Amazon. For wheels I chose the Abus Nut fix, because several of you disliked the Pittlocks but liked the Abus. Abus' solution for saddle and seat post wouldn't work. Drw was so excited about his Hexlox for the saddle and seat post that I braved ordering overseas. I was hoping to use all one system, but I didn't have the heart to call back the local bike shop and cancel the Abus order for the quick release wheels. Now a few hundred dollars poorer, I hope I chose well. The mechanical part of biking is not my jam. I just RIDE the bike. And deck it out in Christmas lights. Terrible, I know.

You were all a huge help - thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Kiley DeMond]

Wow, I admire all of you who live in high theft areas and still bike-on. I grew up in NYC, went to college and first worked in the San Gabriel Valley in Southern CA (where my bike was my only form of transit), and then lived in the SF Bay Area for 30 years, so I am not new to the concept of bike theft, a topic that just makes me mad and sad and everything in between. I have never had a bike stolen, but I have always brought them inside wherever I was (you can take girl out of NYC, but you can't take the NYC out of the girl). I used a U-lock coupled with a thick cable lock for all those years. When my son u-locked his bike to a sign-post by our Cupertino, CA apartment, it was gone the next morning, lifted right over the top. I moved to Arizona a year later (ok, it had to do with more than just the bike being stolen). One of the advantages of being in northern AZ, "the high country", is most people don't know what a Riv is, and theft is pretty low in most areas. And my Riv is huge and heavy (a pimped out Cheviot 60cm). I use a frame lock to prevent opportunity theft. Riv used to sell one; I first experienced it on my Workcycles dutch bike. I would just turn and remove the key, and the rear wheel 'locks', as in is unable to turn. That was pretty nifty to prevent the grab 'n' go. I also knew that no one was going to through it over their shoulder and run — that bike weighed 50lbs! When I got my svelte-by-comparison Cheviot, I was living in Ann Arbor, MI for a short period. Major college campuses are magnets for thieves; my nephew lost three or four bikes at Stanford (although I think at least one was lost because he couldn't remember where he left it). I neurosed about my bike and just always brought it inside with me.

But that isn't exactly what you asked. So, in addition to a frame lock which is good for most situations around here, I bought an Abus Bordo, but tfound it too big and cumbersome and sold it to someone in LA via eBay. In general, I would leave a big chain at any destination I commute to so I don't have to lug what is the best security system. How do I know this? Because I googled "bike security" and read every review and watched numerous YouTube videos. That helps with knowing which U-lock is best and why. And cable locks are worthless. The higher the theft rate, the more sophisticated the thieves, the more necessary just a big ol' chain with a tough cover and a lock with no exposed shackle becomes. If I lived somewhere with a high rate of theft, I would try and resign myself to riding a beater for practical riding and save my steed for pleasure riding. For now, I am adding pit locks for peace of mind during pit stops.

Some years ago, I got a semi-custom made bike and the frame had not yet been painted, gloss black was the default color. I am not someone who likes to draw attention (further) to myself, so after much internal debate and a post on Bike Forum, I stuck with black, in large part due to any other color adding cost. The debate was if uncommon colors would deter theft; it would certainly make the bike harder to sell. 

The new alarm and GPS devices hold a great deal of promise; I always said the keys to the kingdom shall belong to whoever solves the bike theft problem (and I don't mean just shooting the thief, although that could happen in AZ). 

It just makes me sad that many people don't ride because of theft and it confirmed riders from riding as often. I count myself in that latter group.