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Companies are always very keen for us to believe that their security products are worth buying, and some of them probably are. However there are a huge amount of bikes being stolen so clearly there are some totally inadequate security measures being used. My guess is that most successful thieves know exactly what they can break into and what they can't, but we honest citizens don't have access to that data and don't really know if what we're buying is good.
When I bought my Pragmasis chain last week I was asked to put a review on the website. I didn't do so because it seemed pointless. I've got the chain, it goes round my bike and locks together. It seems chunky and shiny but that's as much as I can tell. Dozens of people had submitted reviews on the site but I couldn't help thinking they were largely useless since few of them had actually been attacked by a thief.
So I was hoping that we could help each other out by listing on this thread the real life test scenarios. I'm guessing that most of them will be negative outcomes, in which case that helps other to not make the same mistake. However if people have genuine success stories, involving genuine theft attempts then they'd be even more useful.
Just to start things off and show that I'm not trying to make light of other people's misfortunes:
I had four bikes stolen from a garage with a crappy padlock on the door. The padlock was easily snipped and the Abus chain and Abus Steel O Flex were either cut as well or the thieves managed to carry four bikes locked together past loads of junk and through a fairly narrow door.
Most of them are shit http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=7
That's all motorcycle kit though. Which is fine at home but bugger carrying it around! 🙂
they'll all yield in the end, it's just a question of how long it takes, or otherwise the thief destroys other things to get what he wants. it's just a question of how difficult, how long, and how much noise.
there's a thread on london fixed gear about locks which gives some good guidance IIRC.
That's all motorcycle kit though. Which is fine at home but bugger carrying it around!
Have a look at the original post you biff
I had four bikes stolen from a garage with a crappy padlock on the door. The padlock was easily snipped and the Abus chain and Abus Steel O Flex were either cut as well or the thieves managed to carry four bikes locked together past loads of junk and through a fairly narrow door.
That was from his house, not from outside the corner shop or work.
The main fail I know of, was a friend who'd locked 3 bikes together but didn't secured the chain otherwise. The removed the lot as one, in the middle of the day, not even unlocking the gate (climbed over a fense with them bound together) to get out. So imo no matter how big your chain is, it's useless unless secured to the a ground anchor of some sort.
This is moot though, if the thieves simply decide that cutting through your frame (thin ali), to take & sell the parts - they've made the effort to break in, so why not...
Expensive and only available via the states, but I like my TiGr lock. No idea if it is actually any safer/stronger, but I think the oddness off it might put off a number of would-bees.