From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 9/15/2025 2:00 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

<snip>

Almost certainly overkill a 10lb lock adds a significant amount of weight
to the bike, the number that have their lock picked is likely to be sub 1%, to the best of my knowledge itrCOs physically attacks ie portable angle grinders and so on.

And itrCOs very much a case of not needed to outrun the bear but just others around you.

Neither of my commute bikes are particularly attractive, one being a 20
year old MTB set up for commuters ie panniers and mudguards etc, and a rCLcheaprCY road bike with a pannier as I had a spare.

Ie plenty more attractive bikes with cheap locks to choose from!

Roger Merriman

For commuters, they can leave the lock at their place of employment.
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

On 9/15/2025 2:00 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

<snip>

Almost certainly overkill a 10lb lock adds a significant amount of weight
to the bike, the number that have their lock picked is likely to be sub 1%, >> to the best of my knowledge itrCOs physically attacks ie portable angle
grinders and so on.

And itrCOs very much a case of not needed to outrun the bear but just others >> around you.

Neither of my commute bikes are particularly attractive, one being a 20
year old MTB set up for commuters ie panniers and mudguards etc, and a
rCLcheaprCY road bike with a pannier as I had a spare.

Ie plenty more attractive bikes with cheap locks to choose from!

Roger Merriman

For commuters, they can leave the lock at their place of employment.

DonrCOt think itrCOs a common practice, the Central london work places ie office jobs are relatively well set up for cycle commuters so have showers
and secure parking ie within the building itrCOs self, not somewhere that
needs such a heavy lock, or even a lock at all, not that I work in central london but I donrCOt need to use a lock at work as itrCOs behind levels of security anyway.

Leaving a lock in public places does leave them open to being targeted particularly as such a lock suggests high value.

Hence so few chains are seen, even locks left at places like the hospital
and train stations tend to be D locks.

Motorcycles and so on yes lots of chains as the weight and awkwardness, is
much less of issue.

Roger Merriman



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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 9/15/2025 5:00 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

On 9/14/2025 3:19 PM, NFN Smith wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/aug/29/best-bike-locks-us-a (US
edition, posted this week)
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/jan/21/best-bike-locks (UK
edition, posted in January).

Normally, I prefer something like this from a cycling-specific public
publication, rather than a mass-media publication, but still useful.

Interesting that the writer tested with an angle grinder, and thus, the
key metric on protection (beyond carry weight) is the time it took to
get through that way.

Smith

The Lock Picking Lawyer recommends this one:
<https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808500029670.html> for multiple
reasons, see <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpVOTEOMRuE>

1. Not too easy to pick
2. Difficult to use an angle grinder
3. None of weak points of U locks

It took him about 52 seconds to pick the lock, but he's very experienced
and has a tool that few bike thieves would possess.

Almost certainly overkill a 10lb lock adds a significant amount of weight

Something I read in Velonews many decades ago:

"all bikes in New York weight 30 pounds - If you buy a 20 pound bike,
you'll need a ten pound lock. If you by a 30 pound bike, you don't need
a lock because no one will want to steal it."

to the bike, the number that have their lock picked is likely to be sub 1%, to the best of my knowledge itrCOs physically attacks ie portable angle grinders and so on.

And itrCOs very much a case of not needed to outrun the bear but just others around you.

Neither of my commute bikes are particularly attractive, one being a 20
year old MTB set up for commuters ie panniers and mudguards etc, and a rCLcheaprCY road bike with a pannier as I had a spare.

Ie plenty more attractive bikes with cheap locks to choose from!

Roger Merriman

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

zen cycle <funkmasterxx@hotmail.com> wrote:

On 9/15/2025 5:00 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

On 9/14/2025 3:19 PM, NFN Smith wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/aug/29/best-bike-locks-us-a (US >>>> edition, posted this week)
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/jan/21/best-bike-locks (UK
edition, posted in January).

Normally, I prefer something like this from a cycling-specific public
publication, rather than a mass-media publication, but still useful.

Interesting that the writer tested with an angle grinder, and thus, the >>>> key metric on protection (beyond carry weight) is the time it took to
get through that way.

Smith

The Lock Picking Lawyer recommends this one:
<https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808500029670.html> for multiple
reasons, see <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpVOTEOMRuE>

1. Not too easy to pick
2. Difficult to use an angle grinder
3. None of weak points of U locks

It took him about 52 seconds to pick the lock, but he's very experienced >>> and has a tool that few bike thieves would possess.

Almost certainly overkill a 10lb lock adds a significant amount of weight

Something I read in Velonews many decades ago:

"all bikes in New York weight 30 pounds - If you buy a 20 pound bike,
you'll need a ten pound lock. If you by a 30 pound bike, you don't need
a lock because no one will want to steal it."

New York appears to be rather more car centric and probably favours the
fast white male demographic for cycling, for that reason. Ie itrCOs only just brought in congestion charges some 20 something years after London which is broadly similar in size.

Quite some years ago brought in secure bike parking at Suburban and some central train stations for bikes, some with bike repair stations and so on,
and space for few hundred bikes, or more for the main line terminal
stations! Which must be in the thousands, london Waterloo has racks upon
racks of bikes.

Certainly leaving a lock would and claiming your space wouldnrCOt go down
well and probably end up getting removed!

Had a tube strike last week, which resulted in huge jump in cycle traffic, rather chaotic and pushed some junctions such as Westminster to their
useable capacity.

To be fair itrCOs by now quite old infrastructure and has huge volumes of pedestrian/bike traffic with lower levels of motor traffic, all within a relatively small area.

to the bike, the number that have their lock picked is likely to be sub 1%, >> to the best of my knowledge itrCOs physically attacks ie portable angle
grinders and so on.

And itrCOs very much a case of not needed to outrun the bear but just others >> around you.

Neither of my commute bikes are particularly attractive, one being a 20
year old MTB set up for commuters ie panniers and mudguards etc, and a
rCLcheaprCY road bike with a pannier as I had a spare.

Ie plenty more attractive bikes with cheap locks to choose from!

Roger Merriman

Roger Merriman

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

We have a bicycle theft problem at our local library. Most bicycles,
even high-value ones, are locked with a junky cable and padlock, often
just a thin cable, and there are a LOT of bicycles parked there.

So, when I was mayor of my town, I got the Public Works department to
install some very secure bicycle parking devices that are operated with
a smart phone app. See <https://walkbikecupertino.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/installing-Bikeep-racks-at-library.png>
.

I was worried that we didn't install enough of the bicycle parking
devices. Unfortunately, they are rarely used. Bicycle theft is still an
issue.
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

In article <mit82vF64d3U1@mid.individual.net>,
Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:

Had a tube strike last week, [...]

Took me a moment to realize this wasn't some kind of bicycle failure I'd
never heard of. :)
--
Brian "Beej Jorgensen" Hall | beej@beej.us
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Beej Jorgensen <beej@beej.us> wrote:

In article <mit82vF64d3U1@mid.individual.net>,
Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:

Had a tube strike last week, [...]

Took me a moment to realize this wasn't some kind of bicycle failure I'd never heard of. :)

To be fair there are some similar ish sounding names aka snake bites/pinch flats etc which tube strike fits in with!

Roger Merriman

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