On 31 Jan 2008 15:46:26 GMT, Alan Hoyle wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:58:07, dgk wrote:
I just got a Kryptonite U-Lock to replace my "lost" chain. It's four
pounds and I don't want to keep carrying it around. I used to leave my
lock/chain around the fence where I locked the bike but the folks who
owned the building decided it shouldn't be there anymore and discarded
it one day (after telling me that it was ok to leave it there two
years earlier).

I moved to a new bike rack nearby, but I'm not sure about just leaving
the ULock there. While they are supposed to be pretty well theftproof,
perhaps someone would like to practice on it? And it's exposed to the
weather, which was not the case in my old location.

Still, l lugged the lock with me today and was very sluggish; four lbs
does seem to make a difference. I had it in the saddle bag; I'll have
to mount the bracket and see if the weight distribution makes a
difference. There is a LOT of weight on the back of the bike, most of
it being me.

I've left a Kryptonite New-York U-lock locked to the bike rack outside
of my office for several years. It has held up to weather very well,
though I've been pretty consistent about using the keyhole cover.
Once it started to feel a bit gritty, but a squirt of Tri-Flo fixed
it. On the u-lock I have, the keyhole cover isn't one of the
"rotating sleeves" but is instead a sliding cover attached to the
outside. The plastic cover attaching it to the lock broke once (with
no detrimental security effect), and Kryptonite shipped me a
replacement.

The plastic keyhole cover is visible at the bottom of the lock in the
following image:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/images...cts/997986.jpg

I wouldn't worry about someone "stealing" it. I mean, if you can't
trust the lock to stay there, how could you trust it to keep your bike
there? Just lock it to the rack and leave it there.

-alan


That's the lock, more or less. It's the New York Lock STD. Get's an 11
on the security scale. It's also 4*8" so it can lock my frame and
front wheel to the rack (it fits by a few mm). I'll just leave it on
the rack. I've been leaving my temporary ULock (a not very secure
Masterlock) on the rack so I guess I can leave this one.

I just have this feeling that someone will think "hey, that lock is
supposed to be theftproof, I think I'll try this torch on it". I guess
they're more likely to try it on a lock that has a bike attached
though.