Combination bicycle locks.

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does anyone
still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it till
I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

On 6/26/2016 1:08 PM, Ian Field wrote:
On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire
combination lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does
anyone still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it
till I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

I wouldn't use one.

But OTOH, what I use almost all the time is a tiny key lock in
conjunction with a thin plastic-coated cable. I suspect any wire
cutters could get through this thing, yet I've never had a bike stolen.

I think the key is to not park a bike in a really vulnerable spot. If
you choose your spot well, almost any lock will do.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Frank Krygowski" wrote in message
...
On 6/26/2016 1:08 PM, Ian Field wrote:
On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire
combination lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle
attached.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does
anyone still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it
till I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

I wouldn't use one.

But OTOH, what I use almost all the time is a tiny key lock in conjunction
with a thin plastic-coated cable. I suspect any wire cutters could get
through this thing, yet I've never had a bike stolen.

I think the key is to not park a bike in a really vulnerable spot. If you
choose your spot well, almost any lock will do.

The chain I use was liberated from the fence round a commercial property. It
was used to secure various motorcycles till I got around to buying a proper
Oxford brand chain.

Now its used on the bicycle, I sometimes get comments that the chain is
worth more than the bike.

The bike has a light alloy frame - so I'll keep on bodging it as long as I
can get away with.

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:08:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It's not from a stolen bicycle. A good bicycle thief doesn't leave
evidence behind, which means he takes the lock, which would be full of
his fingerprints. The bike rack in front of a local small office
building has about 5-10 locks hanging from it. They're owned by
various bicycle commuters that believe that two locks is the answer to
security. However, they don't want to drag the lock back and forth
each day during their commute, so they just leave one or both attached
to the rack.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does anyone
still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it till
I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

Bicycle combination locks are fairly easy to open. Lots of YouTube
videos on how it's done:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=open+bicycle+combination+lock
https://www.youtube.com/user/bosnianbill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqMbNOYtiEg&list=RDjqMbNOYtiEg
I've been tinkering with amateur lock picking for years, but never
have become very good at it. Still, I can pick most bicycle
combination locks fairly easily.

Unfortunately, the weak link is not the lock but the cable. I built a
small Li-Ion battery powered hand grinder and cut off tool, that can
slice through a cable lock in 10-35 seconds. Covered by a jacket, it
can barely be heard nearby. Many cable locks are mostly plastic which
can be easily nibbled apart with wire cutters or maybe a pipe cutter.

Maybe a Titanium lock?
https://tigrlock.com
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tigrlock/tigr-titanium-lock-as-cool-as-your-bike/description
$100 to $200.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4:33:01 PM UTC-4, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:08:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It's not from a stolen bicycle. A good bicycle thief doesn't leave
evidence behind, which means he takes the lock, which would be full of
his fingerprints. The bike rack in front of a local small office
building has about 5-10 locks hanging from it. They're owned by
various bicycle commuters that believe that two locks is the answer to
security. However, they don't want to drag the lock back and forth
each day during their commute, so they just leave one or both attached
to the rack.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does anyone
still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it till
I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

Bicycle combination locks are fairly easy to open. Lots of YouTube
videos on how it's done:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=open+bicycle+combination+lock
https://www.youtube.com/user/bosnianbill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqMbNOYtiEg&list=RDjqMbNOYtiEg
I've been tinkering with amateur lock picking for years, but never
have become very good at it. Still, I can pick most bicycle
combination locks fairly easily.

Unfortunately, the weak link is not the lock but the cable. I built a
small Li-Ion battery powered hand grinder and cut off tool, that can
slice through a cable lock in 10-35 seconds. Covered by a jacket, it
can barely be heard nearby. Many cable locks are mostly plastic which
can be easily nibbled apart with wire cutters or maybe a pipe cutter.

Maybe a Titanium lock?
https://tigrlock.com
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tigrlock/tigr-titanium-lock-as-cool-as-your-bike/description
$100 to $200.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Perhaps the bicyclist just left the lock there so they'd not have to carry it or so they wouldn't forget it?

Finding a bicyle and not reporting it to police but keeping it for oneself is still in the eyes of the law theft or at best being in possession of stolen property ifthe bicycle is found to be stolen.

Cheers

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 13:50:36 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

Perhaps the bicyclist just left the lock there so they'd
not have to carry it or so they wouldn't forget it?

I suspect it's a mix of various reasons. I know two of the commuters
involved. Both believe in the 2 lock system for security. Neither
wants to carry the lock on their commute. At home, the bicycle
doesn't need a lock, so it's easy enough to leave it at work. They
would probably keep it in their respective offices, except that they
have to go up the elevator to retrieve the lock every time they arrive
at work. It's easier to just leave it attached to the rack.

One overweight chain lock is owned by a local itinerant bicycle
repairman. His method of operation is to leave various repaired and
to be repaired parts and pieces attached to the racks with a cable
lock, where his customers can pick them up. He has such locks all
over town. Some are marked with his name, but most are not.

Finding a bicyle and not reporting it to police but keeping
it for oneself is still in the eyes of the law theft or
at best being in possession of stolen property if the
bicycle is found to be stolen.

That assumes that the bicycle is largely intact. My palatial office
is fairly close to several homeless encampment. Bicycle thievery in
the area is epidemic. Although I suspect it varies with the thief, a
few break down the bicycle to parts, and just sell the parts, which I
presume is safer if discovered. Over the years, I've found numerous
bicycle carcasses, with most everything that could easily be removed
gone. Most are "department store" quality and not worth taking.
However, I once spotted a nice mtn bike frame attached to the bike
rack in front of a restaurant. Only the frame was left, but it was my
size, and looked interesting. I inquired at the restaurant but nobody
claimed it. The local police often eat at the restaurant, so I asked
one of them if they didn't mind if I take the bicycle. They said, no
problem. I grabbed it the next day. Unfortunately, my evaluation of
the frame quality was lacking, and I found it to be worthless. I
donated it to the local recycler, who built it up into a sellable
bicycle:
http://bikechurch.santacruzhub.org
Unless the found bicycle was complete, or mostly complete, I don't
think the police care. Is it theft, or helping keep the streets and
sidewalks clean?


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:08:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It's not from a stolen bicycle. A good bicycle thief doesn't leave
evidence behind, which means he takes the lock, which would be full of
his fingerprints.

A bicycle thief would at best discard the lock by throwing it on the ground,
and certainly not re-lock it.

Either way, I've done someone a favour - they're now reflecting on how lucky
it was their bicycle hadn't been secured by such an easy lock.

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 15:56:34 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/26/2016 1:08 PM, Ian Field wrote:
On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire
combination lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does
anyone still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it
till I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

I wouldn't use one.

But OTOH, what I use almost all the time is a tiny key lock in
conjunction with a thin plastic-coated cable. I suspect any wire
cutters could get through this thing, yet I've never had a bike stolen.

I think the key is to not park a bike in a really vulnerable spot. If
you choose your spot well, almost any lock will do.

You are replying to a fellow who took a week or more to make his
V-Brakes to work (if he ever did) and can open a bike lock "just a
couple of minutes". One can only speculate on how he developed these
skills.


--
cheers,

John B.

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 22:28:32 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:08:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It's not from a stolen bicycle. A good bicycle thief doesn't leave
evidence behind, which means he takes the lock, which would be full of
his fingerprints.

A bicycle thief would at best discard the lock by throwing it on the ground,
and certainly not re-lock it.

As neither of us are likely to be an actual bicycle thief, I suspect
our speculations on the thought processes of a real bicycle thief
might be somewhat lacking. In this case, methinks that you're making
a bad assumption, that the bicycle lock was left attached to the
supermarket bicycle rack for no useful reason. Please re-read what I
scribbled for several good reasons.

It would appear that it's common in the UK, although some people seem
to have found ways to abuse the practice:
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/leaving-a-lock-attached-to-a-bike-rack-or-similar.95429/

Either way, I've done someone a favour - they're now reflecting on how lucky
it was their bicycle hadn't been secured by such an easy lock.

I suspect otherwise. My guess(tm) is that a supermarket employee will
arrive to work tomorrow and find their bicycle lock not where they
left it.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 13:32:56 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Sun, 26 Jun 2016 18:08:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

On Saturdays visit to the supermarket, there was a steel wire combination
lock wound round one of the tie rails with no bicycle attached.

It's not from a stolen bicycle. A good bicycle thief doesn't leave
evidence behind, which means he takes the lock, which would be full of
his fingerprints. The bike rack in front of a local small office
building has about 5-10 locks hanging from it. They're owned by
various bicycle commuters that believe that two locks is the answer to
security. However, they don't want to drag the lock back and forth
each day during their commute, so they just leave one or both attached
to the rack.

It took me just a couple of minutes to release it - seriously, does anyone
still buy this crap?!!!

If I find a bicycle slung in the bushes, that lock will do to secure it till
I have time to recover it - but for the bicycle I use, no way!

Bicycle combination locks are fairly easy to open. Lots of YouTube
videos on how it's done:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=open+bicycle+combination+lock
https://www.youtube.com/user/bosnianbill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqMbNOYtiEg&list=RDjqMbNOYtiEg
I've been tinkering with amateur lock picking for years, but never
have become very good at it. Still, I can pick most bicycle
combination locks fairly easily.

Unfortunately, the weak link is not the lock but the cable. I built a
small Li-Ion battery powered hand grinder and cut off tool, that can
slice through a cable lock in 10-35 seconds. Covered by a jacket, it
can barely be heard nearby. Many cable locks are mostly plastic which
can be easily nibbled apart with wire cutters or maybe a pipe cutter.

Maybe a Titanium lock?
https://tigrlock.com
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tigrlock/tigr-titanium-lock-as-cool-as-your-bike/description
$100 to $200.

You can buy a battery operated 4" angle grinder for $50.00 on e-bay
and titanium cuts about like 304 stainless :-) They also work well for
opening a safe.
Or you can buy a "snap gun" for as low as $17 or $18. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_YgCw4oA00

--
cheers,

John B.