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What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 8th 05, 03:38 PM
NYC XYZ
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?


Hi, All:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!

WTF?!


TIA!

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  #2  
Old September 8th 05, 03:48 PM
Llatikcuf
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

NYC XYZ wrote:
Hi, All:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!

WTF?!


Ti cuts like Alum, not near as strong as steel, and just damn expensive!

-n

--

Llatikcuf-at-gmail-dot-com

Eat the meek!
  #3  
Old September 8th 05, 04:10 PM
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

"NYC XYZ" wrote:

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!


What's Up With Cross-Posting Each Of Your Queries to Four
Different Newsgroups?

Please restrict them to one at a time.
rec.bicycles.tech or .misc would have been the appropriate
venue for this question.

And titanium is awkward to machine yet not as strong as
steel per volume, so it would make for a very bulky bike lock.

  #4  
Old September 8th 05, 04:18 PM
David L. Johnson
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:38:09 -0700, NYC XYZ wrote:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.


And that "reinforcement" is marketing. Titanium is not magic. It is
neither stronger than steel nor lighter than aluminum. It is, however,
stronger than aluminum and lighter than steel.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of!


Not really. Though there seems to be interest in titanium-alloy armor,
your basic tank uses steel. Steels can be much harder than titanium, and
for a bike chain, that is vital -- as long as it doesn't become brittle.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
_`\(,_ | -- Paul Erdos
(_)/ (_) |


  #5  
Old September 8th 05, 04:26 PM
Werehatrack
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

On 8 Sep 2005 07:38:09 -0700, "NYC XYZ"
wrote:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!

WTF?!


Pure titanium is not all that strong. Used in an alloy, it can make a
stronger, lighter product than steel...but the expense of making the
material and working it can be amazingly high.

Do you want to pay DoD prices for your chain? If so, then I suspect
that you can get a near-bombproof Ti-alloy chain somewhere. But I
suspect that a spare bike might be cheaper, and a good conventional
hardened chain would be a lot more cost-effective.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.
  #6  
Old September 8th 05, 04:40 PM
Ralph
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

Ti gets soft when heated, I assume it would be easy to cut

"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

Hi, All:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!

WTF?!


TIA!



  #8  
Old September 8th 05, 05:09 PM
Jasper Janssen
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 11:18:23 -0400, "David L. Johnson"
wrote:

Not really. Though there seems to be interest in titanium-alloy armor,
your basic tank uses steel. Steels can be much harder than titanium, and
for a bike chain, that is vital -- as long as it doesn't become brittle.


Well, older tanks use steel. Nowadays you get all the fancy stuff with
composites and kevlar and **** as well. And of course 'reactive' armour,
which is basically explosives slapped all over the outside, though I don't
believe that's in actual use yet, just research.


Jasper
  #9  
Old September 8th 05, 05:14 PM
Leo Lichtman
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?


"Jasper Janssen" wrote: (clip)And of course 'reactive' armour, which is
basically explosives slapped all over the outside, though I don't believe
that's in actual use yet, just research.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now we're getting somewhere. When do you think we will be able to get chain
with this "reactive" stuff on it? I can just picture the look on the guy's
face as it blows the jaws off his bolt cutters.


  #10  
Old September 8th 05, 06:59 PM
IMKen
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Default What's The Deal with Titanium Chain Locks?

Titanium is not as hard as steel. It will cut with tools easily available
to a thief. It is strong on a strength to weight ration only.

Russians build Nuclear Submarines from the stuff so you can see that is not
even rare. It does have a very good ability to be flexed many times with no
serious weakening. Great shock resistance. You can buy titanium shovels on
eBay.

ken


"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

Hi, All:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of! But
I read instead that ti locks aren't as strong as steel, actually!

WTF?!


TIA!



 




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