

- #Picking a master lock combination how to
- #Picking a master lock combination full
- #Picking a master lock combination zip
Let’s run through the pros and cons of each genre to help you pick the best lock for your situation. The good news is bike thieves are criminals of opportunity, so you can decrease your risk by locking up more intelligently than the next cyclist. Still, it failed immediately when faced with a decent pair of wire cutters or metal shears. But its core-a thin metal band-withstood cutting attempts from household scissors. We found that the number wheels were a little stiff. The lightweight locks use a three-digit combination.
#Picking a master lock combination zip
These Bell zip tie-type locks are available at Target and Amazon, and you can have two for less than half the price of the Cinch above. One crafty Amazon reviewer used their own hardware to screw the mount to the bottle bosses, which might prove sturdier than the friction mount. However, the design relies on friction to keep the lock in place, so user reviews are mixed on whether it works long-term. The included mounting bracket uses a nylon strap to affix to the frame rather than going through the bottle bosses, a design that increases your options for mounting positions. From personal experience, the 4-pound lock works great as a mallet, too. This u-lock has a 16mm hardened steel shackle and uses a pass-through crossbar design to prevent twisting attacks, forcing thieves to cut the shackle twice to compromise the lock. For those locks we haven’t tried, we researched testing and picking conducted by outlets like Wirecutter and Bike Radar and experts like LockPickingLawyer to identify the best locks in each category.Īll you need to know about the Kryptonite New-U New York Lock is in the fine print: The company will replace your bike (up to $4,000) if it’s stolen because the lock was compromised in the city, where thousands of bikes are stolen each year.

For those we got hands on, we used these locks, weighed them, and evaluated their mechanisms. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and engineers, and use our own experience with these locks to determine the best options.
#Picking a master lock combination how to
Join Bicycling All Access for more gear adviceĬheck out our favorite locks and keep reading for more information on various lock types and how to use them best. A study by 529 Garagefound that less than 5 percent of stolen bikes make it back to their owners, which means yours is probably gone for good.
#Picking a master lock combination full
The FBI reported 125,136 bike thefts in 2019 (the most recent year it has full data on), although the actual number is likely higher because many property crimes go unreported.

But hindsight is 20/20, and now your prized bicycle is listed on a neighboring city’s Craigslist for pennies of what you paid.

In five minutes’ time, you can order a coffee, check your email, politely glance at the other café-goers, receive said coffee, and return to where you left your unlocked bike, which was stolen four minutes ago.
