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Wasn't sure where to post this, but I have a kyrptonite new york m-18 lock (couldn't fit the mini fahg around my frame and stupid deep section rear wheel, ha ha) I was wondering if anyone had any advice for ways to transport this large, heavy lock on my frame, specifically for times when I don't need my backpack for anything else. Carrying the lock around in the bag gives me nice sweat patches and starts to do my weak, sofa ravaged back in after a while.
Have a look at the lockblocks from twofish. Those might work for the M18.
Otherwise i don't see any useful options with the M18.For all the security it provides, i would never carry a M18. If the Fahg doesn't fit, the NY-Lock would be my next choice. It is a bit thinner then the M18 but still uncroppable and oh so much better to carry.
Abus locks are much better in that regard, there is a myriad of lock mounts available for anything including the X59. -
Why is the krypto better than the onguard? Krypto's only have a locking mechanism on one side, but the onguard claims to have two.
I have used the Evo Mini and two different onguard locks (Brute and Beast) so far. Personally i would take the equivalent Krypto over the Onguard any time.
But only because the Krypto locks are more resistant to weather and have far better long term reliability. The Onguard i left outside started rusting very quickly. My evo mini has been outside for a year with hardly any rust. Also the Krypto keys are made from a stronger material, possibly steel. Onguard keys are made from what i suppose is brass and i managed to bend one with normal use.I have yellow Abus Mini - Gold rated. 1034 grams according to my kitchen scales.
Do you know the shackle thickness of your yellow one? Would be very much appreciated if you could provide the world with an accurate measurement. ;)
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EDIT:
Very strange. The specification seems the same, and yet there is a clear difference in security rating and price. I'll therefore change the version listed to the yellow one.What I've done is leave both in, so people can choose based on their budgets, or their insurance concerns.
I have been trying to get a bit more information about the Abus mini from german websites, but it is still confusing. Abus themselves don't list it on their website at all.
Some vendors sell the red one for about half the price of the yellow one. Others treat both as the same item, same price, choose your color to taste.
There is also conflicting information about the shackle thickness: 14mm for red, 16mm for red, 14mm for yellow, 16mm for yellow.I might call abus germany directly and ask them what the actual specs are for both.
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Are there any alternatives to Pitlocks for normal axels? Something like locking wheel nuts on a car?
Pitlock does offer a version for the axles on interal gear hubs. Those might fit normal solid axles as well. Not sure if they offer a solution for the front wheel. But you can just write them an email and ask.
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Yo can we get some more info on this "abus 401 mini" mentioned previously. If its 1kg and half the weight of a Fahg but still sold secure gold. sounds pretty good, but too good to be true for primary? ps. how hard is it to carry one of these Fahgs is it that much of a burden
The consensus, based on measurements and info from abus was, that the 401 should be considered an alternative to the Evo Mini.
It is not in the same league as the Fagh in terms of cutting-resistance.I think 2kg of lock are very annoying to carry in the bag or at the belt. Wouldn't want to do that. Plus, it is a pain if dirt and grease from the lock gets smeared around inside the pack.
Mounted to the bike, 2kg are fine. Thats just about two bottles of water, no big deal.
Have a look at the "megablock" from twofish, that seems to work for fitting a Fagh to the bike. Not suitable for fashion-victim bikes, though. :pPS: Krypto should really work on finally making a useful mount for their locks. Abus have been doing that for years. How hard can it be?
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That's what I thought but I even don't know which Kryptonite I should buy. I guess the Fahg will be to small for me even though it's more secure due to its size.
You mentioned an old (steel?) road frame. If you have such a bike, it should be no problem at all locking it with a Fagh.
The Fagh has the same shackle space as the Evo mini. I use an Evo Mini (living in a low crime area) for my beater. That bike has larger tubes and wider clearances than any road frame. If you fit the lock trough the seatstays, you can get away with a small shackle and still lock the frame + rear wheel to the bikestand.
Plus, the shackle will be completely filled, making it impossible to insert a lever or jack.
I can take a picture of the locking technique if you like.Also:
I mean from the sounds of it, unless they really, desperately, must have your bike, put a fagh on it and they'll move on to an easier lock.
Completely agree with that. A combination of M18 and X54 is just overkill. If the thief is desperate, he will just cut the bikestand which is a lot easier then cutting two high-end locks.
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Hey, I'm live nearby Frankfurt, Germany.
I'm really not sure about which locks I should buy. My first choice was a Krypto Fahg, but I think it's too small for my old road frame.
My other choices are the Abus Extreme 59 u-lock, the Kryptonite New York M18 and Abus Granit X54.The X54 is the cheapest, but it's secure though and a lightweight compared to the Extreme 59 and the Krypto M18. The Abus Extreme 59 is very expensive otherwise it'd already be mine. So the M18 seems to be my choice? But which second lock should I buy? Any ideas?
Might i ask what kind of secondary lock you are looking for? Do you plan on leaving the M18 at the rack? And are now looking for a lighter secondary lock for carrying around?
Both the M18 and Extreme 59 are large, very heavy and very awkward to carry. Fine for leaving on site. But i wouldn't want to carry even one of those, not to mention a second lock on top of that...
Personally, i think the X54 is the best compromise of strenght and portability. With the Fahg and NY-lock in close pursuit.
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It's obviously a good idea anyway, but is a well lubed lock mechanism harder to pick than a corroded one, I wonder?
From what i heard from the people at SSD, some corroded pin tumblers are harder to pick then fresh ones. Corroded ones are also harder to key-bump. I do not know if this is true for disk tumblers as well.
Still, i wouldn't let my lock corrode on purpose, the risk of it getting stuck is far too high.... which prompted me, after reading this thread a few weeks ago, to buy some 19mm chain - dooh' I should have realised how heavy it is. LOL. Feck me, locking my bikes up with 3m of that is a right old exercise work out. Like dragging the Titanic out by the anchor chain.
One of the manufacturers for 19mm chains actively discourages the use of those beasts on bicycles. Reason being that a few dropped links can damage the bike and on some bikes the chain won't fit trough the spokes if you want to lock a wheel.
I think pragmasis will trade down to 16mm if the 19mm won't fit. Almax might do that as well if asked nicely. -
Pretty much all locks can be picked with the right tools and skills. Right now there is probably one single small disk-tumbler available worldwide that can not readily be picked or bypassed.
The locking mechanisms of bike locks are usually nowhere near the cutting edge of lock technology.
Kryptonite and Onguard locking mechanisms are even more primitive then the abus system. Squire 6-pin might be a bit better but i have no reliable information about that one.But keep in mind that this is not a very serious problem. Even the most highly skilled (competition) lockpickers need 2 minutes to open a decent disk-style tumbler. So a semi-skilled crook under real-life conditions (dark, wet, bad positioning, etc.) will take 5-30 minutes. That would be a full pass in any lock test.
I get the impression that in the earlier test they used a mains-powered angle grinder (~2000W). Those have much better cutting performance and can cut pretty much anything in no time. The battery powered portable ones (~800W) take a lot longer to cut a lock.
I had older and newer X54 in hands and they seemed identical. The only difference i know of is that the locking mechanism has gotten more sophisticated over time. Current X-plus cylinders have multiple "fake/trap" disks which make them harder to pick.