Looking for Good Bike / Bicycle U Lock - Is Kryptonite worth the $?

[consumerPI]

Helping a friend pick a good U lock for her bike. Noticed that Mountain Equipment has a line called Magnum that looks decent and is around $25 - 32.




http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...lock-cable.jsp

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...000-u-lock.jsp

Any suggestions on this or where to go (i.e. a specific store in the GTA?).

I'm surprised that MEC does not sell the expensive Kryptonite locks. Any comments on those and where to buy them?

[mack]

europe bound has kryptonite and abus. their prices are usually a bit less than others (~$10 less)

i personally went with the orange kryptonite mini 7. scored one on amazon for $51 plus shipping.

the generally rule is spend 10% of the bike value on locks. although i do not believe that since that would leave me with a crappy walmart lock. lulz

[consumerPI]

Thanked. Will check them out. Keep the suggestions coming guys/gals.

europe bound has kryptonite and abus. their prices are usually a bit less than others (~$10 less)

i personally went with the orange kryptonite mini 7. scored one on amazon for $51 plus shipping.

the generally rule is spend 10% of the bike value on locks. although i do not believe that since that would leave me with a crappy walmart lock. lulz

[UrbanPoet]

Any department store bike from Canadian Tire or Walmart is fine with a cheapo U-Lock.

Anything desireable.. e.g. a high end bike, or an old high end bike should be kryptonited!!! Or at the least... One of those On-Guard locks... They have a mini U-Lock that comes with a Cable for $40... its very tough.

[pessamystic]

take a look at this to judge which lock to get:
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/...eSecurity.aspx

also think about how much you want to carry around. a simple cable lock will prevent casual theft of your bike. a chain and lock from kryptonite will prevent most. the mec locks are twice as heavy as kryptonite. i use a cheap cable lock and never leave my bike in bad locations. alos, if i do lock it up, i try to put it beside better bikes.

[rems]

I like the Abus locks cuz they're lighter...

[UrbanPoet]

I like the Abus locks cuz they're lighter...

I have one of these. Its amazing. Very secure and extremely flexible and convienent. I've used this to lock up my bike and it could fit around really thick poles and trees. MAkes it much easier for me to find bike parking



It can't be snipped off with bolt cutters.

[Ebeniz]

hopefully they fixed this problem

[UrbanPoet]

hopefully they fixed this problem

Years ago... They switched over to this skeleton type of key.

[snider]

I got my Kryptonite New Yorker lock from Ebay was pretty expensive $100 after taxes ands shipping but its well worth it to have a piece of mind. My bike is not crazy expensive (less than 2K) but I've had cheap locks broken into before so its definitely worth the investment. Even if It was a $200 bike I would be extemely pissed off to have it stolen due to a cheap lock.

I lock my bike up in a caged area at work but if I were to lock it up in public I would go with 2 locks as extra deterrent. Thieves can break into any lock if they have enough time so you have to buy as much time as possible to keep them away. I also have a mini Kryptonite lock which weighs like 2lbs (around $40), which is a great supplemental lock, you could also go with a chain or cable as the secondary lock but the U-locks are harder to break into so I just go with 2 Kryptonite U-locks (1 heavy and 1 light).

[trini]

I have 6 Krypto locks 2 Fahgettaboudit and the others one just below it.
It's the best lock but if its too rich for you then get an Abus or the heaviest one from MEC which is the most cost effecive solution.
Although Kryptonite claim they will insure your bike etc, you're never goinig to see that money if your bike gets stolen.They've covered their behinds in the fine print.

[UrbanPoet]

I have 6 Krypto locks 2 Fahgettaboudit and the others one just below it.
It's the best lock but if its too rich for you then get an Abus or the heaviest one from MEC which is the most cost effecive solution.
Although Kryptonite claim they will insure your bike etc, you're never goinig to see that money if your bike gets stolen.They've covered their behinds in the fine print.

Apparently... They'll refund the money of your stolen bike 3 fold... If you return a strand of hair from the thief and a frogs eye.

[consumerPI]

Ya, I can't believe that they can advertise that legally when they make it so difficult to pay out a claim on a stolen bike. I found a chunky U-Lock by "ONGuard Bull Dog" that is very thick and looks like it has more metal than the Magnum Ones on the straight bar where the lock goes.

Apparently... They'll refund the money of your stolen bike 3 fold... If you return a strand of hair from the thief and a frogs eye.

[Sum_guy]

I have one of the heavy chain & U locks from MEC. But it's a pain.

All you're trying to do is make your bike less attractive than the one beside it. If someone takes a grinder to it, no lock is much better than the other.

[UrbanPoet]

Ya, I can't believe that they can advertise that legally when they make it so difficult to pay out a claim on a stolen bike. I found a chunky U-Lock by "ONGuard Bull Dog" that is very thick and looks like it has more metal than the Magnum Ones on the straight bar where the lock goes.

On-guard locks are good. They're like a budget kryptonite! I saw one under $50... Very study and similar weight/dimensions to the kryptonite mini... except it came with a cable! nice