I’ve bought a Thatcham approved disc lock today for my bike.
My bike isn’t high value (YBR125) so I was thinking I might just use the disc lock, rather than a chain, when away from the house.
I currently park my bike in the front garden and was thinking of leaving the chain there, use it at home but whenever I am away I just use the disc lock.
Good idea or a bad idea?
I know people can come along and pick the bike up and put it on a truck, but to be honest most of the time when I park up I don’t have anything to attach it to, like I do at home.
Or should I use the disc lock and the chain?
What do you do, or at least what would you do in my position?
Well, this is kinda my question.
I could buy 5 disc locks and 4 chains and then spend 20 minutes locking it up every time I use it.
I was curious as to what other people do, or at least what is the best balance between good security and not being personally inconvenienced trying to achieve aforementioned good degree of security.
Have I stumbled blindly into an area that ‘we’ don’t discuss?
Would take a small chain with me whenever possible. On a number of bikes you can also find some parts conveniently sticking out where you can attach a disclock - makes it easier to carry around. I would also use a much bigger chain at home, but be careful, if you just leave the chain outside when out and about, a sneaky scrote can cut through most of it while you’re away and then mask it. So when you come back to chain up your bike, you won’t even realize that the chain has been compromised.
When away from home I take a disc lock and a thatch am approved chain. Useful if you find something to chain it to, which you often can. Also have an alarm.
Hasn’t stopped me having two RGV’s and a Fireblade stolen
Just do as much as you can.
I work as a security specialist. I get asked the question “how best should I secure X” a lot. Much of the time, my perfectly serious answer is “men with guns”.
The truth is, security is a risk based process tied to cost. How much cost (in terms of money, inconvenience, hassle) are you willing to bear to protect against the risk of something happening (damage, loss, consequential losses such as inability to travel, insurance premiums rising). It’s a trade off. My personal trade-off when travelling into town: I carry a great big chain wrapped around the back of my bike and if leaving it in London I put the damn thing on, ideally linked to something solid. I also try to park next to more desireable bikes, so that mine is less likely to be stolen. At home, its the same chain, locked to my other bike and a big heavy anchor, along with a disk lock and an alarm, and that is in a garage.
Bike Trac is a small GPS, GPRS, GSM & RF tracking device that once fitted to your bike, lets you see where it is through a secure website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! It is one of the few stolen vehicle recovery products that is Thatcham Category 6 & 7 accredited. What’s more, it uses both GPS and RF technology - meaning that even if the GPS signal is lost, the location of the unit can be tracked and recovered.
At home my bike is covered, ground anchored, 16mm chain & disc lock plus the alarm/immobiliser.
At work I park it in a private compound with a 12ft high fence and it’s right under the nose of security as well as being 20 feet from my desk so just alarm and immobiliser.
Out and about i used to take the 16mm chain with me but very rarely found a bike bay with anything to chain to so now I tend to just take the disc lock (plus alarm/immobiliser) unless I’m going to a mates house or somewhere that I can park on the street and chain it to a lampost. I don’t see any benefit to a 16mm chain if it’s not attached to anything at the other end.
bear traps, dogs, razor wire, electric fence and a trip wire that sets of my 10 machete pendulum. Indiana Fuckin Jones couldn’t steal my bike! and if he did the boulder on the roof would get him and the bike as he got to the end of the drive! Asshole!
