Based on the vibes from this conversation i should make my bike super unique. Parts shouldn’t match. Funny sloppy paint job. Sloppy welds on the frame for mounting the battery. Exposed wiring and zip ties. Fully DIY vibe.
Anyone in their right mind would know riding that bike would cost extra in maintenance because they have no idea if it even works.
Never buy anything, until the lockpicking lawyer reviews it.
They don’t bother picking locks, they just cut them or force them open with a jack almost invariably.
And these methods have been on his channel too.
Cool, did he do one for Skunklock Chemical?
Before y’all go out and buy one, be sure to look up videos from regular people cutting through the shackle or otherwise trying to defeat the lock.
I watched a guy do it with a single blade in two minutes. The author of the article mentions that no lock is undefeatable, and two minutes is impressive for a steel lock, but that’s still within the realm of possibilities for a thief, especially if your lucrative target is a motorcycle or ebike.
Do your due diligence when choosing a lock, and make sure you know what you’re buying.
Skunklock Chemical or maybe one of the cut resistant ones from ABUS or Hiplock would probably be better choices. I heard the higher end ones can take 5+ cutting wheels to get through.
This is why I want to get a Skunklock Chemical: If someone is going to cut it they will have to suffer for it.
Serious question: what happens if YOU need to get it off because you lost a key or someone purposely broke/filled the keyhole, meaning the lock can’t be picked?
Will you be able to find someone to cut it, knowing that they’ll be chemically assaulted in the process?
We’ll cross that shank when the skunk gets there.
I had never heard of that until today. I’ll have to look into it!
Gotta get the skunk lock.
Do your due diligence when choosing a lock, and make sure you know what you’re buying.
And if what you’re locking up is really valuable, maybe consider a 2nd lock.
Multiple strategies.
For me, it goes like this:
- Two locks.
- removed the QR from my seatpost so that’s not as easy to remove.
- I have a motion alarm hidden somewhere that isn’t easy to see or access (i.e. can’t easily break it off).
- I remove any accessories that are meant to be removed quickly, like lights. The mounts stay, but you’d have to unscrew them to get them off, and with the alarm, nobody is going to do this.
But I can expand this if my bike were needed to be left somewhere for prolonged periods of time (i.e. overnight):
- bike cover. Yes, this apparently can work really well.
- airtag or similar. This won’t deter theft, so it’s not on the top of my list, but may help to recover a stolen bike.
- replacing wheel QR skewers with the security type. I’m on the fence with this, because it would create convenience barriers with maintenance. This is why I prefer using locks to secure the wheels.
But the alarm + two locks already poses too many barriers for someone, and the likelihood is that they’ll just target someone else’s bike.
My rules are: Minimum 2 locks. All valuables or critical components removed from bike. If it’s an ebike that means removing the battery and control unit if possible.
