10.08.2007

Does your bike wear protection?

When I started biking to work I was quite concerned about bicycle thieves. I spent about two hours at the LBS looking at different locks, reading about their features, warranties, and all the other variables before finally deciding on one. Now I'm moving to Sacramento and I'm a little concerned about thieves again. Slate.com has an article about bike locks that saves you the guess work. They tried out a bunch of different models and chose a winner based on criteria such as security, portability and value. The winner was the Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit U Lockwhich boasts (among many great features) a $4,500 anti-theft warranty. The lock I've been using for months is the OnGuard Bulldog STD which only scored a 24.5 total score compared to the Fahgettaboudit's 33.4. I've also had a problem with the lock that's been mentioned by some other people in forums; sometimes the locking mechanism doesn't want to release, and you end up having to bang on it with a blunt object for up to a few minutes before it releases. When you're in a public place, people tend to look at you funny when you're huddled over a bike lock, wacking it with a hammer and sweating through your dirty work clothes. Looks like I'll be budgeting in a new lock; it's cheaper than a new bike and I might save some face.

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