Stopped at Old Portland vintage hardware, left with four new antique locks! 😍
From top to bottom:
- warded or lever lock (not sure which yet)
- lever lock (needs TLC to unstick shackle)
- 3-digit combo lock (with indirect mechanism)
- disc-tumbler lock (likely 4-5 discs)
@dave yes, in fact, many are inoperable, some are operable—but barely, and some are in remarkable shape.
I often work oil through them to make them work better. Sometimes use degreaser, an ultrasonic cleaner, WD-40, wire brushes, etc.
@alice @dave Being honest now (I realise you take immense pride in your locksport!), have you ever encountered a padlock that completely defeated you? If so, which brand was it? I mean, as an expert in lockpicking, what would you confidently recommend to a friend?
Also, what would you recommend to secure a bicycle? I've been told by a police officer that nearly everything can be brute forced with industrial bolt croppers - indeed, thieves prefer this method to tinkering with fiddly mechanisms.
@ApostateEnglishman in the wild, no one¹ is going to pick your lock.
I'd recommend something like the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini. No one is going to pick it (but it's possible), and almost no one is going to cut it (but it's possible).
There are only a few locks that have utterly defeated me, and they come in two varieties: rusted to the point that they're nonfunctional, or high-security disc-detainer locks (like the Abloy Protec 2). Most other things I can open (eventually).
¹ if your day to day is like a spy thriller, maybe it's different, but for most people it's not.
@alice @dave Yes Alice, spot-on point from you there. In cybersecurity (you know this already - I'm addressing the wider readership) it's called a Threat Model. Who are you reasonably expecting to be targeted by? 'Cos that's the only threat to be acutely concerned about. As Ed Snowden said, if your enemy is the NSA, a working assumption should be that they always have root access to everything. Plan accordingly.
If it's Dave from the pub who's determined but also stupid? Basic OpSec'll do it. 🤷🏻♂️
@alice @ApostateEnglishman @[email protected] Lock your bike better than the next one (two locks). Lock your bike next to a bike that is (or looks) more expensive.
I know, it's the "St Florian" defense (Heiliger St. Florian, schütz dieses Haus zünd and're an!" "Oh Saint Florian, protect this house, burn another one"), and I'm not ok with any bike being stolen - but this works.
(I'll second the Kryptonite, also the tighter the lock the less room to attack it)
@ApostateEnglishman @alice @dave
locks and chains are for slowing a thief down not preventing theft. making your bike as annoying/worthless to steal, as possible, is the goal. removing the front wheel and chaining the rest will do more to prevent theft than anything else
@coolcalmcollected @ApostateEnglishman @alice @dave Also locks help make it more visible when someone is fiddling with something they don’t own. Bolt cutters are blindingly obvious. Picking is less so, but it still doesn’t look anything like the proper key being used.
Vanishingly few locks can stand up to more than a minute of attack from a determined thief, but that’s a minute during which they stand out badly.
@ApostateEnglishman @alice @dave Removing the opportunity for theft, if the society doesn't dissuade it enough already.
(Also, in places where bikes are common enough, the value of stealing them drops through the floor, which leaves mostly e-bikes and if you have a removable battery you carry on, then you can just carry the majority of the monetary value into the building with you.)
The latter effectively requires adequate pedestrian & cycling infrastructure which is not an option in some places.
This is part of why some offices here have indoor rooms for employee bikes, such that they can be stored safely without risk of theft (that isn't trivially found out by auditing who had access).
🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)
Dave Alvarado
The Sleight Doctor 🃏🍉
Joe W
Anarchist Trans Ace Pirate
Zimmie
LisPi