Tampering with locks: wet rag on it?

[rmurphy195]

I think it depends, amongst other things, on the size of the locker's lock and how close together the stands are. Mostly though, leaving locks on stands in public places just strikes me as a combination of wasteful and selfish. A bit like always expecting to park your car in the exact same spot.

Equivalent would be, perhaps,obstructing the spot with a cone or somesuch, using other people's politeness to reserve "your"place! And yes, I do ignore locks on stands, if the owner of the lock doesn't like me using "their" spot, tough.

[Tangled Metal]

I can see how politeness might stop people using such a stand with lock. Not something that I worry about. If I need to lock my bike and the stand had a lone lock on it I'd ignore it.

[pyruse]

I'm always puzzled by people who leave their locks on stands at work. Do they never cycle anywhere else on their bike?
A lock isn't much use unless you can use it when you stop to pick up shopping, visit a friend etc. Or do some people only use their bike to ride to work?

[alexnharvey]

I have a lock I keep at work and several other locks at home. If I plan to stop on the way home I take the work lock with me and then bring it back the next day. If I travel from home I take one of the locks from there.

This does obviously limit impromptu stops on the way home from work.

[gbnz]

always expecting to park your car in the exact same spot.

Please, this is a cycling forum (NB. I know some people may be motorists, but keep it quiet please.)

[mattheus]

I'm always puzzled by people who leave their locks on stands at work. Do they never cycle anywhere else on their bike?
A lock isn't much use unless you can use it when you stop to pick up shopping, visit a friend etc. Or do some people only use their bike to ride to work?

In a way, it's no different to having a lockable garage at work.

(or secure car-park, which is probably more common. But it would depend on where you work!)

You can still have locks on your car doors!

[Bmblbzzz]

Hey? Having locks on your car doors is more comparable to taking your bike lock with you, surely?

[roubaixtuesday]

I'm always puzzled by people who leave their locks on stands at work. Do they never cycle anywhere else on their bike?
A lock isn't much use unless you can use it when you stop to pick up shopping, visit a friend etc. Or do some people only use their bike to ride to work?

Just makes it impossible to forget your lock, plus one less thing to carry every day.

I keep a separate lock at home.

Makes sense to me.

[mattheus]

Hey? Having locks on your car doors is more comparable to taking your bike lock with you, surely?

Yes indeed - what I meant was you COULD have:
- a lock at work,
- a lock at home, AND/OR
- a portable lock.

All of which map to the options that a driver has!

[Tangled Metal]

Locks on car oors is closer to frame locks on bikes sold in countries like Denmark and Holland. They're a part of the vehicle.

Locks on stands is not IMHO like garage locks because whilst you might own the garage you are unlikely to own the Sheffield bike stand in a public area.

Leaving locks on stands is simply like trying to reserve a pool lounger on holiday by putting a towel on them the night before. Like that situation the left lock relies on the potential stand user not being happy using the stand with a lock or throwing the towel off the lounger to use it.

I think the lounger is a better analogy.

[alexnharvey]

I think that's a stretch of an analogy There's no reservation implied at my work. Two stands and about five locks per stand, first four to arrive lock up, the others use the traffic signposts.

I assumed we all regard the stand as a handy place to leave the locks. Some places have either planned or defacto lock storage places. Maybe this helps to clarify that no reservation is intended. Don't think you'd get far in Cambridge if you thought you could reserve a locking up spot anywhere.

[londonbikerider]

Thank you all for your replies, it was not my intention to stir a debate about why and how and how antisocial is to leave your own lock on a bicycle stand; rather to discuss about locks that have been tampered.

More in detail, the spot is not exactly a public space, since is well inside the boundaries of a major supermarket business. Nor is a real "bicycle stand", being just a metal rail about 7ft long and bolted onto a wall.
There are no signs against locking bicycles there, and is well away from the public walking route or fire exit, in fact you could lock three bicycles and have zero nuisance to the patrons.
And I believe it will take 50+ locks to make the space unusable for other cyclists, but then such high traffic will demand a lot more that a mere 7ft rail.
Furthermore, if the rail was to be completely covered with locks, it would arguably be better for the bicycles, since the rail is just painted metal but the locks are almost always covered with a plastic sheat...

[OxPhil]

Might be trying to break the lock with 'canned air coolant' - i.e. trichloroethane in a spray can. The trichloroethane has a boiling point of about -15 degrees C & so you can use it to chill anything you spray it on. Using a wet rag might ensure that more of the liquid stays around the lock & so cools it more effectively?

(The idea is that the steel gets more brittle as you cool it. Cool it enough & give it a whack with a hammer and it fractures. In theory anyway. How effective this is in the real world I don’t know.)