Cycling UK Forum

No lock is able to stop someone spraying canned air upside down and giving the lock a whack to shatter it.

cycle tramp wrote: ↑24 Dec 2023, 4:27pm As I understood it, the anti-ballistic fibres were designed to stop or slow bullets... the reasoning goes something like this, bullets fired from a modern fire arm (except shot guns or automatic derived versions thereof) spin through the air and apparently the bullets aren't smooth either.. on a much smaller level bullets are covered on nicks and burrs... so the ideal was that when the bullet encounters these anti-ballistic fibres in a bullet proof vest, the fibres in the vest attach themselves to the nicks and burrs of the bullet, slowing its rotation and slowing the bullet...

thanks very much for this, it answers a question that has crossed my mind from time to time for decades. "Why do they call them Ballistic trousers" crazy name. (make sure you fall back to earth if you fall out of a tree?) I have been around chainsaw and forestry for years and every one always calls them Ballistic Trousers (they are even advertised as that) I have never heard the term anti-ballistic until this thread.

So I think you are right, they contain 'anti-ballistic' material and started out to stop bullets which are ballistic. We must have just dropped the 'anti' bit

Not really sure what would happen if you tried to cut ballistic trousers with an angle grinder, not going to try it in case something odd happens, it would probably just rip the tool out of your hands,

thankyou, and have a good xmas

Psamathe wrote: ↑24 Dec 2023, 4:58pm

Jdsk wrote: ↑24 Dec 2023, 4:29pm

cycle tramp wrote: ↑24 Dec 2023, 4:27pm ...
..the other thing that crosses my mind (if only because I am a black hearted scoundrel) is a hollow u lock filled with a deeply unpleasant chemical... grinder cuts through the u lock and the chemical gets sprayed everywhere by the blade.....
...

SkunkLock:
https://www.skunklock.com

Jonathan

Legal in UK?

Ian

I don't know about the legality, but depending on the chemical, it could backfire by affecting not just the thief but passers-by and... your bike!

pwa wrote: ↑23 Dec 2023, 10:08am As mentioned upthread, with a bike that is regularly left in a dodgy location, having an unappealing and scruffy appearance is a help. And for better security, leave your bike locked up where it is visible from multiple angles, to lots of people, so that the thief won't feel comfortable that the owner isn't returning. And then have a decent lock on top of those measures, not instead of them.

I would add "And next to other bikes". Other cyclists are more likely to notice someone acting suspiciously than people just walking past, and will have a vested interest in deterring any potential theives.

How common is it for thieves to use angle grinders?

I doubt that it is practical to stop someone who is determined to steal your bike from stealing your bike. But most of the time, this is not the case.

Deterring the casual thief is fairly easy to do - lock it! And make it obvious, so that there is no point in someone taking a closer look before realising that they cannot just hope on and ride off.

Then for the 'professional' thief, you just need to make it difficult enough that it's not worth the effort or risk, or the next bike is easier / more desirable than yours. Having a tourer is a good start. It is obviously not a expensive mountain bike, nor a fast lightweight racer. Very few people recognise a good tourer. (And I really should replace the handlebar tape and worn out seat.)

It reminds me of the story of two people who come across a lion, so start to run. One of them says 'we're doomed - we'll never outrun a lion!' The other replies 'I don't have to. I only have to run faster than you.'

PH wrote: ↑23 Dec 2023, 10:44am
I wish they'd publish the test results, though if they did I doubt manufacturers would consent. The reason the Diamond classification came about was that it became obvious there were huge differences between locks in the Gold classification.

In gods we trust. All others must bring data. Sold Secure offer no data, so get no trust. They clearly don't understand lock cutting, because gold is really not that hard.