Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

inanout
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2018 1:41 pm

Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby inanout » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:20 am

Hi, from research, a combination of locks would work best, and would optimally be a chain lock + D-lock, but that obviously comes at a pretty heavy weight cost, but which locks do you guys use/recommend for sub $500-600 bikes? Also, anybody else noticed the crazy high mark-ups on any kind of decent d-lock compared with USA prices? :cry: :cry:

And regarding tyre pressure, is there usually a PSI indicator on CO2 pumps or some other way you can tell? I don't think I've seen any with an in-built PSI reader.

Also, for floor pumps, aren't they all relatively the same? I know there are big ones, small ones, and handheld ones, but there are huge differences in prices even for the big ones. What would be the difference between a $30 one and $70?
e.g. http://www.99bikes.com.au/floor-pump-jetblack-x-air and http://www.99bikes.com.au/floorpump-99-super-deluxe

Ty,
Bike Noob

User avatar
bychosis
Posts: 7250
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:10 pm
Location: Lake Macquarie

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby bychosis » Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:48 am

Locks depend on what you want to use it for. All day at the train station or on the street get a really good one. For half an hour at the coffee shop/supermarket or within an area without much passing public you can get away with something lighter. It also depends on your financial ability and need to replace the bike. I lock my cheaper bikes up at the supermarket with a $5 cable lock, but never leave my expensive bike unattended.

I don’t think co2 is designed for setting your tyre pressure, just to pump the tyre up to firm/hard with minimum effort to be adjusted later, ie emergency usage. Also be aware that co2 leaks from tubes pretty quickly compared to normal air and will need to be re-pumped within a day or two.

I have a perfectly acceptable Aldi floor pump that cost about $20. The change is t as accurate and the cylinder seems a bit smaller than my better pump, but it works fine.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

User avatar
rodneycc
Posts: 2879
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: Melbourne Eastern Suburbs, Victoria

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby rodneycc » Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:27 am

Pump prices usually come down to quality. A good floor pump is a standard piece of equipment you will need. Cheap floor pumps usually have crappy heads that you have to be really careful with or they damage your core valve in your tubes. The Aldi ones have great barrels but mainly crappy heads so what I have is two Aldi pump barrels with a Topeak smarthead in one and a twinhead on the other that you can separetely buy in a spares kit. So you get a decent pump for $35-40.

When you start riding more then thats the time to buy a mini pump that you can take with you on the bike with spares (puncture kit, spare tube etc), or co2. But floor pump initially all the way.

On bike locks I'm not too fussy as I don't lock up in a high theft area so Ive just got a few combo locks from Bunnings for 8 or $9 for each bike. Pretty thick cable and 4 combo wheels. More for deterrant as Ive seen on the internet most combo locks can be cracked in about 45 seconds! Still I like combo over key.

Edit: Just on the Aldi floor pumps, they have all been pretty similar for the last 3 or 4 years but about 12 months ago came out a "premium" pump which wasn’t too bad actually. Its head was a Topeak smarthead and it had a wooden handle (which was a change from the plastic handle). But another six months on from that back came their standard crap-head one. So will be interesting to see what comes out next time.
2013 BMC TM SLR01;2013/14 Bianchi Inf CV
2013 Lynskey Helix;2013 XACD Ti Di2
2013 Giant TCR Adv SL1;2014 Giant Defy Adv SL

User avatar
Dan_Melb85
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 2:06 pm
Location: Melbourne - Eastern Suburbs

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby Dan_Melb85 » Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:29 pm

I’ve got a Cervélo with carbon rims that cost me a disgusting figure. That stays inside the house and always within eyeshot and arms reach when I take it out, and I’ve got a $100 fixie I bought for shopping and running errands around my local area.

Honestly, no big deal to me if the fixie got stolen, just more of an inconvenience (and a pain to find another as cool as this one), so I had a cheap as chips alphanumeric barrel lock I used on my building sites in my stock of random under the house items that I use for it as more of a deterrent.

Initially at $100 I wasn’t even going to bother with a lock, but as I said the fixie bike does kind of look cool, and could bring attention to itself if it wasn’t locked.

I’ve got a floor tyre pump I bought from 99 bikes, jet black brand I think. The cheapest they had, however I have no idea about the quality of heads or handles etc, it seems to work fine for me regardless of the price.
Image
- 2016 Cervélo S3 Ultegra Di2

User avatar
Duck!
Expert
Posts: 9858
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 8:21 pm
Location: On The Tools

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby Duck! » Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:31 pm

rodneycc wrote:
When you start riding more then thats the time to buy a mini pump that you can take with you on the bike with spares (puncture kit, spare tube etc), or co2. But floor pump initially all the way.
No, a basic on-bike service kit comprising appropriate spare tube, patch kit, tyre levers & mini-pump is essential for ALL riders.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

Philistine
Posts: 501
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:57 pm

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby Philistine » Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:25 am

Duck! wrote: No, a basic on-bike service kit comprising appropriate spare tube, patch kit, tyre levers & mini-pump is essential for ALL riders.
I carry everything except the patch kit. My appalling record of getting punctures is matched only by my equally appalling record of repairing them (I'm lucky if 50% of my repairs "take" the first time), and I have learnt from bitter experience that I need to clamp a repair in the vice, and leave it overnight to give myself a sporting chance.

User avatar
g-boaf
Posts: 21318
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:11 pm

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby g-boaf » Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:39 pm

inanout wrote:Hi, from research, a combination of locks would work best, and would optimally be a chain lock + D-lock, but that obviously comes at a pretty heavy weight cost, but which locks do you guys use/recommend for sub $500-600 bikes? Also, anybody else noticed the crazy high mark-ups on any kind of decent d-lock compared with USA prices? :cry: :cry:

And regarding tyre pressure, is there usually a PSI indicator on CO2 pumps or some other way you can tell? I don't think I've seen any with an in-built PSI reader.

Also, for floor pumps, aren't they all relatively the same? I know there are big ones, small ones, and handheld ones, but there are huge differences in prices even for the big ones. What would be the difference between a $30 one and $70?
e.g. http://www.99bikes.com.au/floor-pump-jetblack-x-air and http://www.99bikes.com.au/floorpump-99-super-deluxe

Ty,
Bike Noob
If your bike is a very nice one, then there is still the problem of enterprising thieves trying to make off with components of the bike, such as derailleurs, brakes and the like. You can't lock everything down. In that case I'd be thinking of getting a cheap bike.

I think a combination of locks would be a good idea. It weighs you down but that's better than being without the bike. Security skewers are another idea you could try, these will deter some thieves.

I have an old Bontrager track pump, that does the job well enough.

On bike, I just use CO2 cannisters with a valve. But I don't ride far enough away from civilisation that I need the mini-pump. I'll take one if I'm going further than normal though.

User avatar
AUbicycles
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15583
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
Contact:

Re: Bike Locks and Tyre Pressure

Postby AUbicycles » Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:13 am

If you havn't spotted this thread, it is word reading: Tracking Stolen Bikes and preventing theft

The essence is making your bike harder to steal than other (and appear harder). Two different types of locks means a thief probably has to use two different tools and when they quickly want to steal without attracting too much attention, it is a deterrent. For a combination I would go for a solid D lock and a cheap and nasty cable-lock (best case with cable and/or fibre).

When looking at a D-Lock, don't necessarily get the biggest / largest - instead go for one that fits the bike and where you are locking. I have a nice Kryptonite through which I can get my front wheel, bike frame and bike rack. There is virtually no space for leverage and it is very hard to get tools like bolt cutters in.

Because I lock the bike regularly, I also secure other 'easy to steal bits' specifically the wheels and seatpost. The skewers for the wheels use a less common 5-sided hex key (there are also other solutions and variations out there) as is the seat post bolt. If I was going overboard, the other bolts could also be secured but it is the seat post and wheels that are annoying to lose.

--

My 2 cents on pumps - start with a transportable hand-pump. C02 is ok and you can get higher pressure but it is a disposable - there are small pumps that easily fit. I never take a pump and patch while on my commuter - instead have good tyres and don't ride through glass. I am usually not riding particularly long distances on the commuter - if it was longer then I would always have a pump. On the MTB and road bike I always have the pump and tools.

For a floor pump, I think you can keep it affordable. Perhaps a pricier pump with have a much longer lifespan as the materials (such as rubber plunger) are better. Generally handheld pumps (in my experience) have been short-lived but my current micro-pump from blackburn has been doing very well.... this is also because I rarely use it because I always top-up with the floor pumps.


Shop-around as well, 99 Bike is just one retailer (or retail chain) and it can be worth dropping by a few shops to see different brands and be able to compare.
Cycling is in my BNA

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users