Chains

[Draper]

I was having some random thoughts today, as i want to get a proper good chain, but just wondering whether some of those 130 quid ones are any better than one half the price?

also i was in a pretty mad mood (after a good steak and a coupple of banks's) and was thinking that could you buy another normal beefy padlock (theyre less than a tenner) and stick that on the chain aswell along with the locking device that comes with it? would that actually do anything deterrant wise and breaking in wise? or is this me being slightly ridiculous?

:smt023

[mac99]

I went on a shopping spree a while back and bought a great big Almax 4 (http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/n5dXvr16917/Almax-Immobiliser-Series-IV/c-1-70/) . It came with a top end squire padlock as well.
It certainly is very big and heavy, and their claim is that it is the only one that can't be cropped by hand.

About your supplementary padlock idea, my understanding is that it is usually the chain that is attacked, unless you have a very basic lock. So two locks will be no better than one.

On the minus side, I just renewed my insurance, and the Almax wasn't on their list of chains that warrant a discount, though various other makes were. They promised to look into it ...:rolleyes:

On the plus side, Almax gave me a discount for mentioning the forum. Which was nice.

[KnightRider]

I went on a shopping spree a while back and bought a great big Almax 4 (http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/n5dXvr16917/Almax-Immobiliser-Series-IV/c-1-70/) . It came with a top end squire padlock as well.
It certainly is very big and heavy, and their claim is that it is the only one that can't be cropped by hand.

Am thinking about getting the Almax 4 as there are a load of theiving scrots in my area and I need to protect the bike. Unfortunately I cant really afford one chain for home and one for when I am out and about and was wondering what your experience is of carrying the chain on the bike with you. Is it too heavy to put in the tail pack they provide for regular use?

At 5'4 I dont weight too much so am hoping it wont affect the bike too much but your views would be appreciatted.

[mac99]

I don't carry it out and about, it lives in the garage.

I only once carried it in the Kriega US10 tail pack that came with it, when I brought it back from work. It only just fit in. My suspicion is that you'd get sick of wrestling the thing about rather than it being impossible or dangerous. I reckon it's about 15kgs or so, at a guess, and I went for the 1.5 metre version.
I shouldn't think it would affect your handling though, it's only like being a few stone heavier.

They also do the Almax 3 which is meant for mobile use.

[lucky strike]

Am thinking about getting the Almax 4 as there are a load of theiving scrots in my area and I need to protect the bike. Unfortunately I cant really afford one chain for home and one for when I am out and about and was wondering what your experience is of carrying the chain on the bike with you. Is it too heavy to put in the tail pack they provide for regular use?

At 5'4 I dont weight too much so am hoping it wont affect the bike too much but your views would be appreciatted.


Jon, I bought the series 4 1.5m chain and squire. It weighs 12kgs in total iirc, and I carry it around on my Oxford Hump back tank bag. Granted, I may lose a bit on fuel economy on the bike, but I now have infinitely more peace of mind when out and about (I always try and chain it to something, but if I can't I wrap it around the rear tyre and thread it over the riders seat)

p.s - Mac99, who did you talk to at Almax, Alex or Maxine? Actually, they are both TOP people, very freindly and listen to what you want!

[northwind]

If I was buying a real chain it'd be Almax, all the way... But all I want is a basic deterrant so I use a hopeless Oxford that cost a tenner. 9/10 of the really expensive chains are no more protective than that, any chain that can be broken with manual croppers does nothing more than deter kits and opportunists, and since you could cut mine with toenail clippers that's as much as it's good for as well.

[KnightRider]

Think I will probably go with the Almax 4 for peace of mind. I'd rather have to spend a bit of time wrestling with a big chain than have my bike nicked whilst I am at home. I can always buy another, more portable chain 6 months from now if it really does start to annoy me!

Jon

[muffles]

The Almax 3 is meant to be uncroppable by hand as well. I have the 1.5m version of that, I'm actually using that as my "home based" chain, although I could have got the 4 I was worried about it fitting through the ground anchor I had bought (a flush fit one, that is concreted in). Almax reckoned they both would fit, but seeing as they were both "uncroppable" I just got the 3 to be on the safe side.

Don't think I'd want to be lugging it around, though!

[Draper]

In this motrax mag, they've got these English Chains (hyperlink and superlink), which theyre giving 9/10 out of 10 for and are thatcham approved and sold secure whatever that means

what are these like does anyone know? they have no mention of Almax

[muffles]

I've got another chain which is sold secure gold, it cost £50 with padlock, it's chunky enough but I think it was the cheapest sold secure gold I could find. Basically the sold secure gold test isn't really that stringent so don't worry about that too much.

p.s. 9/10 out of 10 isn't very good ;) I guess you mean 9 out of 10 or 9/10...lol :D

[Draper]

hahaha good ol mathematics, yeah certainly not 0.9 out of 10 :p

however i was referring to secret option c) - in the 9s and 10s out of 10

[northwind]

Sold Secure, Thatcham and ART are all pointless for chains IMO- when the codes were written none of the three believed a portable chain could beat large manual crops, so they didn't include it ](*,) Just stuff like impact resistance and resistance to embrittlement, and lock quality. Though even then, there's nothing in Sold Secure or Thatcham about bumpable locks (which is a complete joke, since only a fundamentally rubbish lock design can be bumped), and all 3 still allowed the famous biro-locks 6 months after that was publically outed.

Incidentally, there's a 14mm chain out there which is overhardened to be close to impossible to cut with manual croppers- think it was an English Chain Co, or possibly a Mammoth. It was very vulnerable to impact attacks though (sledgehammer)

[Draper]

yeah, so you still stick with your original choice of Almax for a chain?

I'll be off to uni, and god knows the number of feckers around the place trying to nab anything they can. Want to make sure as much as possible that my bike wont get knicked. Gonna fit a cyclon advanced alarm and i've got two brake disc locks and a chain (but they were cheap as)

If i can get it secure as possible the only problem then will be the swines just giving it a good booting in of a drunken evening

theres some bashtards out there

:smt072

[Heed]

AT times a cheap chain is as good as an expensive chain. Opportunist thieves are the most common bike thieves and a decent chain will put them off and send them on to an easier target.

[northwind]

AT times a cheap chain is as good as an expensive chain. Opportunist thieves are the most common bike thieves and a decent chain will put them off and send them on to an easier target.

I pretty much agree with that... There's no chain that I really consider portable enough to use all the time, and once you step back from the really good, massive chains they're all much of a muchness- that's why I use such an awful one. It's easier to just go and find another bike

[lynw]

Almax vote here too :D

If you want to know why, saunter over to visordown. Do a search for a user called "Zanx", find one of his posts and look in his signature. Theres links to him cropping pretty much most major locks/chains scarily easily and quickly - and we are talking about insurance approved stuff here too. The guy basically tests these things and will generally only recommend almax simply because they are the hardest to crop/break.

Also bear in mind, its not good getting a really expensive chain and putting a cheap lock on it. You need to make sure the lock itself cant be broken.

But as northwind and heed say, if you need it as a deterrant from opportunist theives any lock/chain will do and that will work most of the time. However, you have to remember its hardly a deterrant when a simple bolt crop can get through some of the chains/locks in seconds compared to say a 20 minute drive to another location for a similar bike.

[Lozzo]

AT times a cheap chain is as good as an expensive chain. Opportunist thieves are the most common bike thieves and a decent chain will put them off and send them on to an easier target.

A few years ago a magazine tested disc locks, like they do from time to time. They bought a load of really expensive ones to demonstrate what sort of protection you can get, and some really cheap things to show how crap some are. When they did the tests they found the best lock of the lot was a ten quid cheapie Ming Tay job from China. After that I bought two and had a hell of a job getting one of mine off my own bike when I lost the keys.

[northwind]

If you want to know why, saunter over to visordown. Do a search for a user called "Zanx", find one of his posts and look in his signature.

I used to think Zanx was a bit of a fanatic, til I found the Almax stand at a bike show which had a load of chains and a pair of croppers. That was fun :thumleft: Oxford had a huge display of their products, Amax had a folding table, a bin and a set of croppers, guess who won?

[lucky strike]

I used to think Zanx was a bit of a fanatic, til I found the Almax stand at a bike show which had a load of chains and a pair of croppers. That was fun :thumleft: Oxford had a huge display of their products, Amax had a folding table, a bin and a set of croppers, guess who won?


Well, there's a reason I spent one tenth of the value of my actual bike on an Almax..........;)

[Draper]

what would be recommended for a uni environment, they're known for their thieving

an almax then?

ive got a cheap chain but i dont feel confident in it to protect me nice new bike ive saved up for. I suppose if i buy a sturdy chain at least if it was to goet knicked, i know i couldnt have done much more to prevent it

cheers