Discs locks with alarms

[Guest]

Whats peoples opinion on disc locks with alarms?

Thanks

[Guest]

naff, batteries die and it tells you, that you it left on as you fall off...

[MtotheJ]

They are flipping expensive to replace batteries but, Id rather pay the money and it alert people if someone's trying to fiddle with it. I've got the Oxford one and the batteries are still going after 2 and a half months with it on pretty much all the time, minus a couple of days here and there. If its between a £30 normal one and and a £60 alarmed one, Id go for the alarmed any day.

[Guest]

the problem i see, is most people don't react to car and bike alarms, and if someones trying to force it they will just make an excuse to passers by,

just my opinion..

I use a lock and cable and a grip lock, both are highly visible and lock more than the front wheel, also enables me to lock my helmet to the bike through the chin piece..

[Guest]

I used a big chain with padlock, an alarm AND a disc alarm (Xena).

Had the disc alarm for a while now, nearly a year, still on same batteries and it works a treat. The batteries weren't that expensive (bought a spare set and didn't realise it came with two complete sets!) and well worth it IMO.

[Ingah]

Thought you might benefit so i'm copy/pasting what i've put elsewhere on the forum:

"Recommend Almax through the frame of the bike (or at least not just the front wheel) and to an immovable object. At all times.

...

Have previously heard that alarmed disc locks are well, abit pants (but if your research suggests otherwise i'd be interested to know why). Would suggest a cheap and easily fitted bike alarm instead (£20-£35 if you can fit it yourself - good example here http://www.motorbikealarm.co.uk/node/48). Maybe a talking one as above if you want other people to pay some notice (the first few times at least).

Always found alarms are better used to alert you to someone messing with the bike, than to anybody else - no one else seems to care unless it's their property It only takes a few chirps to alert you, so i'd be less worried about it being easily disabled

...

[On disc locks]

Have heard many a rumble that they're very easily defeated (easily smashed off, bike picked up instead, alarmed versions silenced very easily - the unbolting the disc [to make the disc lock useless] is new to me, but sounds just like a normal thief's day).

That's without all the threads where someone has forgotten they'd put the disc lock on and dropped/damaged the bike as a result

And of course, there has been examples of people buying them and finding that the particular one they bought didn't fit their particular bike.

And that the batteries seem to run out (in some) all too quickly - the alarmed ones that is.

...[On disc locks vs bike alarms] because of it's exposure it's not going to be as good as an alarm (which is at least inside the bike).

The disc locks also take more time to put on and take off the bike, every time you use it. More faff-factor. With an alarm fob it's a button, although you will probably forget the alarm's on at some point, so better keep the fob handy

As they cost a similar amount at the low-end (c£30), i'd go for a cheap alarm, that preferrably runs in parallel to your bike's electrics (i.e. would, on my mechanic's advice avoid the ones that the bike has to go through to start, as when it eventually malfunctions it'll leave you stranded - of course this is the more secure option but it's too high a price to pay imo, whereas the in-parallel kind can just be unplugged and you can ride home then)."

Sorry if you've already read this.

Edit: Spotted a disc lock with alarm in Lidl today for just under a tenner. For that price even i was slightly tempted!

[Guest]

Disc locks take 2 seconds to put on... put them on the front wheel, left hand side below the caliper and put steering lock on... harder for thief to try and remove. If you're worried about riding off with it on use a forget me knot... I dont bother now because the action of taking the steering lock off activates the disc alarm to remind me to remove it

I didn't buy the Xena disc lock primarily because of the alarm, but because they are widely regarded as the best disc locks semi-decent money can buy (they are not at the cheap end of the market).

I also have an alarm on the bike but as far as I'm concerned its a false sense of security.

Physical security is the way to go... chains, padlocks, attached correctly and not trailing on the floor... disc locks to stop bikes being rolled away etc.

Of course if money permits get all three... thats what I have done... even though I doubt my bike is on the wish list of scumbags.

[Ira]

I have Oxford disc alarms and chains on both my bikes, I run the chain through the back wheel and lock it to the frame, the older of the two locks is almost four years old and still on the original batteries, It is used even when the bike is garaged so that's whenever I am not riding it 24/7 for almost 4 years, recently I had to leave the bikes for a couple of months parked in Central London along with my mates bike which had an ordinary but very tough lock, drunks leaving bars and clubs used to get on the bikes and muck about and several times I came out in the morning to see bikes on their sides with smashed levers, mirrors, screens and fairings but luckily both mine got left alone, my mate wasn't that lucky he had to replace a mirror one night, a mirror and indicator on another, his screen mirror and indicator on a third and finally caught two lads trying to nick the bike even though the back wheel was chained, I was lucky and got a place to park off street but as he still has to park on the road so he bought an alarm lock 3 months ago and hasn't had any problems since.