Bought a cheap bike lock in Vancouver and lost my whole ride

I grabbed a no name cable lock from a dollar store near Granville Street last month, thinking it would be fine for a quick coffee stop. It looked sturdy enough, but the whole thing was just plastic wrapped around a few thin wires. Came back 20 minutes later and my bike was gone, cable cut clean through like it was nothing. That was a $700 commuter bike, gone in broad daylight. I felt so stupid standing there with just the cut lock in my hand. The worst part is I spent maybe $12 on that lock, trying to save a few bucks. Now I'm out a bike and walking to work. Has anyone else learned the hard way about where not to cut corners?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony_sullivan72mo ago

Oof, that's brutal. Just a small thing, but it wasn't really plastic wrapped around wires. Those cheap cable locks are almost always just a plastic coating over a single, thin braided steel cable. It looks thick, but it's one cut with bolt cutters and it's done. A proper U-lock has a solid hardened steel shackle. It's a totally different level of security. That single cable is basically just a polite suggestion.

kelly.robin2mo agoMost Upvoted

Disagree with you there, anthony_sullivan7. Calling a cable lock just a polite suggestion is a bit much. For a quick stop at a busy coffee shop in broad daylight, that cable is enough to make a thief pick an easier target. Not everyone needs or can carry a heavy U-lock for every single trip. It's about matching the lock to the situation, and sometimes a cable is the right, practical choice.

aaron_wilson171mo ago

Remember seeing a guy at the park last week trying to cut a cable lock with just some hand snips, took him maybe thirty seconds. Kinda proves both points, honestly. It does stop the totally casual grab, like @kelly.robin says, but it's also shockingly fast to beat. Makes you realize it's all about how much time you're asking a thief to spend.