Bike Lock comparison by Men's Journal

In this month's Men's Journal (June 2012) on page 120, is a new comparison, but that isn't available online yet, so here is the results, and I followed that with the 2009 Men's Journal comparison by the same writer.

Knog Strongman $100 Hawleyusa.com
Best in Class
1 minute 45 seconds with angle grinder, hacksaw couldn't beat it, boltcutters were useless against it

next best
Blackburn San Quentin $90 blackburndesign.com
boltcutters useless, hacksaw in 3:32 grinder in 1:18

Kryptonite New York Legend 1590 $175 kryptonitelock.com
boltcutters and hacksaw useless, grinder in 2:30

Judged in 2009 by Men's Journal writer Stan Horaczek,  on security, usability, and theft insurance — the maximum amount a lock company will reimburse you if its lock fails.

By Stan Horaczek-

-Our Testing Methods:

We needed a lock-picker, so we called Dave LaBarge, former world-champion safecracker. When not competing, he runs LaBarge Lock & Safe Technicians, in Watervliet, New York. We also needed muscle. We tried a two-by-four (a favorite of thieves), but since that didn’t budge any of the shackles, we resorted to power tools. We even attacked one with the Jaws of Life.

Expert’s Pick: Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock
Theft insurance: $4,500
New York is a playground for bike thieves, and Kryptonite invites them to try with their top-gun U-lock. Its 18mm steel shackle (2mm thicker than the Squire’s) lasted longer under the knife than all but the OnGuard, and the lock refused to be picked. Add in the second-best theft insurance and it earns our nod. [$100; kryptonitelock.com] Security: 9/10; Usability: 7/10

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Abus Granit X Plus 54 U-Lock
Theft insurance: None
“Looks like you should be able to drill through the case,” said LaBarge. But even after punching through two layers of steel, the lock wouldn’t budge. Next we tried the power tool. It cut through the 13mm squared-off shackle more easily than it did the Squire or Kryptonite, but it took more time and made more noise than most thieves would tolerate. [$111;abus.com] Security: 8/10; Usability: 7/10

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Masterlock 8200D Pro Street Cuff
Theft insurance: $3,500
The cuff’s short link kept us from getting leverage for a prying attack or a good angle for our power tool. LaBarge eventually opened them using a locksmithing secret we can’t reveal — “not something the average bike thief is capable of.” More problematic: The cuff’s small opening wouldn’t fit around our mountain bike’s wheel. [$68; masterlockbike.com] Security:7/10; Usability: 6/10

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Squire Paramount Plus U-Lock
Theft insurance: None
“I bet that will pick,” said LaBarge, and five minutes later, he had it open. Our brute force attacks didn’t go so smoothly — the 16mm-diameter steel lasted 13 minutes against our power tool. And the Squire’s bike mount is the best of the bunch, so you won’t leave it behind to protect your garage floor. [$100; squireusacyclelocks.com]
Security: 5/10; Usability: 8/10

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OnGuard Beast 5016L chain
Theft insurance: $5,001
LaBarge needed a power tool, a chisel, and 25 minutes to break one of the chain’s links. Hell, even the local firehouse’s Jaws of Life–esque cutters made only a small dent. And unlike U-locks, chains can wrap around nearly anything. The only catch: You’ll pay for great security with a hernia, as the Beast weighs 20 pounds. [$190; onguardlock.com]Security: 10/10; Usability: 5/10

http://www.mensjournal.com/tested-bike-locks

But for the most researched list of bike lock comparisons, http://www.consumersearch.com/bicycle-locks/reviews which has 20 different reviews from magazines and websites since 2006 to 2011

Jet Powered Bicycle is Spelled "Crazy"

The only way to spell Jet Powered Bicycle is C-R-A-Z-Y because that is what you have to be to ride this thing. Its on way to get to work faster than your average cyclist, but make sure the brakes work.

Burberry Gets a Black Eye by Chavs in the UK.

Some time ago I posted my first Burberry Art Car, but last night I discovered that this was just the tip of the British iceberg. In the UK Chavs is a phenomenon, youths of ill-repute, often football hooligans, who dress in designer brands, and Burberry being the particular brand of choice. According to a BBC article, the Burberry brand became a victim of its own success when Chavs co-opted the brand and now is associated with people who do bad stuff and many even think that Burberry is be worn by the person who mugged them. Fortunately sales of Burberry outside the UK did very well in spite of the "Chav" stigma.

So for your Art Car pleasure I present the most complete line up of Burberry art cars and other Berberry gear associated with the "chav" lifestyle now in full swing in the UK.

Garden Art Car Goes to Court

This garden art car is headed to The U.S. Supreme Court that will consider an appeal next month from the owner of Planet K stores over his long-running battle with the city of San Marcos about his right to display it. In 2007 Michael Kleinman paid two artists to transform this salvage special in front of his store into a painted cactus planter art car. City officials got themselves hot and bothered, claiming the Oldsmobile 88 was in violation of a city ordinance declaring such displays public nuisances. The car was removed and Kleinman is appealing a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in February that found the car-planter to be “ultimately a junked vehicle.”  Good luck with that!! via Its funny I was going to do a garden art car post a while back and forgotten about it until my dad sent me this article two days ago. As you can see these are just a few of the garden cars I found from around the world. Most are intentional, some natural and the last one is purely accidental. If you like these you might also like the Grass Art Cars also on Art Car Central.