A new artificial material effectively cannot be cut, holding out the promise of lightweight but cut-proof bike locks, security doors and protective clothing. Its inventors embedded ceramic spheres in aluminium foam to create a material that couldn’t be cut with angle grinders, power drills or water jet cutters. They dubbed it Proteus after the shape-shifting Greek god, for the way the material metamorphosised in different ways to defend against attacks.
Rather than just being a hard surface that resists external pressure, the material turns the force of the drill or cutting mechanism back on itself, as the ceramic spheres create vibrations that disrupt the external force. “It actually destroys the cutting blade through the sideways jerky vibrations that it creates,
Sounds good.QuoteRather than just being a hard surface that resists external pressure, the material turns the force of the drill or cutting mechanism back on itself, as the ceramic spheres create vibrations that disrupt the external force. “It actually destroys the cutting blade through the sideways jerky vibrations that it creates,Must be interesting manufacturing it if you can't cut it.
Reminds me of a conversation I had with a Ford dealer many years ago when i told them the hydraulic tappets needed adjusting.
Sounds good but A. They've got to actually make it into a chain first and B. I'm guessing once they do it would probably cost more than most of our insurance excess anyway hahaI always find the normal "unbreakable" locks to be quite laughable. Theres always a YouTube video showing someone cutting through them in less than 60seconds with a grinder so I question why anyone would spend £300+ on one that lasts 10seconds longer than a £100 one 🤷♂️I just stick with the theory that a heavy/thick enough chain and a disc lock will stop the majority of have a go theives. If a professional thief wants it then there's not a great deal you can do to stop themI also refrain from parking mine in public unless its 100% necessary. I feel sorry for those people that have to leave theirs parked up on a curb in London all day 😬, less so for the ones that insist on doing so with their £20k Ducatis but still
Quote from: Dudeofrude on 20 July 2020, 07:37:26 pmSounds good but A. They've got to actually make it into a chain first and B. I'm guessing once they do it would probably cost more than most of our insurance excess anyway hahaI always find the normal "unbreakable" locks to be quite laughable. Theres always a YouTube video showing someone cutting through them in less than 60seconds with a grinder so I question why anyone would spend £300+ on one that lasts 10seconds longer than a £100 one 🤷♂️I just stick with the theory that a heavy/thick enough chain and a disc lock will stop the majority of have a go theives. If a professional thief wants it then there's not a great deal you can do to stop themI also refrain from parking mine in public unless its 100% necessary. I feel sorry for those people that have to leave theirs parked up on a curb in London all day 😬, less so for the ones that insist on doing so with their £20k Ducatis but stillFrom talking with people who open the locks, from both "sides of the law", I have concluded this:No lock is unbeatable - a security system without a weak point is useless by definition. Why? Because, security systems have to have a relatively easy, convenient way for those authorised to "unlock", and that's what often gets exploited. Of course, there's always the brute force approach to beating it, if all else fails.Better (and almost always more expensive) locks require more knowledge, experience and tools to open.10 to 30 more seconds with a battery powered angle grinder can make a difference - because those things do make a lot of noise. Not all the thieves are cool and level headed.Boils down to this: thieves practically always go for the easier pray. If your bike is less expensive (looking), and better locked than the other bikes, why would they bother?I'd also add my experience with bicycle locks. Every now and then, people come into my workshop with a stuck bicycle lock. Either something broken with the locking mechanism, or they loose the only key they have.Most of the cheap locks get easily cut with relatively small cutters (those that fit under the jacket, often even those that fit in a pocket). That's no noise, almost zero effort, done in literally a few seconds.Having said all this: I did "break" a few locks in the street, in broad daylight, with no one paying any attention whatsoever (could have been a thief). Still, if I were a thief, I wouldn't know if the owner would come by and see me, and I would probably be a bit more nervous and avoid locks that take more time and/or noise to break (based on my tools, knowledge and experience).Bottom line:Would I trust any lock to keep the bike from being stolen? No - no system in the world.Do I think investing in a good quality (and expensive) lock is worth it? Definitely - because it highly decreases the probability of your bike getting stolen. That's all you can do.It's a lot like riding a bike: you can get killed on your bike any day in traffic. But you're a lot less likely to get severely injured when paying attention, being careful (and, of course, wearing the protective gear). You don't just run a red light without looking because "even when paying attention, I can still get killed".Of course, the fewer people invest in good locks, the safer a bike with a good lock is. So I'm almost happier when people don't take my advice on locks and security.
From what I've read on this, it looks like a pair of bolt croppers would still go through this easily, and that's the attack that they conveniently leave out of the paper...
"...You don't just run a red light without looking because "even when paying attention, I can still get killed..."Were you saying that on behalf of the average cyclist?
From talking with people who open the locks, from both "sides of the law", I have concluded this:No lock is unbeatable
At the same time I have had the bike data tagged and use a good lock, disc lock and alarm and a booby trapped side stand