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Yea Or Nay? A Textile Bike Lock
LOL, cut the lock, not the cable! Seriously, Duh!
That was my exact thought.
I have become persuaded that in order to really deter bike theft, it is necessary to threaten the thieves with real harm, and not merely attempt to come up with something they can't pick or cut or saw or break. That is a loosing game; nobody has ever succeeded at this. But if some dude were to pounce out of a tree and stab a thief with a fucking trident with a loud battle cry, and this were to happen consistently for a short while, word would get around, and bike thefts would rapidly diminish.
Even if it can withstand all attacks - I think the soft / vulnerable look would invite more than average attempts at theft.
The cable itself could be hard to cut, but the weak link are the rings at the ends and the lock - if they will use the tool not to cut the cable but the ring i believe they would succeed easily
That's my take as well. The shaft of the loop looks extremely thin to me. I suspect a pair of bolt cutters could make short work of it.
Kevlar and all aramids are a heck of a lot stronger than most people realize and braided ropes are not easily "sliced" or cut. So I would bet this will defeat most attempts at cutting. More likely as mentioned to attach the lock or rings, unless they are also hardened.
The fact that this is a "rope" is almost inviting to cut.
I love the concept. One of my biggest beef with bike locks is that it is usually the heavier, the better. So a lightweight alternative sounds intriguing.
However I'll stick to my big and bulky ULock until it is properly street tested. I've seen how thieves are crafty at finding and attacking weak spots such as the hoops at both ends and the lock itself.
Why would you cut rope with bolt cutters? Let's see how it stands up to a simple serrated knife.
Have you ever tried to cut Kevlar fabric? It is nearly uncuttable, requiring specially beveled scissors designed to put the material into shear. That's also a lot easier to do when you're cutting single sheets of flat material, rather than a reinforced braid.
Yeah, someone once showed me a Kevlar carving glove, designed to protect you from slips while cutting. I sliced it easily with my carving knife.
Looks like a great cable for locking bikes to chain link fences. Hehe