Thursday, September 2, 2010

Cheapest OnGuard PitBull MINI 5006 Bicycle U-Lock


I have three PitBulls -- two standards and a mini -- and a Kryptonite of some description or another. The two standard Pitbulls and the Kryptonite are all the same age; the PB Mini is newer.

The difference? The two standard PBs and the PB Mini are going strong, doing their job without a hitch. The Kryptonite has permanently fused one of my bikes to my house. My LBS has decided to stop selling Kryptos for that precise reason.

All three PBs lock and unlock smoothly, show no sign of suffering from the abuse they put up with. I routinely bang them on stuff by mistake, drop them, subject them to tensions they shouldn't have to put up with, and I by bike commute in all kinds of weather, including slushy winter schmutz. The PBs have never yet failed me in any way.

The Mini is fantastic. It does make for tight clearances, and will rarely allow you to lock both frame and wheel (in the rare case that I'm worried about it, I use a secondary cable lock to secure my wheel). However, the tight clearance should make it much harder for potential thieves to crack using leverage.

I'm giving the PB and PB Mini four stars because nothing is perfect, and the 'universal' mounting bracket can't be mounted on my frame in a way that doesn't cause some kind of interference (either with water bottle or legs). However, I have a weird bike (an older GT Legacy with a 17"/~43cm frame and the attendant unusual GT seat stays), and the bracket probably would fit about 99% of the bikes currently on the road (and/or off the road!). I get by using a couple of velcro straps or simply hanging it from my bar-end mirror, so that's no big deal. Likewise, the keys are a tad chunky, but certainly no worse than your average overwrought dealership-issued car key.

The lock itself is awesome. Mine has been dropped, run-over, and otherwise mauled and is still going strong. If you love your bike, and want it to be there when you get out of work, or that late movie, or the corner convenience store, OnGuard is the way to go, and the PB Mini is a great option.Get more detail about OnGuard PitBull MINI 5006 Bicycle U-Lock.

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