This article was taken from the October 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Each lock was secured to a bike frame and stand. Our would-be bicycle thief -- Adam Thompson, who co-runs the bike workshop at Hackney Cyclists -- then got to work on the locks. He used escalating but common theft-strategies, from a 600mm short bolt-cropper to a scaffold pole, chisel and hammer, "stubby" bottle hydraulic jack and, finally, a 1,200mm long bolt-cropper. Locks were approached from different angles and in different ways to assess likely weak points. Specialist bike-theft tools that are rarely used, such as a cold spray to make the metal more brittle, were not tried.
The London Cycling Campaign provided additional expertise and tools.
<img src="http://cdni.wired.co.uk/455x303/s_v/Screen shot 2011-09-08 at 12.14.15_455x303.jpg"/>
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
