
New material that cannot be cut - offsky
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2249275-material-that-cannot-be-cut-would-make-the-ultimate-bike-lock
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teddyh
More comments here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23901635](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23901635)

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aedanman
Ultimate bike lock until you lose your own key

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Aardwolf
The article only mentioned various powered tools, can it withstand a bolt
cutter?

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pascalo
Freeze and shatter? Car jack?

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mdip
My favorite ... when those "U" locks came out and the bike guy was trying to
sell me on a lock that was 1/4 the price of the bike it was meant to protect,
I jumped to "Freeze/Shatter" (details in another comment).

I felt bad after I pointed out this work-around ... I sort-of assume
commission-based sales people are slimier than the average Joe; he admitted he
hadn't thought of that but had heard of similar stories, just not "upside down
can of air/sledge hammer" convenience. And steered me toward a good, less
exotic (and ultimately ineffective) lock, instead.

And even the lock is a part of an overall security set-up that often has a
weak-point right smack on "the thing you affixed the lock to" (if not "how you
attached the lock in the first place"). And are there any unintended
consequences here that are being missed?

And then the devil's always in the details of its execution. The story of "The
Club" comes to mind ... big, bright, device you attached to your steering
column that the theory of function was: (1) It adds a second factor (key) to
unlock a device that has a hold on the steering column that is much stronger
than what your car has built-in. (2) It's very noticeable, therefore, a thief
will choose another car[0]. Except that the problem the thief has is walking
around a parking garage carrying around a bunch of stuff that's frequently
used to steal cars, much of which is difficult to conceal. With "The Club",
one needed to carry a sharp hack saw and for your trouble you got a really
strong lever to use to break the cars steering column lock. Two problems
solved, making the product a vehicle thief attractant.

[0] If you and I are being chased by a bear, I don't have to outrun the bear,
I have to outrun you.

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fretn
Can it be recycled or reused to make something else with it ?

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Waterluvian
I imagine it can be smelted down again like aluminum cans are.

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ktm5j
I'm really confused, that angle grinder cut right into that plate.. looks
plenty cuttable to me.

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BrendanD
Echoing fretn's comment. This material sounds like a patently bad idea for
general commerical use.

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fennecfoxen
flag dupes!

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mdip
> Material that cannot be cut ... The Ultimate Bike Lock

I remember the bike shop guy trying to sell the last bike lock that was cut
resistant. It was a steel (I think) "U" lock (back _right_ after they came
out). I worked at CompUSA at the time. A co-worker had discovered the
consequences of holding one of those "air duster" cans upside down, aimed at
the steel pole keeping his above-average-build body in his chair (it snapped,
he fell). Turns out a can of air and a good hammer and you can do away with
one these locks at least as fast as any other lock (and some scrap?). IIRC,
the generation that followed had very thick rubber insulation glued to the
metal.

The bike thief cares about taking your bike/parts as quickly as possible and
(probably) selling it somewhere. They don't care about breaking your super-
lock. They'll cut through/break the thing it's locked to, and toss the whole
thing onto a U-Haul as it circles the block[0]. Your wheels/gears/seat/parts
are expensive, the frame can be frozen/shattered/cut quickly.

There have to be a _lot_ of applications for a material like this (pretty much
everywhere _diamonds_ are used?).

But hey, if the aim was a _better lock_ , here's my thinking: maximize for "it
damages blades that try to cut it". Mimic a lock design that thieves hack
(ideally, one that is difficult to cut but has no faster approach; encourage
them to attach the expensive blades). Anything that increases the time during
a theft might be enough for them to jump back in the van and drive off to the
next set of bikes. And like all things security-related, use it in combination
with other techniques that balance the strengths/weaknesses of each approach.

I really hope it's not ... the problem at hand is really "I want access to a
bike with specific features when I want to use a bike with specific
features"[1]. But alter the variables of "how nice of a bike I can ride when I
want to ride it", "how difficult/easy it is to get a bike where I want a bike
when I want to ride it" (it's not easy, now) and "provided I follow simple
guidelines, you'll take the grief of bike theft mostly off of my plate/offer
replacement on-demand insurance". There might be a market for "have the bike
that's ideal for the trip" combining scheduling/delivery/insurance options.

[0] ... that same U-Haul that was briefly parked next to your car while you
ran into Wal*Mart... the trip hereby known as "that really loud drive home
after which you discovered your exhaust system had been hacked
through/catalytic converter stolen".

[1] Like most, I chose to solve that by buying a bike. There wasn't another
option that mixed "features", "convenience" and "price" (note, "theft risk"
wasn't a thought until after I purchased it). Most people don't think beyond
that and the creation of an alternative without "ownership" of some kind will
likely be a non-starter for many people (...depending on price/features mix,
for me ... I'll frequently use a service that requires having to schedule days
in advance if I can ride a bike I can't afford for a very reasonable price).

