What is a disc tumbler lock?
A disc tumbler or disc detainer lock is a lock composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. Disc tumbler locks are composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. A specially cut key rotates these discs like the tumblers of a safe to align the slots, allowing the sidebar to drop into the slots, thus opening the lock.
Why do I need a disc lock on the rear wheel?
The discs of the rear wheels are generally more awkward to remove; for this reason the disc lock should be used on the rear wheel. To prevent a potential thief from bypassing the disc lock by loosening the brake disc, it is even better to use a disc lock for each disc.
What is a blank disc lock mechanism?
The mechanism makes it easy to construct locks that can be opened with multiple different keys: "blank" discs with a circular hole are used, and only notches shared by the keys are employed in the lock mechanism. This is commonly used for locks of common areas such as garages in apartment houses.
How does the sidebar on a disc lock work?
This allows a sidebar to drop from the cylinder into the groove made by the lined-up notches in the discs, so that it does not obstruct the cylinder, allowing the cylinder to rotate and open the lock.
What is a disk lock?
How loud is a disk lock alarm?
Why do you need a lock on your rear wheel?
Can you use a ball point pen on disk locks?
Can you use a disk lock on a bike?
Is it better to use a tubular lock or a straight lock?
Will a Disk Lock Prevent Theft?
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What is a disk lock?
All disk locks look very similar. The are made of heavy, hardened steel and generally have a long, thin opening that will slide onto your brake disk with just a little wiggle room. They will include some kind of lock that opens and closes with a key. This lock moves the pin in and out allowing you to install it and remove it from the brake disk rotor. To install it on the bike:
How loud is a disk lock alarm?
If it’s moved again within 5 or 10 seconds, a high pitched alarm will sound at about 90 to 100 decibels. Hopefully that’s loud enough the cause a thief to give up. The alarm will ring for 10 seconds, then stop.
Why do you need a lock on your rear wheel?
If you are able, always use the lock on your rear wheel. Why? Because a bike thief can quickly remove a front wheel, replace it, and ride away, leaving you with your disk lock and your wheel, but no bike. Rear wheels take more time to remove, so, this will give you a little bit of an edge if the thief is in a hurry. And it’s safe to say most are.
Can you use a ball point pen on disk locks?
Disk locks come with different lock styles; tubular or a basic, straight key. It’s best to avoid a tubular lock as they can be easily picked with a ball point pen. Ne’er do wells have figured it out. Although manufacturers have made improvements to the tubular lock, a cheap brand may be easy to pick.
Can you use a disk lock on a bike?
Or, you can get a padlock style that can be used as a disk lock, or used with a heavy duty chain to lock your bike to a secure object. The padlock style may give you more options on how it can be installed on your rear brake disk depending on the type of bike you have.
Is it better to use a tubular lock or a straight lock?
So, it’s better to use a lock that is not tubular, rather, one that used a straight key. A key retaining lock is one in which the key will remain in the lock and can only be removed once the lock is secure.
Will a Disk Lock Prevent Theft?
A disk lock will only prevent roll theft. A disk lock creates no more than a deterrent for most criminals, but there’s nothing preventing a few guys with a van from lifting your bike away. Actually, the van method is a lot less common than you might think.
How does a disk lock work?
However, despite the variety, the basics characteristics of disk detainer locks remain the same. The key to the lock will run through the length of the cylinder, entering the hole in each disk. As the key rotates in the plug, the disks are aligned. By being aligned, all of the true gates will form one trough extending the length of the sidebar.
What are disks in a lock?
Disks – The disks in a disk detainer lock are the components that the key will directly interact with. These elements have grooves that keep them from being perfectly circular. These grooves are referred to as gates.
How many disks are in a disk detainer lock?
Most disk detainer locks have 6 to 8 disks. The more disks the higher the security. Once you have a better understanding of the interior of the lock it is time to start picking. Whatever way you have rotated your disks, it is now time to rotate them back the opposite way, one at a time.
What is disk detainer lock?
A disk detainer lock is a unique type of security device. The potential that it offers to the security is unique to its characteristics. But what exactly are those characteristics? What makes a disk detainer different than other locks? Does it use the same pin tumbler system as so many other locks? We will be discussing the main uses of disk detainer locks, the parts of the locks, and how they work. With this background, we will be able to better understand how these locks can be picked and the other ways they can be exploited. All of this information exists for educational purposes and should not be used for criminal activity. Once you are educated on these types of products, it will be easier to make a purchasing decision. Learn about this lock, and discover if disk detainers are the right choice for your security needs.
What is the purpose of the sidebar in a disk lock?
Sidebar – The sidebar is the primary locking mechanism in disk detainer locks. Its main purpose is to restrict the movement of the plug. While the gates are misaligned, the bar will be elevated in a way to jams up the internal workings of the lock.
How wide should a disk pick be?
Depending on the type of disk detainers you will be picking, you may need to take as much as half of that metal off. The final width should be somewhere around 1.5 mm (0.06 inches). To take off the excess metal, a standard file should do the trick. Once the filing is done, the tip should be sanded and polished. When you are sanding down the tip, try to round the shape of the ‘T’ so that a bird’s eye view has the top of the tip looking ovular.
How to reassemble a pick lock?
Because the pick will need to rotate the disks inside the lock, a rounded and smooth shape will roll better against the internal mechanisms. Once the pick tip is refined, and all the parts are polished, reassemble the pick by first sliding the tension handle over the shaft. Then place the pick tip into the shaft, at the appropriate depth and then fasten the Allen screws. Put a few drops of oil onto the shaft and slide the tension handle back and forth a few times. After all of this prep, your tool should work very smoothly, which will give you straightforward and clear feedback. Some form of spray lubricant can also be used in the keyway to assist with the smooth movement of the inside parts of the lock.
What is disc lock?
The disc lock is a widely used anti-theft system on mopeds and motorcycles as they are very easy to use: quick to put on and take off, don’t take up much space and are not very heavy. However, disc stops have some security limitations which are important to know, especially to be able to use them in the best possible way.
What are the advantages of disc locks?
Advantages. Disc locks are relatively lightweight, compact, quick to apply and remove. In a word, they are very convenient. The best products are also characterised by a high mechanical resistance and have secure locks.
How many discs are in a Viro hardened lock?
From the point of view of the lock, it has a stainless steel plug with 6 discs which are hard to open by lock picking and immune to key bumping. The Viro New Hardened is an extremely strong disc lock because it is made entirely of steel.
Why use a disc lock on a rear wheel?
The discs of the rear wheels are generally more awkward to remove; for this reason the disc lock should be used on the rear wheel. To prevent a potential thief from bypassing the disc lock by loosening the brake disc, it is even better to use a disc lock for each disc.
Why do you need a reminder cable on a disc lock?
In order to avoid accidental falls and damage to the braking system , as shown in this video, it is good practice to use a “reminder” cable which connects the disc lock to the handlebars, so that one remembers to remove the disc lock before driving off.
Is a disc lock good for motorcycles?
When it comes to motorcycles or mopeds, a padlock + chain locking system may not be enough and, in order to sleep more soundly, it may be useful to integrate it with additional protection, such as a disc lock. The disc lock is a widely used anti-theft system on mopeds and motorcycles as they are very easy to use: quick to put on and take off, ...
Do cheap disk blocks have locks?
Cheap disk blocks have fragile bodies and locks which are not very secure.
What is a blank disc lock?
The mechanism makes it easy to construct locks that can be opened with multiple different keys: "blank" discs with a circular hole are used, and only notches shared by the keys are employed in the lock mechanism. This is commonly used for locks of common areas such as garages in apartment houses.
What is a disc tumbler lock?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. A disc tumbler or disc detainer lock is a lock composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. The lock was invented by Finnish founder of Abloy, Emil Henriksson (1886–1959) in 1907 and first manufactured under the Abloy brand in 1918.
How does an Abloy lock work?
The original Abloy Classic design consists of a notched semi-cylindrical key, and a lock with detainer discs with holes ranging from a semicircle (180°) to a 3/4 circle (270°). The key is inserted and rotated 90°. Notches, machined to an angle, correspond to complementary angles in the holes of the discs. Thus, the misalignment of the slots is "corrected" by a rotation to the correct angle. For example, if the hole is 270°, the key is 180°, and if the hole is 240° (270° minus 30°), the key is 150° (180° with 30° notch) of the circle. In addition, there is a notch in the perimeter of each disc. A sidebar inside an opening in the lock cylinder around the discs and an edge in the casing obstruct the movement of the cylinder beyond the 90°.
What happens when you insert a key with one wrong notch?
If a key with one wrong notch is used, one disc will be rotated to an incorrect angle, thus its notch will not line up with the rest, and the lock cannot be unlocked.
How difficult is it to pick a disc lock?
They may also require more time to pick. They are similar in difficulty to pick as curtained 5- lever locks. The disc tumbler lock cannot be bumped. This level of difficulty tends to drive attention to alternative methods of gaining entry. More expensive locks have false gates which are similar to security pins on pin tumbler locks; catching the sidebar making one think they have picked a disc but in fact they have not.
When was the first disc tumbler invented?
After two years, he had developed the first disc tumbler lock. In 1918 he applied for a patent, which was granted on 15 February 1919. Also in 1918, he formed the Ab Låsfabriken-Lukkotehdas Oy company (Ab Låsfabriken = Ltd. Lock Co. (in Swedish) and Lukkotehdas Oy = Lock Co. Ltd. (in Finnish)). (The name was subsequently shortened ...
How to disable locking mechanism?
The locking mechanism can be disabled destructively by drilling into the lock to destroy the sidebar. Anti-drilling plates can be installed to prevent this.
What is a disk lock?
All disk locks look very similar. The are made of heavy, hardened steel and generally have a long, thin opening that will slide onto your brake disk with just a little wiggle room. They will include some kind of lock that opens and closes with a key. This lock moves the pin in and out allowing you to install it and remove it from the brake disk rotor. To install it on the bike:
How loud is a disk lock alarm?
If it’s moved again within 5 or 10 seconds, a high pitched alarm will sound at about 90 to 100 decibels. Hopefully that’s loud enough the cause a thief to give up. The alarm will ring for 10 seconds, then stop.
Why do you need a lock on your rear wheel?
If you are able, always use the lock on your rear wheel. Why? Because a bike thief can quickly remove a front wheel, replace it, and ride away, leaving you with your disk lock and your wheel, but no bike. Rear wheels take more time to remove, so, this will give you a little bit of an edge if the thief is in a hurry. And it’s safe to say most are.
Can you use a ball point pen on disk locks?
Disk locks come with different lock styles; tubular or a basic, straight key. It’s best to avoid a tubular lock as they can be easily picked with a ball point pen. Ne’er do wells have figured it out. Although manufacturers have made improvements to the tubular lock, a cheap brand may be easy to pick.
Can you use a disk lock on a bike?
Or, you can get a padlock style that can be used as a disk lock, or used with a heavy duty chain to lock your bike to a secure object. The padlock style may give you more options on how it can be installed on your rear brake disk depending on the type of bike you have.
Is it better to use a tubular lock or a straight lock?
So, it’s better to use a lock that is not tubular, rather, one that used a straight key. A key retaining lock is one in which the key will remain in the lock and can only be removed once the lock is secure.
Will a Disk Lock Prevent Theft?
A disk lock will only prevent roll theft. A disk lock creates no more than a deterrent for most criminals, but there’s nothing preventing a few guys with a van from lifting your bike away. Actually, the van method is a lot less common than you might think.
Usage
Parts of The Lock
- Disks – The disks in a disk detainer lock are the components that the key will directly interact with. These elements have grooves that keep them from being perfectly circular. These grooves are referred to as gates. Spacers – These pieces rest between two disks. Spacers are completely open in the middle. Each spacer will have a gate of their own, ...
How They Work
- Disk detainer locks have as much variety as pin tumbler, lever locks, wafer locks, etc. The complexity of this type of lock can vary from extremely simple, to extremely complicated. However, despite the variety, the basics characteristics of disk detainer locks remain the same. The key to the lock will run through the length of the cylinder, entering the hole in each disk. As t…
Parts of The Pick
- Pick Tip – The tip of the pick is used to manipulate the disks inside of the lock. It will often be removable from the pick handle. Tension Handle – The tension handle fits over the shaft of the pick handle like a washer over a screw. It will be shaped like a donut with two bolts protruding from either side. There will also be a sheath type of metal that will slide over the shaft of the pic…
Picking Prep
- Though disk detainer picks are not something you find in your beginning lock pick set, they are certainly lock pick tools that you should think about purchasing. Refining your disk detainer pick is going to take some work. It is very important that the shaft of the pick handle is smooth. The pick works off of the sliding of one piece of metal over the other, so if that surface is rough, picking e…
Picking
- Once the pick is ready, you can begin manipulating the lock. Start by zeroing all the disks. What that means is that all disks should be rotated fully to one side. The direction that the disks are rotated in is inconsequential. The only thing that matters about the direction is that every disk is rotated the same way, ie. all clockwise or all counterclockwise. To do this, inject the pick tip into …
Weaknesses
- Conclusion
Like every type of security, disk detainers can be incredibly secure, or offer almost no protection. Everything comes down to the construction of the lock. How well is it machined? Has there been more security measures placed in the device? What are the materials that the lock’s component…