Review: Pragmasis chain, Torc Anchor and Squire Lock + Pics

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

With two easily nick-able off road bikes I thought it was time to get some decent physical security for them. The garage they are kept is is alarmed and linked to a control room but that won't actually stop anyone from getting the bikes away - it will basically make lots of noise while they do it.

It seemed when choosing what chain lock etc there are two brands worth choosing from Almax and Pragmasis. The other chains from Oxford etc. are just toys and won't stop anyone with a decent set of bolt croppers. See for yourself on the Almax site with their videos.

Almax seemed to be the better known of the two companies but with a bit of reading it soon became clear that they offer very similar levels of security, if not the same. They withstand hand held bolt croppers - to get through these the scum will need something like an angle grinder which will make a lot of noise and attract a lot of unwanted attention. Along with the alarm going off I'd hope that this would be a suitable deterrent.

I went for Pragmasis as their packages were slightly cheaper and I've heard very good things about their customer service from many sources, including Toby R and feef on here.

So the package arrived quickly and was bloody heavy which was a good sign. I went for a 2.5 metre 16mm Protector chain, Squire Stronghold SS65CS padlock and a Torc ground anchor.

One thing that struck me straight away was how clear the instructions were and how everything you need (bar a drill) is supplied in the kit to fit it - even a masonry drill bit! The installation of the ground anchor took 30 minutes and I'm no handyman. The anchor itself is extremely impressive - the thought that has gone into it and its design is of a quality that is rare these days. One thing that really impressed me was that after drilling the holes for the bolts of the anchor, they supply these glass capsules full of resin that you drop into the holes. You then drill the bolts down through the resin and into the floor smashing the capsules which then bonds to the concrete and the floor securing it in place. Very secure.

Once that was in place and the heads of the bolts blanked off by hammering a ball bearing into the head of each one and a blanking plate whacked into the anchor it's done. Very easy.

Picked up the chain (11Kg) and threaded it through the bikes - luckily being dirt bikes there was space through the frame on each bike - if you don't have space to do this then take a look at the rather nifty Anti-Pinch Pin.

Threaded the links of the chain through one another and secured it with the chunky and satisfyingly heavy Squire padlock. And that was it job jobbed.

Obviously it's hard to say how effective this all really is - but it's better than having nothing at all.

The cost all in was £219.95. Money well spent I hope.

Some pictures below:

The two bikes together, chain threaded through the frames and through the ground anchor
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/baldgit/e2b3817f.jpg

A snap of the Squire padlock and chain links
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/baldgit/5e026b6f.jpg

The Torc ground anchor and chain
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/baldgit/af28657b.jpg

And finally a top down shot showing the chain going through the bikes and anchor
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/baldgit/b4e67b2d.jpg

Tony corner · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 22 May 2008 Karma :

Yep you've done everything right here mate, even down to fitting the anchor in the middle of the bikes.

Keep in mind to try and keep the padlock off the floor, I know it can be a bit of a potch but well worth it.

I know youve probably thought of this already but put you keys in a safe place in the house too.
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All your motorcycle security all in on place.....
https://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/
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..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

Cheers for the tips Tony. I'd read that it's best to keep the padlock and as much as the chain off the floor as possible. The photos above are from the first time I tried it all out for size so not in the best positions. I'm going to re-thread the chain so that the padlock ends up suspended in the air between the two bikes just to make it that little bit harder to attack.

As for the keys, one is always in my pocket and the other is very securely stashed away in a safe at work. Pain in the arse if I need to get it but the most secure place I could think of.

Jockey · Scooby Slapper Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Karma :

It`s sad that we need to do these things just because some thieving bastards cannot or will not work and buy their own, hope you have no bad luck with your bikes and the thieves keep away. Thumbs Up

-Jockey.
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Current bike VFR 400 R NC30, others now gone.

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

I went for the 19mm Almax Series IV, as I had the bike uninsured for a few months and fancied a bit more peace of mind Smile

https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h277/th0r0n/Security.jpg

Tony corner · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 22 May 2008 Karma :

Yep I use one of them together with a series III and colossus built in anchor.

Had them a bit cheaper as we use to be suppliers of them, until they pulled all their stockists.

As for alarms no need, have two noisy german shepherds Laughing

____________________
All your motorcycle security all in on place.....
https://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/
https://security-chains.com

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

There is something satisfying about having a chunky chain Laughing

I see you've got the Anti Pinch Pin - thought that was a really good idea by the makers. I certainly feel better by having some more security, whether it will be effective or not, well I hope I never find out.

Tony corner · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 22 May 2008 Karma :

Yes the "chunky" chains do inspire confidence.

The pinch pin is a cracking bit from Steve at Pragmasis.

We've found that the larger chains are not even being attempted to get through, theives prefer easy targets. Its less than a minute to nick an unprotected bike.

Again both these chains will need something other than boltcutters to get through, the pragmasis chain has been designed for anti abrasion and anti bolcutting some of the others havent Very Happy

With enough time and enough specialised tools you will get through anything, an early response to an attack is also essential.

With this in mind we are looking at getting new paging alarms in that will page you up to half a mile away if your bike is touched, any thoughts on these guys?
____________________
All your motorcycle security all in on place.....
https://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/
https://security-chains.com

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

Tony corner · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 22 May 2008 Karma :

Probably didnt explain myself properly.

The last thing you should do is confront anybody, no matter how big you are.

Give the old bill a call, but again this could add to your frustration Crying or Very sad

We had on guy tell us that his bike alarm was going off about 4:00 am so he went to the window, 4 big blokes were there having a go at his bike. They seen him and just carried on with what they were doing, bit frieghtening really.

Thanks for the input
____________________
All your motorcycle security all in on place.....
https://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/
https://security-chains.com

Pragma · Derestricted Danger Joined: 10 Feb 2008 Karma :

Hi Y'All,

Steve from Pragmasis here. Glad to hear everyone's pleased with what they've got

I agree with Tony that the scrotes are generally looking for easy targets so having security that looks the part is important - We really want them to walk away without having a go at all, as if they think they've got a chance and spend a while trying, even if they fail they may have caused significant damage and might just knock the bike over out of bl00dy-mindedness. Hence, 16mm chain is the minimum we recommend for bike security at home. Push bikes are different, in general, as they are not commonly stolen with 42" boltcroppers and accidentally dropping the chain or lock could cause damage to a delicate bike frame etc. Having said that, we had a customer just today saying he was very happy with the 16mm chain that he'd just chosen for his pushbike security. Incidentally, I can't even crop our 10mm chain with those big 42" croppers!!! but I'm not a big bloke and I'm sure someone bigger would go through it in a moment. It does show that a *decent* 10mm chain is still a deterrent but you'd be asking for it to use something like that on a motorbike. Coincidentally, we just got 10-out-of-10 Best Buy rating for the whole Protector range from Cycling Plus magazine Smile

Regarding the Torc ground anchor, we have tried to make it as good as we can, including the fitting kit, the instructions, and even the box we ship it in - it was actually quite a challenge to ship a lump of steel in the same box as fragile little glass capsules and not have them all smashed to pieces in transit! So far, zero breakages, but that's probably tempting fate, eh?

Indeed, we try to make all our stuff as good as we can, with the majority made in the UK. E.g. the Anti-Pinch Pin is mostly machined by me on our lathe - developing that was a great excuse for buying a machine I'd been lusting after for 3 years, and having it is so darned useful for other stuff, including making another specialised anchor for free for a local nature park and that might just turn into another new product Smile

We're also happy to give free advice and we won't try to sell something that isn't appropriate, regardless of how profitable it might be! Feel free to e-mail us if you have a particular security challenge and we'll try to help. Who knows, it might be the birth of another product Smile

Cheers,

Steve.
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