Axa defender installation

Yes, the lock would not stop a determined thief, but the job of the lock is to thwart an opportunist, and that's exactly what I need a lot of the time. Optional Chain. AXA Defender version used in this post. Flex Mount for attaching direct to frame. Mounting Plate for attaching to V brakes. AXA lock pages. Flex Mount Manual. Locking your bike at the end of the day, you cannot make a bike theft-proof.

This post was edited in July from an original in August Amazon links are affiliate links - every little helps! This site tends to hold geeky things. Jul Mine did not. Fortunately, there was a solution. My Installation.

The risk vs convenience is worth it. Aug 6, Good for seat stays of most traditionally built bikes. Can be taken off one bike and re-used on another. Works with most, if not all, ring-locks including the Defender, but not the AXA Victory due to its thicker mounting plate.

An easy to fit new design which works with all wheel locks and all frame tube diameters. Special Offers Bookmark Contact Sitemap. Search Advanced Search. Euro US Dollar. English Nederlands. The keys have the the teeth on the inside that means you cannot get not easily get a copy made, but Axa offers a key service that I will discuss later.

The reason that the teeth are on the inside is to make the cylinder of the lock harder to pick for lock pickers. Personally I like having the teeth on the inside as it makes the keys less likely to get damaged and less likely to scratch something with it.

Installation Installation requires a flathead screwdriver, and I also found a pair of tweezers helpful. It was not exactly difficult, but I would describe the process as finicky. It is possible to get the lock on pretty tight, but it is not as sturdy as bolting it on.

The lock would barely fit around the 50 mm tires, but once they were inflated to a higher pressure within specifications they would rub a little against the plastic of the lock mounts.

I solved this by filing the plastic off a little. I couldn't get one of the strips tight around the seat stay which would make the lock wiggle a bit and rub the paint.

I solved this by butting a small piece of rubber from an old inner tube between. But this did not remain in place for long after use.

The other bicycle I installed the lock on had a 19" frame and 40 mm wide tires. I would have expected that this would be easier, but the size of the frame was the problem here. The cylinder of the Axa Defender is 46 mm high, which is not that high, but in this case it was not small enough. One way around this problem is to mount the lock on top of the seat stays, but in this case that would interfere with the rear rack.

I solved this by moving the mudguard a little bit down by adding some spacers. On a On a slightly smaller 19" frame the lock barely fits. The opening is just wide enough for 50 mm tires. Some extra spacers push the mudguard down to make the lock fit on the smaller frame. Security rating Most lock manufacturers have their own rating system which makes it hard to compare locks across brands. Many countries have some independent organization for the certification of bicycle locks.

The Axa Defender has been rated with two stars. If you want to insure your bicycle against theft the insurance company may require that you have lock with a certain rating and when you make a claim can provide two keys to prove that the bicycle was indeed locked.

Key service Another aspect of locks that I find essential is whether they offer a key service. Every lock comes with a spare key, however should you lose the key you can always order a new one using the key service. Personally I would recommend ordering a new spare key as soon as you lose one, so that you always have two. Axa offers an international key service, where you can simply order a new key either online or by mail. For 12 euro you can buy a key service paper card at a bike shop or online where you write your key number and address on and then simply wait for your key to arrive in the mail.

Optional plug-in chain The big disadvantage of a ring lock is that your bicycle is not locked to another object, and although it cannot be ridden and can still easily be taken. This problem can easily be remedied with the optional plug-in chain. The Axa defender has a 10 mm hole where a chain can be inserted.

They come in various lengths and colors. Sometimes they are sold with the lock as a set. Please not that other ring locks, even from the same brand may have a different sized hole and you need a plug that fits your lock. Aside from chains there are also cables available, these are lighter but are generally considered less secure as they are relatively easy to cut, even with small tools. I got the one meter chain with a nylon sleeve with the lock.

What I really like about this is that you can use almost the full length of the cable.