Bicycle Spoke Picks?!?

[Aidyn2332]

In the MIT Guide to Lock Picking it say that locks picks can be made from bicycle spokes. I went over to my moms bike and pulled 2 or 3 off and when i looked at them it looked like they were to small to be able to grind the tips into the shapes i wanted. Has anyone made picks out of bicycle spokes and if so how did they work?

[funboy79015]

There are better materials to use for picks, but if I were to use bicycle spokes I would bend them to the proper shape then grind down the sides to the proper thickness.

[Mad Mick]

The spokes have to be flattened first........

[Guitar_J]

does your mom ever.. oh... Ride her bike? she'll probably be pissed if she does...

[mightymouse]

I've tried bicycle spokes and I wouldn't recommend them for picks. For a start, they're round and as Mick already mentioned you'll have to grind down the sides to make them flat. Also, you'll have to grind them thin enough to go into your locks. This is more hassle than its worth when you can just use a hacksaw blade that is already the right thickness.

I only tried making a tension wrench with spokes myself; I hadn't considered making any picks as I didn't think there would be enough material to shape a head from. The wrench I made didn't turn out too well and I've since thrown it away.

If you get interested in picking lever locks you might find bike spokes to be a useful material; just look at toomush's pictures in the European forum to see why.

P.S: I wouldn't recommend taking spokes from your mothers bike. Just walk around a bad part of your town and you will find loads of old bike wheels which you can strip supplies from.

[Hak]

I have made some attempted making picks and tension wrenches from bicycle spokes on some old bike that i rode when i was like 8, but they were way to faulty to use. I took them to some big park near my house (literally big, its like 30 miles long, very huge and very fun place for pickers) and i was able to get like 2 or 3 padlocks and 1 deadbolt open before the spokes bent and got ruined. I would say that spokes would be the type of thing to make picks from when you've got no other options, and your really desperate.

Heh, on a grading scale, i would rate bicycle spoke picks a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

[Aidyn2332]

Im pretty sure the bike will still be able to be ridden without a spoke or two.....or three....but anyways i guess i just use a hacksaw blade then.

[reg]

Im pretty sure the bike will still be able to be ridden without a spoke or two.....or three....but anyways i guess i just use a hacksaw blade then.

uhm - not really
even when one spoke is loose not out riding the bike is annoying cause the wheel sort of flaps sidewards (sorry don't know the correct terms in English) cause it is not centered properly any more.

[frollard]

the wheel will become untrue if you dont rebalance it - take the opposite side (left v. right) as well as the two 180º from the original 2...

then you should be fine.

[jamesphilhulk2]

i have made 4 tension wrenches out of bike spokes and they work quite well well what i done is get a hammer and flattern the end like that and then just shape it with a good file or a sanding bloke

[raimundo]

Bike spokes come in a variety of metals, a variety of diameters, etc. They are very good for some types of picks. Mostly the lever lock types. When I was experimenting with picks for Multilock, I took a bike spoke and bent a crisp 90 degree angle in it and cut it off just after the bend, then I flattened one side of the wire with a flat file, and got into the inner curve of the 90 degree bend with a smaller chainsaw file, and finished the outer edge of the curve with a flat file. After polishing the tips, I had a piece of metal that I hoped could fit under the bevel of the outer pins, and could work the deeper pin by pushing it, making it ride up the slope I had cut with the flat file on the tip, but would also lift the closer pin by pulling on the pick. The part of the round profile of the bike spoke was at this time triangular from the file shaping. I never tried it enough to know if the concept is useful, or the dimentions of the triangle tip were correct. Now that I am thinking again about abloy picks, I am looking a tubing that will fit over the bike spoke, as I have found that the materials that I first wanted to use were too large for the job. This will be my umpteenth abloy varient when i make it.

[Shrub]

Ive just been given a load of redundant knitting needles, they are stainless steel and quite strong, ideal for lever lock 'make do's,

Bike spokes are to soft as well for most uses in their 'found' form,

I have around 100 spokes that i cut from all the old wheels at the local scrap yard, i have yet to use one!

[HeadHunterCEO]

i always carry at least 5 new bike spokes

last week i made a 90degree screwdriver

a couple of weeks ago i used one to pull back a relocker

[sivlogkart]

Bicycle spokes make very good picks that are easy and quick to make even with hand tools and last for ages. The method for making them is
as follows:

Get the spoke and make a loop handle, which an be covered later if you want with low melting point plastic, but this is not needed.

Then bend it roughly to shape.

Then flattern with a hammer, but you do not need to do much of this as we can file it later.

Then improve the shape a bit by small amounts of bending.

Then use a grinder or hand file to flattern it much more, and to touch it up.

Some of my best picks are made this way.

KJ

In the MIT Guide to Lock Picking it say that locks picks can be made from bicycle spokes. I went over to my moms bike and pulled 2 or 3 off and when i looked at them it looked like they were to small to be able to grind the tips into the shapes i wanted. Has anyone made picks out of bicycle spokes and if so how did they work?

[helix]

As d0ded0, Mick and someone else said, flatten them with a hammer first.

Ive just been given a load of redundant knitting needles

Shrub, need I ask why on earth you were at the top of this persons list,
to want knitting needles?