Monday, June 20, 2016

Information on the Oxford Anchor 14 bike anchor

I recently purchased 2 of these to secure items outdoors.  I was rather surprised at some things when they showed up, so I thought this info might be useful to somebody.

I purchased the Anchor 14, and not the Anchor 10, because I was worried that the 10 might not fit my security chain.  My chain is 7/16" and I intend to put a sleeve over it, if I can.  I also wanted the 4-point mounting of the Anchor 14.

(I read someplace that some consider the 10 to be superior because the baseplate resists prying attacks better.  I can't fathom how this might work, so I didn't care.)

What I didn't appreciate from the product descriptions and photos was just how BIG this thing is!  It's HUGE!  In fact, it is so big I can stick my fist right through it!  I am admittedly a small guy, but still, that is impressive.

One of the reasons is that the bracket proper is fixed to two 10mm metal standoffs, which raise the bar further off of the mounting surface.  I'm not sure I quite got that from the photos I saw on the net.

In retrospect, my concerns about fitting a single loop of 7/16" chain through the Anchor 14 were kind of laughable.  This could probably fit three loops with room to spare.  If I'd known this, I might have purchased only one and used it to secure multiple items.

(I also think it pretty likely that the Oxford 10 - which is the baby brother bracket - would also fit one loop of the biggest chain you could hope to realistically get your hands on.  Though I still haven't seen one of those, so I'm not sure.)

Here's some pictures for reference.  I've tried to include some objects that might give you a sense of scale of the thing.  Click on the photos to get original resolution.

On a typical "Shop Towel" as sold in Canada

Those big standoffs

Small arm in big bracket (bracket IS still lying on the table)

Typical 500 ml bottle goes right under it
"Standard" 355 ml pop can juuuuuuust fits


Vertical height

Horizontal width

Another view of those big feet

That 750 ml bottle won't quite fit, but it's close

DVD, not Blu-Ray (but a classic either way, nyah)

That's one big-ass anchor.

For Canadians, the cheapest place I could find these was Chain Reaction Cycles, which is out of this wee town in Northern Ireland.  I was lucky, as they were on sale when I decided to buy, so they were only about $50 $CAD each and I got free shipping over $99.  Which in itself is impressive since the brackets weigh quite a lot.  They arrived promptly and - so far - without any brokerage or other untoward fees.

I recommend you pair something like this with this security chain from Peerless, which cannot be cut even with industrial-strength bolt cutters.  You can purchase this in Canada if you contact Campbell Mack in your city; otherwise, you can try E-Rigging for cross-border shipment.


Note: I paid for all of this stuff, so if it sucked, I would definitely say so.  I don't like getting ripped off any more than the next guy, and I'm not so lucky to get $15/foot chain for free.

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