Historical news articles from 2017 and earlier. Click for the latest news.

New Product Launch - the Anti-Scrote Skewer: We are pleased to launch our security offering for awkward circumstances, such as gardens and fields: The Anti-Scrote Skewer! These Skewers are normally used as a pair, hammered into the ground where concrete and other proper substrates are not available. Ideal for securing picnic benches and other modest value items against casual theft. There is more detailed information here.

DIB D-Locks: We have new stock of our popular DIB D-Locks available now. The first few have already gone out. It will take us some time to unpack and get our stock sorted on the shelves (we've even got new shelving to hold them!), but we are shipping now. The 260mm size will be added as soon as we have unpacked them!

DIB-260 New Size D-Lock: We will launch a new 260mm internal clearance DIB D-Lock early in January 2018. We will publish details nearer the time.

New videos about the Torc ground anchor and various fitting kit options: We are pleased to offer some more videos on our YouTube channel, providing an overview of our Torc ground anchor, plus some detail on each of the following fitting options that apply to both the Torc and Beefy Bridge anchors: Concrete Floor (with Resin Capsules), Brick Wall/Mediocre Concrete (with expanding bolts/shield anchors), and Injection Resin for variable situations.

 

 

 

Website Security: We take our customer's privacy seriously so we have upgraded our entire website to HTTPS. You may notice a green padlock symbol in your browser's address bar. Since we are security specialists, indeed with an IT background, it seemed appropriate that we demonstrate best-practice and we have invested in an 'EV' SSL certificate. An ordinary SSL certificate simply protects your connection to a server, but you don't really have any extra confidence that it is the right server! An Extended Validation SSL certificate means that our company has been vetted and confirmed to be who we say we are, and a proper commercial business with genuine contact info etc. Some browsers will show "Pragmasis Ltd (GB)" in the address bar, for your confidence. Any IT specialists with an interest in the intricacies of SSL may find SSL Labs an interesting resource.

New Video about the Double Doofer Removable Ground Anchor: We have added another video to our YouTube channel, this one covering the Double Doofer ground anchor:

New Video about the Noose Chain option on various Protector chains: We have published a new video going into some detail about the noose chain idea, how it can be used and how it should not be used:

Updated Video about the Protector Range: We have published a new video overview covering our Protector range of high-security chains:

New Video about the SFB DIB-Series D-Locks: We have published a short video overview of our new DIB D-Locks, ideal partners for our Protector chains up to and including the 16mm, particularly where portability is important:

New Video about the SFB RoundLock: We have published a short video overview of our new RoundLock, showing how it can be used with our Protector 16mm and 13mm chains and, with the optional RL21A socket, with the 19mm chains:

Web Server Upgrade: We have upgraded to a newer and much faster web server. As well as improving the security resilience of the server itself, this will provide the foundation for several further enhancements planned for the near future. More details in due course.

Haymaking 18th-26th August: We were working on haymaking at our Alvecote Wood conservation site for an unusually long period this year, thanks to the prolonged wet weather in preceding weeks. This is an important annual task for maintaing the wildflower meadows so we are grateful to customers for being patient while we caught up with shipping orders they had placed. We are now back to normal, and glad to recover from a lot of bale manhandling!

Sold Secure Motorcycle Diamond: Our new Protector 22mm Titan chain has achieved Sold Secure Motorcycle Diamond standard, the first and only product to ever achieve that. This is the highest approval level for chains, surpassing Caravan Gold, and it was borne out of concern about the increasing use of cordless angle grinders amongst thieves. Thankfully, grinders are still rarely used, probably because they are so noisy and create such a shower of sparks, but we thought it prudent to offer an increased deterrent against such tools where lesser chains may have been defeated in the past. Click for more info about Protector chains.

Torc and Double Doofer Ground Anchor Manufacturing: We have Torc ground anchors and Double Doofers all back in stock and available to order again. We apologise for any inconvenience while we were out of stock of these items.

Anti-Pinch Pin Manufacturing, Again: We have finished making the largest-ever batch of Pins so all sizes are back in stock again. We apologise for any inconvenience while we were out of stock. Beware that these do sometimes sell quickly so you may choose to take the opportunity of placing an order while there is stock available, as it may not be the case for that long!

Family Funeral: We are deeply sorry to report that my mum, Mrs Lena Briggs, passed away recently at 95 years old (almost 96!). We were closed for the day of the funeral, Tuesday 30th May 2017. We hope you understand and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Pragmasis had many of its early years working from our home and my mum and Sarah's mum both helped us in assembling fititng kits for the Torc ground anchor around our dining room table, frequently talking about us as if we weren't there, as mums often do.

New Product Launch - the DIB-Series D-Locks: We are pleased to launch our DIB-130 and DIB-190 compact D-Locks. These D-Locks are made at the same factory as our new RoundLock locks and they can all be keyed-alike (although only at initial order). These DIB D-Locks are genuine motorcycle-grade D-Locks, with a true 16mm-thick hardened steel double-locking shackle. There is more detailed information here.

More Package Deals: We now have Package Deals available that combine the new DIB Series D-Locks with 11/13/16mm Protector chains, plus another new Package Deal of a Protector 13mm chain plus RoundLock.

More Package Deal Changes Coming: We mentioned several new Package Deals above. Offering all of these as triple packs as well would result in something like an extra 20 Package Deal combinations, just for these, and that is impractical! It will be much easier for everyone to understand, and for us to maintain, if we pair up the chains and locks in all sensible and popular double pack combinations, and allow customers to choose any ground anchor as an additional item, as required.

22mm Chain Back in Stock: We are pleased to have all normal lengths of Protector Titan 22mm chain available, again. We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we were out of stock.

We exhibited at the Police Secured-by-Design National Training Event: The Police have a Training Event and Conference each year to keep Crime Reduction officers and others in similar roles up to date. We exhibited - for the seventh year running (I think) - and were pleased to see many familiar faces coming to check what's new in our range. Click for more info about Secured by Design.

New Product Launch - the SFB RoundLock: We are pleased to launch our RL21 and RL21A RoundLocks. The RL21 RoundLock will be quite familiar to anyone that has had an Untouchable lock in the past. These RoundLock versions are made at the same factory but custom manufacture has allowed us to introduce some benefits: these locks are now available Keyed-Alike at time of order, and the RL21A option extends the exquisite closeness of fit that the RL21/Untouchable locks have on our 16mm chain, to the 19mm chain. The RL21A is purely the female/socket part of the lock, with different machining to increase the clearance to suit the larger chain. We are offering the RL21 complete lock, plus the RL21A socket as an extra-cost option, effectively as an adaptor to extend the usefulness of the lock to the larger chain. We have also put these RoundLocks through full and independent Sold Secure testing and approval, so they are now approved for use in a wide variety of situations for motorcycle etc security, including with other apppropriately-approved chains and also as a disc lock. In addition, we are able to offer un-cut key blanks for these SFB locks, and also spare black plastic caps for situations where a cap has been broken or lost.

New Video about Heat Treatment: We're pleased to have published a short and hopefully informative video about the importance of heat treatment when manufacturing security chains, including what can go wrong:

Happy New Year: 2016 was a big year for us, including moving into double-size premises and making several machinery improvements to help boost our manufacturing quality and capacity. We are grateful for our customers' support and we look forward to providing more top-quality security products in the years ahead. We hope 2017 is a good year for everyone.

Motorcycle Live at the NEC: We were pleased to have several of our products on display on the Trail Riders' Fellowship (TRF) stand at the NEC, 19th-27th November. The TRF were using some of our Protector security chains, our Torc ground anchor and Anti-Pinch Pin, some Squire locks, as well as some prototypes of new products... all helping to secure members' bikes and avoid any problems with theft during the show.

We exhibited at the Build Show: We've been busy at the NEC Build Show, part of UK Construction Week. We were exhibiting several of our products, such as the Shed Shackle, Torc ground anchor, Beefy Bridge ground anchor, and our Protector Chains (including the new Protector 22mm Titan!) and the HS1 CEN4 Hasp & Staple. We also showed an innovative new type of ground anchor primarily aimed at commercial applications. Click for more info about the Build Show.

New Product Launch: We have just launched the Beefy Bridge Ground Anchor. This is another solid ground anchor from the home of quality ground anchors! The Beefy Bridge is simpler in design than our other anchors, and it is lower cost and less conspicuous where budget and concealment may be important concerns. Despite this, it still offers a wide range of fitting kits to help you achieve a good basis for your security provisions. Click for more info about the Beefy Bridge.

Renewable Energy: We are pleased to now have a 100% renewable energy supply to our manufacturing units. We are passionate about minimising our environmental impact and doing as much as we can to conserve and enhance the environment so using only renewable energy at our units is an important milestone in our evolution as a responsible and ethical company. More information on our Environmental Policy page.

New Product Launch: The utterly huge Protector 22mm Titan chain! Believed to be the biggest production security chain in the world, also available with the world's strongest production padlock! We waited until Squire produced a big enough padlock and now we have a chain that fits it perfectly. Only recommended for extreme security situations, such as where lesser chains have been defeated by thieves. This chain is available as chain only and we also have Package Deals that combine it with the ultimate SS80CS padlock.

Police Bikesafe Show and Track Experience: We exhibited at the Police Bikesafe show on Saturday 16th July at Rockingham race circuit. More information about this event and the Bikesafe project and advanced riding advice on the Bikesafe web site.

Sold Secure Annual Audit: All our Sold Secure-approved products have passed their respective annual audits at the same levels are previously awarded. New certificates will be provided ASAP once issued by Sold Secure.

New Product Launch: In response to customer demand, we now have a noose chain option available for the Protector 16mm chain. The noose option is popular in the Protector 11mm and 13mm sizes so we have now developed a similar option for the 16mm chain. We are the only manufacturer offering a noose option in such a high security chain! Click for more info about noose chains.

New Product Launch: We are delighted to be the first supplier in the world to be offering Squire's new flagship SS80CS padlock. This is an ultra heavy duty padlock with an 80mm wide hardened steel body. Squire claim this is the world's strongest production padlock! We are offering it with the R1 restricted profile cylinder as standard, but also with the high tech NW4 New Wave cylinder for extreme security applications. Both variants have the Stormproof cover as standard. We also have Package Deals available that combine this SS80CS padlock with Protector Chains. More info on our range of padlocks and on the SS80CS with the R1 cylinder, and with the NW4 cylinder.

Anti-Pinch Pin Manufacturing - Back in Stock! We have a new batch of Pins finished so stock has been replenished. Despite it being the largest batch we've ever done, the 250mm length is already out of stock again! We will be making more in due course. We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we were out of stock of several sizes.

We have moved! We outgrew our manufacturing and warehousing facilities at Unit 2 and have moved to the double-size Units 6 & 7, Mercian Park. It has been quite a project to get the new location fully sorted! Our postal/invoicing/formal address remains unchanged.

Anti-Pinch Pin Rubber Washers: We are intending to offer pre-cut rubber washers to protect items from the head of the Pin but these are not available yet. More new here when they are ready.

Police Conference: We exhibited at the Police Secured-by-Design training event/conference on 2nd/3rd March 2016. Secured-by-Design is a Police initiative to incorporate crime reduction techniques into building developments and the community at large. We have been an SBD member for several years and continue to support its goals. We had a very successful time and enjoyed presenting and discussing our existing product range as well as some new designs. Feedback from Police crime reduction professionals is invaluable to evolution of our future plans as these are the people with on-the-street visibility of what thieves are actually doing.

Happy New Year! We would like to wish all customers, suppliers and indeed everybody a very Happy and Healthy New Year. 2015 has been a year of significant growth and change for us, with increased staff and additional manufacturing capability. Thanks for your support.

Another Year of Success: We are delighted to have achieved another 24% growth in sales compared to the previous 12 months! (October 2014-October 2015.) Thanks to all our customers, suppliers and to our own team members. We are a small but dedicated business that focuses on product quality and customer service, and the message seems to be spreading. Thanks to all that have supported us! Your support and custom is very much appreciated.

Untouchable Lock Available Again: The Untouchable lock has been a popular choice for use with the Protector 16mm chain, as well as for some motorbikes as a disc lock. We were unable to obtain this lock for some time but we are pleased to say we have the Untouchable lock back in stock again and available to order. More information on our Padlocks page and in various Package Deals etc.

Anti-Pinch Pin Manufacturing - In Stock Again! We have finished making another batch of Pins and all lengths are in stock again. We are migrating the sizing on the Mini-Pins to make them more useful, we hope. The 100mm length is being replaced with a 120mm; the 140mm is going to 160mm, and the 190mm is moving to 200mm. We have also added a 200mm long full-size Pin (i.e. with the fully machined 70mm diameter head). We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we were out of stock of several sizes.

New Italian Distributor: We are pleased to welcome Bottega della Chiave as our new distributor for the whole Italian market! Many Italians do not speak English so we hope a local distributor will be able to offer better service, as well as rapid delivery. Ciao!

Criminal Perspectives: We have just added a new web page with some insight into how criminals think. You may find this contains some useful tips that may apply to your situation and it will hopefully help you to keep off the radar for future thefts.

Connect with Us! We are now on Facebook and Twitter as well as YouTube.

Anti-Pinch Pin for Ducati Panigale 899 etc: We have manufactured some special Anti-Pinch Pins to suit the narrower rear axle used on the Ducati Panigale 899 and some other bike models. These are more expensive than the standard Anti-Pinch Pins, but not as much as the pre-production ones were! Available for pre-launch sale now! More information shortly.

Another Year of Amazing Company Growth: We are delighted that our company has achieved 42% growth in sales compared to the previous 12 months! (October 2013-October 2014.) Thanks to all our customers, suppliers and to our own team members. Thanks to all that have supported us! It is very much appreciated.

New Products: Beefy Bridge and Anti-Scrote Skewer: We will soon be launching a new ground anchor and a new solution to help with security of items on camp sites, in fields, etc. More details shortly.

NEC Cycle Show Success: We exhibited at the NEC Cycle Show at the end of September, displaying much of our range of products. Thanks to all customers, old and new, that came to say Hi :-)

Alvecote Wood Conservation Project gains Another Prestigious Award: Last year, our Alvecote Wood conservation site won the Royal Forestry Society's Excellence in Forestry competition. We were amazed then, and this year they have named Alvecote Wood officially as the Best Small Woodland in England! We were gobsmacked, but also delighted that it all helps to spread the message about the need for management of these precious ancient woodland sites. There is more background information on the Royal Forestry Society web site. We also have more information available on this project and on our environmental policy in general.

New Manufacturing Facility Coming On-Stream: We are pleased to report we have moved most of our manufacturing and despatch into new and larger premises to support our expansion. More details shortly.

Sold Secure Annual Audit Pass: All our approved products passed their annual audit at Sold Secure on 19th June and continue to hold their previous approval ratings.

We've Won! RiDE Magazine Best Buy and Recommended awards for our Protector 19mm and Protector 16mm chains, respectively. RiDE Magazine March 2014, Locks & Chains Product Test. RiDE Magazine's product test awarded a prestigious Best Buy for the Protector 19mm chain and Squire SS65CS-XLN lock for "its mix of usability and security", saying "This is a lock set good enough to be issued to the Ministry of Defence." "First stage attacks didn't touch the chain or the lock. Our mechanical attacks did get through eventually but had to make a lot of noise for some time in order to do so." The Protector 16mm gained a Recommended award "because it offers nearly as much security at the 19mm chains but being smaller it is easier to use and to insert through bikes and ground anchors."

 

New Product: We are pleased to launch the innovative Double Doofer removable ground anchor. Install a ground anchor, use it, move house and take it with you!

New Product: The HS1 heavy duty hasp & staple is available now. Designed to be tougher than all other hasps on the market at a comparable price, the new HS1 has Sold Secure, CEN 4 and Police approval and can help to prevent thieves getting inside your shed. Keep them out!

Happy New Year: We would like to wish everyone a very Happy & Healthy 2014. We're pleased that 2013 saw a 40% increase in our business level and we are very grateful to our customers, suppliers and partners for your help and support.

Much-Improved European Shipping Rates: We are pleased that our volume agreement with Parcelforce has allowed us to negotiate some significant cost reductions for shipping to much of Europe! These rates are all now enabled in our shopping cart.

New Videos about fitting our Torc Ground Anchor: We have published a couple of videos showing how to fit our Torc ground anchor using chemical resin capsules:

 

and using an Injection Resin cartridge:

 

Another Excellent Year: We've just completed our company year end (to end October 2013) and are pleased to have a further 40% growth compared with last year! Thanks to all our customers, suppliers and supporters - your business and help have been much appreciated.

Anti-Pinch Pin Washer added to the range! We are now able to offer a specially-made washer that can be used to enlarge the size of the head on the standard Pin or Mini-Pin, allowing them to be used in more situations. More information and photos.

Successful Haymaking! We run a woodland conservation site that has several wildflower meadows. Wildflowers hate fertile soil and with the growth over successive years, the mix of wildflowers deteriorates unless these meadows are cut and cleared each year. We have struggled to get contractors or neighbouring farmers to do a fiddley mowing and baling job so we decided we had to do it ourselves. We used our previously enjoyed haymaking equipment to make our first ever crop of hay and to bale it, with the entire batch sold and delivered to neighbouring horse owners so minimising the impact and costs of transport for all concerned. This should hopefully help to boost the biodiversity of the meadows in the future.

Sold Secure Annual Audit Pass: All our approved products passed their annual audit at Sold Secure on 27th June and continue to hold their previous approval ratings. We have also re-instated approval of the Anti-Pinch Pin at Motorcycle Gold and passed approval of a new removable ground anchor product that is about to be launched. More details very soon.

Alvecote Wood Conservation Project gains Prestigious Award: We are delighted that our conservation work has been taken as an example of best practice in ancient woodland management and has been awarded first prize in the Royal Forestry Society's Excellence in Forestry competition, and will be featured on the Royal Forestry Society web site. We have more information available on this project and on our environmental policy in general.

Police BikeSafe Show: We were pleased to have been invited to exhibit at the national Police BikeSafe show at Doncaster race course on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June 2013. There were over 300 of the highly recommended Police-supervised rides for members of the public as well as manufacturers' stands offering test rides on several bike models. We were happy to be in the exhibition hall, displaying a selection of our products and answering questions. Please go to the BikeSafe Show web site for more details.

Noose Chain 11mm Available: In response to customer demand, we have a noose chain option available for Protector 11mm chains as well as the 13mm. This can allow a shorter length, and therefore a lighter length, of chain to be used to secure items and especially where they are separated by some distance. We have more information about noose chains.

Get Britain Cycling! Kaya Burgess, a journalist on the Times newspaper, has launched a petition on the Government's ePetitions website encouraging it to adopt the recommendations of the Get Britain Cycling report. Please click here to sign the petition.

Avoiding Frozen or Dirty Locks We've added a new advice section to offer hints for maintaining your locks. This can be especially relevant if locks are exposed to the weather with low temperatures and risk of freezing. There is also general guidance on caring for your locks to help avoid problems with contamination.

Another Excellent Year: We've just completed our company year end (to end October 2012) and are pleased to have another 30% growth compared with last year! Thanks to all our customers and supporters - your business and help have been much appreciated.

NEC Cycle Show: We had a great response to our exhibit at the Cycle Show this year. Thanks to all who came to say hello and who listened to what we had to say :-)

Squire Sold Secure Status: We have been lobbying for a long time and are pleased that Squire have now got confirmation of Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold status for the SS50CS and SS65CS locks as independent items, rather than in conjunction with specific chains. This gives customers much more flexibility in terms of how these locks are used and resolves a grey area with certain insurers. We have always had our products tested individually to provide this same flexibility. A customer can use any of our chains in combination with any other appropriately-approved lock and know the combination is automatically approved, even if the lock was not purchased from us.

Our Biggest Launch Ever: July 2012 sees us launch this new web site and several additions to our product range, as summarised below:

New Product Launch: The Metal Shed Shackle: We are pleased to launch a new variant of the popular Shed Shackle product that extends the concept to fitting in metal sheds, bike huts, cycle stores, etc. Reinforcing a wide area of the metal wall of these often-flimsey structures can give an easy and significant boost to the security of your bikes and other items. Nore details on the Metal Shed Shackle, more about the Shed Shackle and some advice about security for metal sheds in general.

New Launch: Concrete-In fitting kit for the Torc Ground Anchor: We are pleased to launch another fitting kit for our flagship product, the Torc Series II ground anchor, to allow it to be embedded in fresh concrete. If you are laying concrete, this kit allows you to install the Torc ground anchor as part of laying the concrete itself. This kit is already Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold approved. More details on the Concrete-In fitting kit and more on the Torc Series II ground anchor.

New Launch: Block Wall fitting kit for the Torc Ground Anchor: We are pleased to launch yet another fitting kit for our flagship product, the Torc Series II ground anchor, to allow it to be used on block walls such as are common in domestic garages etc. This is the only 8-bolt fixing ground anchor on the market and is already Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold approved. More details on the Block Wall fitting kit and more on the Torc Series II ground anchor.

New Launch: Noose Chain Options: The Protector 13mm and 11mm chains are now available in noose chain form, where one end of the chain is fitted with an oversize ring that allows the chain to be looped through itself, like a choke chain on a dog collar. This can be helpful particularly when long chain lengths are required. More information on Noose Chains.

New Web Site: Welcome to our new web site! This SecurityForBikes.com site replaces the previous www.torc-anchors.com site. We hope you find it easy to use and the content helpful.

New Videos about Protector Chains: We have created some videos to help with common questions about our Protector range of chains:
How to fit the lock to the chain (and advanced locking techniques):

 

and help on choosing the right chain:

 

New Videos about the Anti-Pinch Pin and Mini-Anti-Pinch Pin: We have recorded some videos to help explain our Anti-Pinch Pin and Mini-Pin variants that can help with using Protector 16mm and 19mm chains:

 

and help if you've got a ground anchor or piece of machinery that won't take a 16mm or 19mm chain:

 

There are more videos planned for the near future. Feel free to suggest something you might find helpful!

'Green' News: In 2011 we completed a major conservation project (planting over 4,000 trees!) in our 'spare' time. That began the process of establishing a new native broadleaved woodland in an ex-farmer's field. We dug 5 new wildlife ponds and sowed much of the area with wildflowers. After serious worries about the very dry weather we had in the Spring of 2011, and many tonnes of watering that we did in an effort to keep the new trees alive, our latest survey has shown only a very small percentage loss. The trees have hopefully toughened-up and should show strong growth in future seasons. In winter 2011/2012, we added another 450+ trees, gapping-up and completing the planting across this site. It's already gained favour with several red-listed species and the wet weather in 2012 was popular with the young trees even if not with the rest of us! We're keeping our fingers crossed the weather doesn't go crazy again in 2013!

No Signature Required Now Available Upon Request: UK deliveries can now be left without the driver having to get a signature. We recommend the popular Post Office Convenient Collect service where it is difficult to have someone available to sign for a delivery and if delivery to a work address or neighbour is impossible. If these are all not practical, we are now able to offer unsigned-for delivery as an option. Beware that this is at your own risk, so if you request that the driver leaves a parcel in your porch and it's not there when you get home, there is no comeback. Hence, please only request this when you really are confident this is the only realistic option and you are willing to take responsibility. If you want to take this option, please give details in the Additional Information field below your delivery address during the shopping cart checkout. Note that this is only available within the UK.

Do you want to use a 16mm or 19mm Chain with a small ground anchor? If you already have a ground anchor that has insufficient clearance to accept a heavy duty chain, the new Mini-Pin variant of the popular Anti-Pinch Pin idea, is now available. The Mini-Pin should fit through the ground anchor and will accept Protector 16mm or 19mm chains, allowing you to get the benefit of guaranteed un-boltcroppable chains without having to dig up or replace your existing anchor. Naturally, if your anchor is feeble, you may be better advised to replace it if you need the full benefit of the heavy-duty chains, but if you have a reasonable anchor that is just limited in its capacity, such as the Squire GA1, this may be an easy solution. More information on using the Anti-Pinch Pin Mini-Pin.

What Mountain Bike "Beat the Thieves": Torc Ground Anchor: WINNER! 5/5 "Made of 20mm hardened steel with a 12mm thick base this is a substantial bit of kit. With no amount of give in the tough structure and the chemical fix to the ground, we were more likely to break the floor than the anchor. Needs groundwork to install but it's worth it." What Mountain Bike September 2011, p69

What Mountain Bike "Beat the Thieves": Protector 13mm and Squire SS50CS: WINNER! 5/5 "Massively strong against any tools, but its weight means it's for home use only. After five minutes almost every tool we threw at it was well worn but the 2m chain withstood them all. The chain also beat our 5 minute power tool attack." What Mountain Bike September 2011, p69