Bicycle Lock Recommendations

[RyanFrog]

I'll be doing a considerable amount of cycling up Manchester way over the next year. It seems that bike theft is peculiarly high in the UK (who'd have thought it'd be so much worse than the Netherlands? A 15eu lock and some awareness is more than enough there!) As as a result of that, I want to get 2-3 good quality locks to ensure my possession of my slick new ride (courtesy of @smokeysmoo). Folk seem to think that the quality of lock doesn't really matter in this country because bike thieves ACTUALLY carry around angle grinders (wtf?!), though I'd prefer to deter most opportunist and would-be thieves. I'd like to request recommendations for top-range bicycle locks or good quality mid-range locks.

Does anybody have any experience with the Litelok X1? I've been weighing up buying one for locking the frame and a couple of mid-range locks to lock the wheels to the frame. It's pricey and still not immune to two discs.

 

[ETAF]

because bike thieves ACTUALLY carry around angle grinders (wtf?!),

WOW , i have this week , purchased 2 e-bikes £1000's of pounds
I know locally, there is a gang around who pay kids to steal the bike , who the police cannot charge and also the kids know people cannot touch them , terrible situation

I see the litlock has the following info

LITELOK X1 is armoured with Barronium®, a patent pending composite material that resists angle grinder attack by turning the grinder's energy and force in on itself. It offers at least 5 times more resistance than the best-selling D-locks without adding any extra weight

the locks the ebike shop actually recommended - was this one , and we purchased 2
https://oxfordlocks.co.uk/Products/Cycle/lk349.php
they have an alarm, not sure if that makes much difference to the gang, but may put off a chancer

the other one was foldable - £130-£150 i think, and comes with some sort of an insurance policy if bike stolen would replace the value
did not get into that to much - but i am now considering - and will watch the thread to see what others say about you question

 

[wiggydiggy]

Not that one sorry but I really like my Kryptonite Evolution Long shackle. It's heavy but the extra length is very helpful, and if you have a regular spot you park leave the lock there to save carrying it.

 

[Gunk]

I live in a city with very high levels of cycle theft so I really try and avoid leaving any bike locked up, if I have to I use a Kryptonite New Yorker. Disadvantage is, it weighs a ton.

 

[geocycle]

It’s usually a trade off between weight and strength. For work I have a 2 kg abus lock rated gold secure that I leave in a locked bike shed. For shopping I’d carry a kryptonite mini gold secure. For day rides in rural areas I’m happy with an abus cable as the bike is rarely out of my sight. If you ever want to claim off an insurance policy they may also have a regulation on the type of lock.

if you come up against a professional tooled up thief stealing to order you can’t do much except delay them a bit but most thefts are likely to be unsecured bikes or thin cables.

 

[Kingfisher101]

If they want to steal it then they will do. All the bike thief's have battery operated angle grinders and they ride round all day looking for bikes and other things to steal. If its an expensive bike then I wouldn't leave it by itself full stop.

 

[Dadam]

If they want to steal it then they will do. All the bike thief's have battery operated angle grinders and they ride round all day looking for bikes and other things to steal. If its an expensive bike then I wouldn't leave it by itself full stop.

No, an angle grinder is the tool of the serious thief, the "pro" or the most brazen. The opportunists carry cable cutters and/or bolt croppers and are looking for easy pickings like cable locks and poor d-locks. Takes seconds and makes no noise. Or maybe they'd find a length of wood or scaffolding pole to lever open a cheap d-lock.

If what you state were true, no d-lock apart from the very small number of angle grinder resistant ones would get sold secure gold ratings.

I commute on a decent e-bike and I leave it locked up all day in front of our office, which is one of the safest places in Leeds because of where it's situated. I'm not giving any more details as this forum is publicly viewable.
The stand is directly outside our door, overlooked by roughly 50 office windows, out of view of the road and footway, has no passing foot or road traffic and there's people coming in and out all the time. Or it will be locked in front of a shop for a max of 5-10 minutes. The lock will deter/defeat the opportunists, and the bike won't be there long enough or with any regularity to attract the pros.

It's about balancing risk. There's no way I'd leave my bikes chained up at the station all day for instance. But in my circumstances in the relatively unlikely event one got nicked, the insurance would pay out as long as it was locked up with a gold rated lock.

 

[Kingfisher101]

No, an angle grinder is the tool of the serious thief, the "pro" or the most brazen. The opportunists carry cable cutters and/or bolt croppers and are looking for easy pickings like cable locks and poor d-locks. Takes seconds and makes no noise. Or maybe they'd find a length of wood or scaffolding pole to lever open a cheap d-lock.

If what you state were true, no d-lock apart from the very small number of angle grinder resistant ones would get sold secure gold ratings.

I commute on a decent e-bike and I leave it locked up all day in front of our office, which is one of the safest places in Leeds because of where it's situated. I'm not giving any more details as this forum is publicly viewable.
The stand is directly outside our door, overlooked by roughly 50 office windows, out of view of the road and footway, has no passing foot or road traffic and there's people coming in and out all the time. Or it will be locked in front of a shop for a max of 5-10 minutes. The lock will deter/defeat the opportunists, and the bike won't be there long enough or with any regularity to attract the pros.

It's about balancing risk. There's no way I'd leave my bikes chained up at the station all day for instance. But in my circumstances in the relatively unlikely event one got nicked, the insurance would pay out as long as it was locked up with a gold rated lock.

Why would they carry bolt croppers when for £10.00 more they can have a battery operated angle grinder?. You can get them off Ali express really cheap. They are not bothered about noise, they will just threaten anyone who says anything with the grinder. The main bike thieves will carry these, they wont be messing about with bolt croppers.
The rating systems of those locks are worth absolutely nothing.
Anyway, Glad your bike is o.k.

 

[Dadam]

You're describing a minority of bike thieves. We've all seen the videos of the brazen thieves threatening onlookers with the angle grinder, but they are relatively rare. Bolt croppers or cable cutters are easier to conceal under coats etc or in a large pocket and while some indeed don't care, the vast majority will prefer to reduce the risks of somebody challenging them. If they can be away before anybody knows, that's far preferable. There's always the chance of somebody not being deterred by the threat and overwhelming them and they'd prefer not to take the risk.

A colleague had a nice Ribble hybrid nicked from Leeds centre while giving blood. He'd used a cable lock and it had been neatly snipped, not ground.

 

[vickster]

Abus Granit or Kryptonite Fahg

 

[froze]

A few locks have been proven to be near angle grinder proof. The LiteLok X3 took a tester 3 batteries and 5 or 6 blades, which no criminal is going to have all of that to steal a bike, not to mention the time and noise they're making while doing it. But that lock cost $300, but there is a better alternative.

Buy a used bike for $200, lock it up with a $50 lock, and leave the good bike at home.

 

[Gunk]

Buy a used bike for $200, lock it up with a $50 lock, and leave the good bike at home.

My son doesn’t drive so cycles everywhere, and good bikes are left at home, but we never pay anymore than £30 for a pub bike. In fact his current Gary Fisher which has seen continuous daily service for a couple of years cost the princely sum of £15.

A Brompton is the answer here in Oxford because you take it everywhere, no need to leave it locked up.

 

[Witzend]

As mentioned on other threads, it's all about assessing the risks.

Most of the time I carry a cable lock in case I find I have to stop somewhere - but it is a low-risk area. If I'm planning on leaving it, I use a Kryptonite New York (the large, very heavy one), plus a Hiplok (the original, very heavy one designed to go around your waist), plus I go through both wheels with the cable lock as well. As Wiggydiggy suggests - I leave the NY lock in place if it's a regular thing.

However, I have to agree with Froze - if you're using it for a commute, you are leaving it more than riding it, so get a cheap bike, keep the slick one safe and save it for riding minus the leaving.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

Sold Secure Diamond:

The highest level of theft resistance including use of specialist tools (aimed at preventing the most destructive attacks that could include angle grinders)

https://www.soldsecure.com/about-us


List of D locks with Sold Secure Diamond rating:

https://www.soldsecure.com/approved-product-search?standard_grades=6&keyword=&product_types=166

 

[fossyant]

I have a FAGH Mini for hi-risk parking. It's a heavy beast, but you need to know where you will be locking it as the fit is tight between a frame and a sheffield stand. It's ideal if you leave the bike in one place.

As for bike, get it insured. I don't follow the get a cheap bike, as you'll probably spend most of your cycling on it. It doesn't need to be flash but needs to be reliable and nice to ride. I used to commute on a fixed gear road bike, all good level of components, and hubs easy to service etc. I'm now on an old Diamond Back 26" rigid MTB - these old 90's bikes make good commuters as they are strong and mostly come with all the mounting points for racks and guards. But, mine is equipped with vintage Shimano Deore LX and XT parts. Also has handbuilt wheels (built by me) for ease of replacement of rims, for example.