Which bike lock?

[Scotmitchy]

Help, the choice is just too wide.

I want one light weight enough to be carried in my panniers without too much hassle, but tough enough to fight off all-comers, and, possibly, long enough to go through two bikes.

How on earth to I work my way through this maze?

Ta

M

 

[Peter10]

I'm looking for a new lock myself at the moment. I have a Kryptonite HardWire cable lock and I am looking to get either a Kryptonite Evolution series 4 or an Abus Granite D lock. Both are fairly light and I believe both D locks are 15/15 security ratings. Obviously, that doesn't mean they are 100% secure, but it is worth spending a decent amount on good locks.

 

[Maz]

Worth realising that D-locks obviously have a limited 'wrap-around' length, cable-types being more versatile in this respect. Probably a combination of D-lock and Cable to lock up your bike would be a good belt-n-braces approach, IMO.

I have a couple of Abus D-locks, which are good for the money.

 

[e-rider]

A very important point to note is that ANY form of cable lock can be easily cut in 3 seconds - even the ones that cost £60! So they provide very little protection, and believe me, a lot of criminals carry (in a plastic bag or backpack) bolt croppers to get through them, even 13 year old kids.

A good quality D-lock is your best bet.

 

[marinyork]

I'm looking for a new lock myself at the moment. I have a Kryptonite HardWire cable lock and I am looking to get either a Kryptonite Evolution series 4 or an Abus Granite D lock. Both are fairly light and I believe both D locks are 15/15 security ratings. Obviously, that doesn't mean they are 100% secure, but it is worth spending a decent amount on good locks.

The evolution 4 is a good lock but I believe is 9/15. Even the New York 3000 is only 11/15. I have a 3000 myself but they are a lot pricier than they used to be .

 

[HLaB]

The evolution 4 is a good lock but I believe is 9/15. Even the New York 3000 is only 11/15. I have a 3000 myself but they are a lot pricier than they used to be .

I've got an evolution (I couldn't tell you the model) it was about the lightest when I compared it to similar priced locks in the lbs but by no way is it light

When I'm leaving my bike for longer though I've got the NY 3000 too. I bought it a couple of years ago with a free 7ft kyrptoflex for about 1/2 the price the same on-line retailer is charging today

 

[Crankarm]

Don't use a cable lock of any flavour or thickness. You may as well use liquorice or string. Use a D-lock. The only one worth buying is the Abus Granit X Plus. You state you want the D-lock to be long enough to go through 2 bikes so go for the longer Granit X Plus where the internal length of the D is 30cm. Priced at about £65-70. If you value your bikes it's worth every penny.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I want one light weight enough to be carried in my panniers without too much hassle, but tough enough to fight off all-comers, and, possibly, long enough to go through two bikes.

As others have said go for D locks. All the tests indicate that they are harder to breach than cables/chains, albeit still not 100% safe.

Unless you always have two bikes to lock at the same time, you might want to consider buying two smaller D locks rather than one great big one. The reason is because even the best D lock can be breached by bottle jacks, but that requires room inside the D for the jack to work. So either use smaller D locks to ensure tight fit, or at least making sure you can fill the inside of a large one with wheels/bigger railings etc. if possible.

 

[2Loose]

As others have said go for D locks. All the tests indicate that they are harder to breach than cables/chains, albeit still not 100% safe.

Unless you always have two bikes to lock at the same time, you might want to consider buying two smaller D locks rather than one great big one. The reason is because even the best D lock can be breached by bottle jacks, but that requires room inside the D for the jack to work. So either use smaller D locks to ensure tight fit, or at least making sure you can fill the inside of a large one with wheels/bigger railings etc. if possible.

The Magnum Plus Mini Shackle (from Halfords, dare I say?) is very small and for a D-Lock is very light...still weighs more than a bag of sugar though. It will go through your frame\rear wheel and around a Sheffield stand with an extension loop which can go around front wheel\helmet etc. It doesn't leave any room for a thief to get any leverage or get any tools into the gap which should make it more secure than many larger locks. It even has a working bracket to carry it on your bike frame, so two of them isn't impractical.

 

[scouserinlondon]

+1 for the New York 3000. Shop around online and you'll find one cheap, I got mine for under £50. I also have a bloody huge motorcycle chain lock which I got cheap from the same site I bought the Kryptonite from. I leave both on the racks at work.

For popping to the shops I have a really good mini shackle lock from Halfords. It's Gold rated and really light. It's a fricking pain to fit though, tight as a tiger.

 

[numbnuts]

Abus Granit X Plus and 4 foot of 3/8 cable and large padlock to go through both wheels

 

[JDoughnut]

Oxford locks have always been the best imo. Get on ebay and they are dirt cheap.. My mate sells them he buys them in at like £5 - £15 and Halfords sell them at 50 - 90 a pop. So ebay is a good place to start.

 

[Crankarm]

Don't touch Kryptonite locks of any variety even with a barge pole. I had a supposely gold secure all singing all dancing one, a New Yorker I think it was. It was crap as the lock was picked and my Brompton nicked.

Abus Granit are the only D locks I know that are pretty hard to break or pick.

 

[e-rider]

Don't touch Kryptonite locks of any variety even with a barge pole. I had a supposely gold secure all singing all dancing one, a New Yorker I think it was. It was crap as the lock was picked and my Brompton nicked.

Abus Granit are the only D locks I know that are pretty hard to break or pick.

how do you know it was picked and not levered apart or jacked?

 

[scouserinlondon]

Don't touch Kryptonite locks of any variety even with a barge pole. I had a supposely gold secure all singing all dancing one, a New Yorker I think it was. It was crap as the lock was picked and my Brompton nicked.

Abus Granit are the only D locks I know that are pretty hard to break or pick.

Was this recent? I thought Kryptonite had raised their game after biro-gate