Bike lock recommendations

Pickle Lily

Hi,

I'm looking for recommendations for bike locks which are more suitable for touring (i.e. lighter than average). I would prefer a cable lock, but am open to suggestions. Annoyingly my insurance policy requires a silver rated sold secure lock.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

jc4lab

.Ive had 2 thickish cable locks easily cut through although good brands but Im sure there are goods uns.. I now have a Magnum U Lock. as the Main one .My view is best have more than onelock despite the weight.inc a Cable lock used only for a quick.dash in the shop etc.The cable lock is useful to thread through the wheels as they can go even if the bike aint taken..Beware cheapo import stuff. cos they might have soft easy bent keys that might not work after you have locked it..then you are stuck.Simularly if you decide to get a tough Magnum like lock best get one with plenty of spare keys .I Would never use( or even sleep)if I had such a tough lock with just one key left

nicklouse

TBH whatever complies with your insurance. If it is not on their list then you dont have any insurance.

gilesjuk

If you're touring then a bit of weight from a lock will be nothing.

This is a good lock.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... lus-10512/

Also ask the place you're staying if you can store your bike indoors somewhere, many will accommodate.

andymiller

nicklouse wrote:

TBH whatever complies with your insurance. If it is not on their list then you dont have any insurance.

What he said. You can have light or you can have secure - but not both (and unfortunately even SoldSecure Silver won't stand up to a thief with the right tools). Sold Secure catalogue should be here:

http://www.soldsecure.com/downloads/


The Abus Granit-X is good and so is the Kryptonite equivalent.

If you're prepared to do without insurance cover get a 5mm cable that is long enough to go through the front and back wheel and around a tree.

Pickle Lily

Thanks for the replies.

I had already checked out the sold secure silver list. However with 313 products on it, I was kinda hoping to narrow it down a bit further!

GyatsoLa

The lightest locks (i.e. sub 1kg) that will give decent security are small mini u-locks like the Kryptonite Evo Mini (the bike messenger favourite) or an Abus equivalent (I've seen a very neat little 800g one in shops but oddly enough its not on the Abus website). The obvious limitation of mini-locks is that its very hard to lock the bike to anything, so a cable is a useful addition. I've used a combination of Kryptonite Evo, a light cable, and a small padlock on tour as a good combination for any circumstances (the padlock and cable is also useful for locking things in poorly secured hostels or tent).

Otherwise, I've found that the Abus Centuro is a reasonably good lock for touring countries where the bike thieves aren't too capable. Its just under the kilo weight, with is the max I'll bring with me.

http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLa ... 3318314940

andymiller

Pickle Lily wrote:

However with 313 products on it, I was kinda hoping to narrow it down a bit further!

The problem is that the Sold Secure standard measures the time it takes to cut through the the lock and that is usually related to the thickness of the lock. You can reduce the weight of the lock but only by making it smaller and less useful. Something like the min-Evo locks is really only useful as a second lock (and probably not even then). I suspect your insurance policy requires you to attach the bike to an immovable object - so unless the lock is big enough to go round an immovable object it doesn't count. Sorry but until someone comes up with a titanium lock there's not really going to be a whole lot of difference.