With hundreds of bike locks out there, ranging from £10 to £200, it’s hard to know which is the best bicycle lock.
In truth, there is no absolute best (although some are clearly better than others) but there will be a best bike lock (or locks) for your needs.
What you buy largely depends on where you’re locking your bike and whether your lock can handle the different environments where you need to lock your bike.
If it’s too expensive, you won’t buy it. If it’s not practical, you won’t use it and if it’s not the right type of lock, you won’t be able to use it!
Follow this guide, where I share my tips on how you can figure out the best type of lock, what security level you need (and the money you ought to spend), then understand how best to use it, to ensure your bike stays safe from theft.
Table of Contents
How to choose the right bike lock
It’s not all about buying the most expensive lock. Before you shell out your hard-earned cash, you need to think about the following three important factors:
- Where are you securing your bicycle?
- What are you securing it to?
- Does your security need to be portable?
The answers to these questions will help determine where you’re most at risk and what security you should use to counter this risk.
1. Where are you securing your bicycle?
The type of security you use should depend on where you most commonly leave your bicycle.
For example, if you are looking for security to keep your bike safe while you stop for a coffee, portability is the main factor, not security.
If you want to be able to lock your bicycle at a train station for a day, you’ll need multiple security devices and they’ll need to be of a high standard.
2. What are you securing it to?
The strongest D-lock in the world is next to useless if you need to lock your bike to a wide piece of street furniture or perhaps a tree.
The type of lock you choose is important as the right choice will cover your main parking spots.
3. Does your security need to be portable?
The key here is weight and size. A chunky chain and padlock will provide a strong barrier against theft but you won’t want to lug it around town.
If you need your security to be portable, you might be best off with a lock you can carry in a bracket on your bike, for example a D-lock or folding lock.
Three important factors to consider
You need good security. Just look at the picture above and you can see where a thief has given up trying to cut through a strong D-lock. If this lock was an eBay cheapy, the bike would most likely have been stolen.
The three factors you need to consider are:
- Security
- Practicality
- Cost
I would put more weight into the security and practicality than the cost, although I appreciate cost is a factor.
And it’s worth remembering that there really is no “best bicycle lock” for everyone. One lock that’s perfect for you might not work for someone else.
If you choose the lock with the most amount of security, it might be a thick motorcycle security chain and a padlock, which scores low on the practicality scale if you need to carry it with you.
However, a highly practical cable lock with a combination code is easy to carry around but offers woeful security.
Cost is important but I always go back to my point about the costs and anguish involved in replacing your bike. The public transport cost, the filling out of insurance forms, the wasted time, covering the cost of depreciation, etc etc.
So, while I appreciate, we don’t all have £200 to spend on physical security, spending £40 when you really need to spend £100 doesn’t make sense either.
Lock types and their pros and cons
D-Lock
A steel shackle in the shape of a D or U locks into a “lock body” to form a D/U lock. The locking mechanism is located in the lock body. Depending on its intended usage, the shackles come in different lengths and widths. Others are only meant for use as a secondary lock to secure a wheel to a bike frame and are smaller as necessary. Those intended to be used to secure frames and wheel(s) to parking furniture are larger providing a broader and longer locking “spread.”
Usually, shackles are constructed of steel that has been hardened. To improve strength and decrease weight, steel alloys incorporating boron or chromium-molybdenum are also employed. Usually, hardened plastic or folded sheet steel is used to create lock bodies.
It’s crucial to realise that size isn’t always preferable. The size of the lock must be suitable for the parking furniture and frame(s)/wheel(s) it is meant to secure in order to provide the highest level of security. The D/U lock must fit snugly when fastened to the bike and parking furniture in order to minimise any empty space between the cuff and the object it binds and reduce the chance that tools will be used to pry the lock apart.
Both pin and key and barrel and key are examples of locking systems. Older barrel locks with cylindrical keys should be avoided since they are easy to pick.
Lock and Chain
A length of chain plus either an incorporated locking mechanism, a separate padlock, or a small D-lock make up this locking system. When used properly, the locking mechanism secures the chain to itself to form a “closed loop” around the bike frame, wheel(s), and parking equipment.
Size, weight, and content all vary among chains. The variety of locks that are readily available includes a wide range of locking mechanisms, casing, and “shackle” designs.
These elements have a big impact on the level of security the locking system provides. Closely spaced chains with links larger than 8 mm in diameter often provide significant levels of protection against “leverage” and make “cutting” more difficult since it is challenging to insert common hand tools between the links to create a purchase on them. Similar to this, locks that include a “closed shackle,” in which the metal loop piece that attaches the chain is largely disguised by the lock housing, provide the best protection because there is little chance for a potential thief to use cutting tools to obtain access to the concealed shackle.
The majority of chains and unique locking devices (such padlocks) are made of metal alloy. For instance, to increase strength and decrease weight, hardened steel is mixed with substances like boron and manganese.
To prevent scratching the painted surface of the secured bike and to slow down chain corrosion, chains are typically wrapped in a protective fabric or plastic sleeve.
A bike that is stored is well protected by a high-quality chain and locking system. High-quality chains and locks, however, are frequently cumbersome, uncomfortable, and difficult to carry. They are also difficult to mount to a bicycle’s frame.
Systems with chains and padlocks can be hacked.
Coil Lock/Cable Lock
There is a wide range in the weight and strength of cable/coil locks.
A length of plastic-coated steel cable and a locking mechanism, either incorporated or separate, make up the usual lock design (such as a padlock or mini D-lock). The following integrated locking mechanisms are frequently used: combination, pin and key, and barrel and key. These locks’ cable components are available in a range of sizes, from 8mm to 50mm, with corresponding variations in weight and strength.
Lock performance is determined by lock specification. While cables between 5mm and 20mm in diameter may discourage opportunistic theft of bicycle parts, they won’t do much to stop a committed burglar because locks of this size are simple to cut.
Larger cable diameters mean more material for a potential thief to cut through, therefore thicker cable locks offer additional protection. Out of all cable and coil lock types, “Armoured” cable locks offer the highest level of security. Multiple hardened steel shells that surround the steel cable provide protection for “armoured” cables (imagine overlapping beads on a string). When attacked with a sawing or rotating motion, the steel sleeve’s segments “spin,” providing some defence against hacksaws and rotary saws/angle grinders (a case of “target-softening”). Additionally, the steel casing provides some cutting resistance for the steel cable core.
The “sprung” cable locks are coil locks. When not in use, the cable retracts back into a coiled position. This facilitates carrying the cable, often with the aid of a frame mount. Coil locks are typically only used as secondary locks for wheels and saddles since only narrow gauges of steel cable are typically coiled.
Locks made of cable and coil are lightweight and flexible enough to be carried on the person or in a bag with ease.
Systems with cables and coils are prone to being cut.
Folding bicycle lock
Folding bicycle locks are constructed from a network of interconnected steel plates that can be shaped around solid objects to provide a wide range of locking choices. A folding lock can then be folded down into a small package for convenient transportation.
They’re generally thought of as being a good compromise between a chain and a D-lock. Usually lighter than both, but not able to offer the same levels of security as the toughest chains and D-locks, a folding lock will enable you to secure your bike to a wider range of fixed objects (for example a tree) than a D-lock.
The size, weight and security level vary greatly between different brands and price points. All locks of this type use metal plates with a rubber-coated exterior to protect your frame from paint chips. A top-quality folding lock will have plates that are 5mm thick or thicker. These will be hard but not impossible to bolt-crop.
There are currently no Diamond-rated Sold Secure folding locks however there is a wide variety of Gold-rated locks which still offer very good levels of security.
They normally come with a frame mount but are light enough to carry in a rucksack.
How much money should I spend?
Is there much (or indeed any) point in buying cheap security?
Well yes and no.
If you REALLY can’t afford to spend more than £50 on bicycle security, then buy the best single piece of security you can afford. For example, a £40 U-lock will withstand a bit of abuse and will deter opportunist theft.
Generally speaking, the more you spend the better your lock will be. A good quick tip is to look for a Sold Secure rating and buy the best you can.
Just remember that cheap locks are usually a false economy. Think about the grief, expense – and time – involved in claiming from your insurance for a stolen bicycle. Now, do you really think a £20 chain is a good idea?
As a general rule, I suggest you spend at least £100 on security. Two items, such as two good D-locks or a decent security chain and D-lock will enable you to lock your wheels and frame.
How much do you need to spend? The question really is: Can you afford to have your bicycle stolen?
How to (properly) lock your bike
It’s not just the strength of your security that makes a difference between whether your bike’s tampered with, left alone, or stolen but also how you use that security.
Below are two handy infographics that give you a good and quick idea of how best to use your security to minimise the risks.
The graphic above, produced by Hiplock shows you the wrong way, a better way, and the best way to secure your bicycle. You’d be surprised how many bicycles I see that are secured to a fixed object by just the front wheel.
This infographic also points out that you shouldn’t lock your bike to a chain-link fence or anything that’s of questionable strength (for example a young tree). Thieves will attack the weakest area, take your bike, and work on the security while out of sight.
Cycling UK has produced this handy infographic above.
It makes a few good points, including the best way to lock your bike with a D-lock and how a cable lock can be used to keep your wheels safe.
Who steals our bikes?
There’s a very interesting guide on this website that quotes different whitepapers and research papers which breaks down who steals our bicylces. It might not surprise you to know that the majority of bicycle theft is done by males aged under 20. The website breaks them down as follows:
• Joy-riders are persons who steal any kind of bicycle for recreation or transportation. Following use, these criminals typically leave the stolen bicycle abandoned. Typically, younger offenders (16 and under) fall into this category (Challinger 1986; Loder and Bayly Ltd 1986 ; and Sokol 1992).
• Bike freaks, also referred to as bicycle-focused offenders, are people who intentionally steal a certain kind of bicycle or a lot of bicycles (Nuttal 2001).
• Impulsive children and criminals: people who take advantage of simple opportunities to steal anything, including bicycles of all kinds, and sell it for money or other items (such as drugs).
• Drug addicts of any age who are opportunistic, in need of a fix, and have been observed in the UK selling motorcycles for money in order to purchase drugs (Van Kesteren and Homburg, 1995).
Attack methods used by thieves
Bicycles are stolen using a variety of strategies by criminals. The method an offender employs is frequently closely related to the cyclist’s locking habits (i.e., the type of lock the cyclist uses and the way he or she applies it).
Little skill is needed if the bike is badly locked or poor quality physical security is used. Here are some frequent criminal methods for stealing bikes that are locked.
Lifting – The bike is lifted by the thieves, who then place a lock over the top of the post. If it’s a signpost, the thieves might take the sign down in order to lift the bicycle free. It can occasionally happen that the post itself is not anchored firmly and is moved away from the bike and the lock.
Levering – Thieves will insert tools like jacks or bars to lever the lock apart by inserting them into the gap that a loosely fitted lock leaves between the stand and the bike. By moving the bike frame against the stand or other stationary item to which it is locked, thieves will even use the bike frame itself as a lever. The lock or the bike will eventually break. Since it isn’t their bike, the thief doesn’t care which one!
Striking – Thieves may use a hammer and chisel to cut the fastening chain or lock if a cyclist locks their bicycle with the chain or lock touching the ground.
Unbolting – Thieves are skilled at removing bolts and quick-release clips. If a biker locks a bike by just the wheel, it can be the only thing still there when the cyclist gets back. If a cyclist just locks the frame, a burglar may take one or more wheels.
Sometimes a thief will do this to immobilise the bike and buy themselves more time. If you return to your bike and the wheels are missing, you may decide to return later to collect it. However the thief might have planned this, to buy themselves more time to steal the bike (for instance at night) and the bike might be gone before the owner can return to remove it.
Cutting — To get past locks and chains to take bicycles, thieves have been known to use tin snips, bolt cutters, hacksaws, and angle grinders.
Picking – Thieves can force open locks that require keys by inserting tools directly into the keyhole but this is not very common at all. Most would rather use a powertool than use their brain.
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The majority of stolen bicycles, regardless of where they were stolen from, are either not locked at all or were ‘secured’ using a lock that was easy to pick or break.
While some thieves will use angle grinders and other power tools the majority of them will only use bolt-croppers as these are capable of breaking medium security locks and can be used without making a noise. Get your security to a point where bolt-croppers can’t defeat it and you’re eliminating all but a very small percentage of bike thieves and therefore improving the chances of your bike being safe.
Where not to lock your bicycle
There are lots of high-risk areas where we need to leave our bikes, for example train stations and high-streets but if locked properly with high-quality locks, you ought to be OK. However below I've listed a few locations and objects that you should try and avoid if you can.
- Underground / Secure car parks - The fact these places are called secure is a joke. Thieves love these locations precisely because the average Joe thinks they are secure because they've got a barrier, CCTV and a member of staff on duty. The fact is thieves can operate in these locations with impunity.
- Trees - Town centres tend to have young trees with trunks as thick as your wrist. They might look quite sturdy but a thief won't think twice about chopping a small treee down to get at your bike.
- Chain-link fencing - Tennis court fencing is as weak as can be. You could cut through it with a decent pair of pliers, let alone a set of bolt croppers.
- Short sign posts - A lot of posts in your local town centre are only 7ft tall. A thief will have no problem unbolting the sign at the top and sliding your locked bike over the top.
- Communal private bike racks - I see these all the time in modern developments, where there's an underground car park and a bike store. These may feel secure, due to the fact the car park has a gate and the bike shed often has coded access but people leave these bike shed doors ajar all the time and no-one ever questions anyone in a bike shed, especially if they look like a cyclist and not a scrote. The same goes for communal hallways and stairways in flats - just because it's inside doesn't make it secure.
- Under CCTV - OK, so CCTV can help a bit as a mild deterrent but relinquishing a good secure parking spot and good security due to the fact your bike is in sight of a CCTV camera is a risk not worth taking. CCTV footage is hard to get hold of and unlikely in itself to help a prosecution. Thieves don't care about being on camera.
What is Sold Secure?
Sold Secure is a non-profit testing institution that is neutral, impartial, and independent. It is owned by the UK’s Master Locksmiths Association.
To make comparing various locks and brands easier, they subject locks to a battery of tests and assign them a security rating. Lock picking, lock manipulation, drilling, cutting, bolt croppers, and other common attack methods are put to the test.
There are now four primary types of bicycle security level: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond.
D-lock vs Folding lock vs Chain lock
What happens to your stolen bicycle?
The supply chain for any consumable or goods follows a pretty standard pattern: a supplier, a middleman, and a buyer.
When it comes to stolen bikes, it’s really no different. Here’s a basic overview of how it functions.
The Supplier
Instead of Brompton, Giant or Specialized, the provider is the bike thief.
They can be classified in two broad categories:
Type 1: The drug addict
A good quality bicycle’s front wheel can be sold for £20. This is equivalent to one hit for the addict. It takes under a minute to steal a bicycle wheel – why wouldn’t they give it a go?
Type 2: The expert
This type of thief tends to go ater bikes, not components. They might drive around with a mate in a van or go two-up on a high-powered scooter. They’ll be able to spot a high-value bike with low-quality security.
The one with the angle grinder or bolt-croppers will steal the bike quite covertly, usually carrying a messenger bag (containing their tools), a high-viz jacket and a bicycle helmet.
They appear to the casual onlooker like they own the bike. Moments later they’re on their way.
Some bike thieves have given interviews where they boast that they’ve been able to steal 10 bikes a weekend, for months on end. These high-value bikes go for £4-500 each on marketplace websites.
The Middle Man
The stolen bike must subsequently be sold by the bike thieves, or suppliers, to a middleman, the stolen bike dealer. If it’s a drug addict, they’ll probably sell the parts themselves or have a contact who’ll exchange the parts for cash.
The professional thieves will have a well established network. Those bikes will be taken to a storage location (a lock-up garage for instance) and transported around the UK or over to Europe in vans or shipping containers, as either whole bikes or parts.
They’re then sold on sites like Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay using fake accounts and Pay-As-You-Go mobile numbers.
You can get a good idea whether someone’s selling stolen bikes by the fact the bikes they sell are usually priced low and they have a few for sale and feedback to match a selling history.
The Buyer
Who buys these stolen bikes?
Sometimes it’s genuinely innocent parties who spot a ‘bargain’ and go and grab it from the seller ‘before someone else does’.
The seller knows how to price the bikes to be able to offload them within hours.
The result? The seller and the buyer are happy.
There are also organised gangs who buy stolen bikes by the container load. They can ship them around the country or out to Europe or further afield where they’re used to help legitimise drugs cash.
It’s a sad fact that bicycle crime is a low priority for the police. Most thieves get away with it, even if they’re caught.
So with little to stop them, bicycle crime is here to stay. This is why quality security is so important if you want to keep your bicycle safe.
Should I use a cable lock?
For most of us, we need to carry a bike lock each time we ride, so it’s crucial to think about things like the lock’s size and weight.
As far as I’m concerned, people frequently make the error of investing in a thin, light cable lock to use as their primary means of bicycle security.
Although it is simple to assume that this cable lock even a chunk one – will be sufficient, the cruel truth is that a cable lock is neither a security measure nor a deterrent for a determined thief. It merely causes irritation, at best.
In fact, a bicycle thief who is even slightly motivated will have little trouble cutting through a larger cable lock because there are numerous tools that can do the job and you can buy them from your local Screwfix.
That said, I do use a bicycle cable lock – you can click that link to see where I use it and why I use it.
But, a cable lock as your main layer of security? Not a wise move, pal!
Simply put, if you depend on a cable lock to protect your bike from thieves, you’ll soon become a disgruntled ex-bike owner.
What is the strongest bike lock?
This image above isn’t an April Fool, it’s an Altor SAF and it claims to be the world’s first angle-grinder-resistant bike lock.
Whether it’s the first or not doesn’t really matter but it’s also joined by the Hiplok D1000. Bother offer the latest in materials to put the handbrake on angle-grinder attacks.
Both of these D-locks have been designed to require AT LEAST 10 minutes of angle-grinding before they can be defeated. The Altor SAF is chunky due to multiple protective layers designed to slow-down an angle-grinder’s progress.
They are secure but they’re also HEAVY. At 6kg, are you going to carry that Altor around with you?
The same goes for the thickest motorcycle security chains. Some of these chains have links that are a whopping 22mm thick, but, with each link weighing around 1kg they are not portable!
There are lots of very good bicycle locks out there that have been Sold Secure rated to a Diamond standard. This is the top level and means that, while they’re not perfect, they are secure enough to deter most thieving parasites from even trying to pinch your bike.
The best lock for E-bikes
E-Bikes or electric bikes are bicycles with an electric motor and a battery built in. They are growing in popularity because the price to benefit ratio is getting better all the time.
Thieves love e-bikes because they:
- are generally worth more than an average bicycle
- have a higher demand on the second-hand market
- give them street cred when they use them to get about
Whether it has a motor or not isn’t necessarily an important factor when it comes to securing your e-bike. It’s a pricey and desirable bike and so thieves will want it.
One of the great benefits of an e-bike is you don’t have to worry too much about additional weight or size, seeing as the motor on your bicycle is removing some of the effort required to cart this stuff around.
With that in mind, I’d definitely consider fitting panniers or a tail pack to your e-bike and carrying a couple of really good quality locks with you.
I’d recommend a motorcycle-grade chain and padlock and a good quality D-lock or a couple of top-quality D-locks.
I’d also be wary of parking your e-bike is public spaces, like busy bike-racks, for a longer period of time. Thieves might not be clever, but they have a good eye for what they want and they’ll visit busy locations daily. So have a good think about where you’re leaving it and whether you can improve that location.
I’d recommend a chain with a minimum thickness of 13mm, ideally thicker and consider an alarmed D-lock which will act as a deterrent to any thief.
It’s worth noting some of the new ebikes such as the Vanmoofs have a built-in GPS tracker and alarm/motion sensor. While you can put the sidestand down on these bikes and activate the lock (so it can’t be wheeled away), that might work at a cafe stop in a country-village, but I’d exercise caution with this in a busy town-centre location.
Bicycle lock FAQs
Which type of cycle lock is best?
This depends on where you lock your bike, where you lock it, and how long you lock it for. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to bike locks.
Is there a bike lock that cannot be cut?
Anything can eventually be cut but there are now a couple D-locks on the market that are incredibly hard to cut with an angle-grinder, which is usually the tool that can beat any bike lock.
Is Abus better than Kryptonite?
Both of these brands manufacture quality security, however, they also both produce entry-level cheaper locks that I wouldn’t recommend you use as anything more than a coffee-stop lock.
Can bolt cutters cut a bike lock?
Bolt cutters come in different sizes. The largest ones are 42-inches long and not easy for a thief to carry around without drawing attention. The longest bolt-croppers can, given enough time and force, cut 12mm chains but anything thicker than this is almost impossible to crop by hand.
Which brand of lock is the best?
There are dedicated lock manufacturers and these guys tend to produce the best-quality locks. From Kryptonite, to Abus and OnGuard to Squire. These brands produce very good quality locks that have Sold Secure Gold and Diamond ratings.
Are combination or key bike locks better?
The locks with the highest security ratings tend to be keyed locks. However, you can get Sold Secure Gold-level combination locks. A coded lock is an excellent choice if you want a minimal amount of hassle and no risk of losing keys.
Are chain locks better than D locks?
There’s no accurate answer to this as both have very different applications. A good quality chain or D-lock is a reliable way to secure your bicycle.
What can cut through a bike lock?
A cable lock can be cut with wire cutters. D-locks and chains with a shackle thickness of less than 10mm can be cut with bolt-cutters and almost anything can (given enough time) be cut with an angle grinder.
What is the most popular type of lock?
In the cycling world, it’s the D-lock. They’re popular as they are easy to carry and relatively cheap. The better ones are very hard to cut with bolt-croppers
Sources
Thanks to the following websites that helped us put this best bicycle locks guide together:
Bicycle Theft | ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing | ASU
Cycle security | Sustainability (cam.ac.uk)
https://www.stichtingart.nl/en/is-my-lock-approved/
About Bike Theft / The Problem / Who Steals Bikes (bikeoff.org)