Are all bike locks created equal?

[lucysmam]

Just that really.

If not, are there any particularly good ones to look at?

Thanks!

No. Kryptonite are good and there are different ratings. However... people who want the bike will get it given enough time. Where are you leaving the bike and for how long?

Depends how expensive your bike is.

Hiplok make the best https://hiplok.com

Agree with kryptonite. Expensive but they definitely are a deterrent as can't be opened with regular tools.

Get an Abus D Lock with the gold rating. It's v expensive. Or get multiple cheaper locks
My bike was locked up and they just took apart the bike stand (still raging at the council for providing utterly shit stands) and removed it with the lock - I assume anyway, since all that was left was the bent metal of the stand.

No no no.

either pay for a good one or get multiple cheaper ones

Are your bikes insured? Insurers often won’t pay out unless you use a kryptonote d lock

https://www.litelok.com/

Made in UK.

Well, this is more interesting than I thought it would be!

It's not my bike - the girls' dad needs a new one for his bike(s) & it seemed an easy gift to get a decent one.

It's mainly an e-bike he uses to get to work, he doesn't often leave it anywhere tbh - maybe a quick nip to the local lidl or Asda on his way, but not for hours on end. It's secure at work in the building he works in.

@Screenager they are insured...I did not know insurers wouldn't pay out if you didn't use a certain type of lock though!

We'll look at the Kryptonite ones, thanks very much!

Tbh since thieves started cutting through the bike racks rather than the locks, it’s a bit pointless spending loads on locks. I have a Hiplock and tbh it’s heavy and a pain in the arse to use. I’d rather use a couple of different locks to maximise number of attachment points and make your bike more of a PITA than another to pinch.

He needs to check what his insurers will accept. Most will want something either gold or platinum rated - have a look here: https://soldsecure.com/category/bicycle

Many bike locks can be easily cut with a portable angle grinder. I’ve gone for a Hiplock DXP for my ebike; it’s platinum rated and should hold off the most determined thief for a while. Although as @Switcher says they might just angle grind the bike stand instead 🫤

Make sure you keep the receipt because when our bike was nicked we had to prove that we were using the right type of lock and had bought it before the bike had been stolen.

This is the problem. You can have the most secure lock in the world but almost nowhere provides anywhere secure to attach it to and the average bike stand in most public locations like supermarkets or town centres doesn't count.

Lots of people would cycle a lot more if there was somewhere to leave their bike where there would be a reasonable chance it would be still there when you came back to it.