mozad655

So what are the best bike locks as of 2013? Best as in strenght, with little to no regard to weight/size, yet still a bicycle lock. Data on how long to cut through with an angle grinder would be awesome when possible. Locks that can be cut with a bolt cutter/hacksaw should not be mentioned here.

I myself have been using a single New York Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini U-lock for the past 2 years.



I've searched all over the web for an angle grinder test, but despite the locks popularity, I have yet to find a clear test. Anyone know of one? All I could find was this thread on a different forum where a guy had problems opening the locking mechanism, and ended up having a locksmith cut through it. It took him nearly 10 minuts with an angle grinder.

UserM4

I don't think that there's a lock made by man that can withstand power tools for any significant length of time. But, the more cutting that's involved, the longer it's going to take, and from my research, those NY type Kryptonites that lock on both ends of the U may require two cuts to pry it apart far enough to pull the frame out. Also, all metals are not created equal. Some harder metals like in that U-lock are extremely time consuming to cut. At my work, I've used angle grinders and cut off wheels plenty of times and some steel are tough. Some are not.

And ofcourse, more locks the better. If you have a NY U-Lock as well as say a cable lock with it's own lock, that's going to require a few more seconds to defeat.

If you take power tools out of the equation, a heavy duty chain such as the NY series or Kryptolok Series 2 or 4 may work well against common U-Lock defeat methods using a car jack. Those chains are thick enough to easily withstand a small to medium bolt cutter and the locking shackle has quite a bit more bite than a typical U-lock.

jsdavis

I have the NY standard lock and honestly I don't like it. It might be a stout lock, but that thing so heavy that I don't want to carry it around and that's not going to do me any good. I mean if you don't mind the weight, then fine, but I end up taking my Kryptonite mini-7 around much more which is significantly lighter. The bad thing about the mini7 is that it cannot fit my rear tire and both seat stays and the parking meter post (the NY Standard lock will fit though).

knobster

I'm pretty fond of my Tigr lock. https://tigrlock.com/

Not sure how well it works in regards to actual security, but the videos on the site are pretty impressive. Why I bought it was it's better than a cable lock at the very least and it's light enough for me to carry it everywhere. Only drawback is it's VERY expensive.

jsdavis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb8YoT9Q9VA

erig007

Thanks for the video i had been wondering for a while about this one. Now i know

HonestOne

Here you go, I spent quite a while reading it At the end of the day, a U-Lock is your best bet. Smaller the better and with both ends that lock into the cylinder.
https://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-bike-lock/
- Aaron

mozad655

Some really cool designs, look very strong. But my god that thing was weak in that video, and for the price it's quite honestly a joke.

Juha

This is why there's no single lock that's "best" as of 2013, or as of any other year for that matter. What's best for OP may not be ideal for someone else.

--J

mozad655

Good one and good to hear that the kryptonite standard was the winner, but a shame that he didn't actually try to cut through it with an angle grinder.

erig007

Oh that hurts.

My favorite ulock xena bullett 18mm ulock wasn't even tested not even in the ART list.

syncro87

Thanks for that. Just when I was starting to justify the cost of the TiGr in my head, I come across your post and video link. It's now off the shopping list. Really, really cool concept but defeated way too easily.

knobster

Man glad you posted that video. Never saw it before. I guess I've been lucky. I will never use it again, that's for sure.

HonestOne

Not exactly the same one but it took this guys 25 seconds to cut through it. Assume a thicker one will take a little while longer but not much more. Machine will always win and I think in under a minute every time.

mozad655

As the guy reveals in the comment section, it was a low-end onguard lock. The faghgettaboudit has to be cut on both sides, is thicker, much heavier (denser), and the material is presumebly also harder/better. I dont think the two are compareable as one is low-end and the other is high-end. But always a joy to see a grinder test, I'm amazed at how few there are..

dynaryder

That's what the guy who stole my Ti cross bike did. Used power tools to cut a Fahgettaboudit U and a heavy chain. The U was cut twice.

Holy crap! That's just pathetic.

syncro87

Too bad the u part of the lock can't be made hollow and filled with some kind of highly flammable gel. Grinder cuts through...flame on! Lol. So sick of low lifes who can't just work for their own stuff but instead steal from others.

erig007

It wouldn't stop anybody, the thief would come with some kitchen mitts ignite the fire wait for it to stop or just throw some water or whatever and would carry on with it.

But I believe it is possible to make a lock that can stop an angle grinder.

syncro87

Yeah, probably. Maybe rig some kind of setup where dye exploded all over the place if the lock was ruptured. At least make the thief wear a badge for a few days.

erig007

I like your gentle approach.

mozad655

Did this happen outside at night, or in the day?

cplager

And I don't know about any bike lock that's tougher than that (although there may be).

The point is, no bike lock is 100% guarantee against a stolen bike.

mozad655

Ofcourse not. But some locks fight back much better than others, and that's what this thread is all about. Finding that lock that not even a thief with an angle grinder would bother having a go at, and then buying two of those. Ofcourse you should never park at night either, as even 10 locks woudn't be a problem for a thief when he has time and privacy.

As far as the Fahgettaboudit U, we still need that angle grinder test to confirm if it's really that good.

erig007

If you wander around on youtube you will find videos of the best kryptonite and abus lock cut in a few minutes depending on the approach, the tool used, the skill...
For what i know is on the market today, the one lock approach won't do it.

A multi-layer approach is probably the best defense:
-lock on
-diversify
-consolidate
-track
-register
-signal
-hide
-watch
-mark
-stay consistent
-don't compromise
-check
-adapt
-stay alert
-learn

mozad655

There are very few angle grinder tests on Youtube. The few that there are, usually involve low-end U locks. The best lock on youtube that I found was the the Abus Granit X Plus, being cut in 1 minut (1.30 with fiddling) with a corded angle grinder (=a bit more power). Which isn't that bad really, but could be better. A have yet to find a single video on the top kryptonite u locks.

I agree, but a good lock doesn't hurt. Yet alone two.