I recently got a road bike and I went through a period of being too paranoid to lock it up and try to bring it in with me to as many random stores as possible but certain ones didn't allow it. I wanna get a fairly secure lock but I won't be leaving my bike out of sight for more than 10 minutes and I want something portable that I can slip into my pocket so I'm thinking a semi hefty cable lock would do the trick.

My main purposes of using the lock are popping in and out of the liquor store, coffee shop, gas station to grab a water/quick snack. Can anyone recommend some good locks please.

Thanks!

Get yourself a good ulock
Cable locks take about 30 seconds to cut
The kriptonite mini should work

Agree with not trusting cable locks at all. ABUS Bordo Light is perhaps a step up and very convenient. The (non-light) Bordo is apparently quite good, but heavier. Part of this is also a question of how risky your locale is

The words "best" and "cable lock" do not belong in the same sentence.

If you're interested in a good cable lock, my suggestion is to save some money and buy plastic zip ties from the dollar store.

+1 on the Abus Bordo though, it's about as light and convenient as you'll get and still have a decent lock.

The disrespect being shown to cable locks in this and other threads is unwarranted. As an earlier poster did state, ones location should be taken into consideration. Personally I think the On-Guard Akita an appropriate level of security for use as the o.p. describes. Regardless of locale. In fact, at risk of jinxing myself I will admit that even after moving to the Portland metro center from an outskirt suburb 22 miles distant, I am not yet fully in the habit of using my U-lock, and several times have tied up with Master cable locks in the 3-pack. Not advisable, but the 15lb U-lock can be and often are, defeated, so do not be smug when using one. When I really need peace of mind because I am going to be out of sight of the bike for hours, I take the folder, and take it with me. I haven't been barred from a venue with my folder yet. FWIW.

H

Cable, Within a series of overlapping sleeve segments .. Abus Locks are Best, ABUS Steel-O-Flex - Locks / Bike Safety and Security
ABUS Steel-o-flex 1025/100 (33561)


I Use their Bordo Type a folding Link lock https://www.abus.com/us/Recreational-.../Folding-locks and their chain Locks with a Built in Lock https://www.abus.com/us/Recreational-...in-Combination

I own an armored cable type lock from OnGuard , and Specialized, bought earlier, too..

U lock + flex cable should be enough for a standard lock job. Remember, the best form of bike security is locking your bike up next to a more expensive bike

+1

Any lock can be defeated.
Talked to one rider that had a very good lock and locked bike in a bike stand by a store.
Someone took the bike stand apart (saw the stand) and stole the bike with lock still attached!

Almost all bikes stolen in Portland were locked, if at all, with cable locks.

A mini U lock is just as compact, a short chain with integral lock is just as convenient.

There is no good reason to use a cable lock.

I recommend a U Lock + cable.

I use a good half inch, self-coiling combination cable lock. I think it is the OnGuard brand. I find it is convenient.

Cables are a pain to cut with handheld wire cutters, but there are cable cutters about 3 feet long that could do them in. Just like 3 foot long bolt cutters, except that a bolt cutter won't cut the cables easily.

Anyway, it depends a little bit on the bike. Is it a $100, $500, or $5000 bike?

The cable lock should be fine for a brief stop in a store with a mid-level bike.

The story is that my impenetrable U-Locks can be defeated in a matter of seconds with a simple 50 cent Bic pen.

Three feet long! Funny man.

You have multiple ~20 year old Kryptonite locks?

Yep. You can't theft-proof your bike. Locks are theft deterrents, and different locks very definitely have different levels of deterrence.

Locks aren't talismans. You gotta use 'em with good technique.

Joke they used to tell in classical times (Greece and Rome): Hey, that slave you sold me died! Really? He never did anything like that when I owned him!

All locks work until they don't.

Link to commercially available u-lock that weighs 15lbs, please.

I use a small cable lock all of the time when my bike is close at hand and I'm making quick stops. I've used this lock for probably 15 years with no problems. Can't recall the brand but it's probably Kryptonite. If I'm leaving my bike unattended or in a high-risk area, such as outside my office during work, I use a Kryptonite New York u-lock with a 4-foot cable connecting to the front wheel.

There's a whole series of Bordos, and any number of posters have indicated they thought they were getting 6500 level deterrence with their 6000.

Read this: Smash Lab: Bike Locks Broken | Bicycling

The bike is $1100

Exactly.

The only way I'd use a cable to lock a bike is if it's used as a secondary lock to force two toolsets to steal the bike OR if a short cable is used to lock the front wheel to a U-locked bike.


J.

As the first few posters said, what's secure really depends on where you're locking your bike up.

For my expensive road bike, which I don't let out of my sight, I carry a thin cable from REI and a tiny combination lock from Target:
Kabletek Flexweave Cable 3/16'' X 6'



I carry it because with the cost of the bike I never let it out of my sight. I use it for doing things like biking to a restaurant where I can see my bike out the window. You get twice the length out of a full length cable by looping it to itself then locking it to itself as well, with no loss in security compared to a cable lock with the lock built in.

I see REI sells this which is interesting:
REI Compact Retractable Cable Lock

But like I said...I don't let my bike out of my site. I mean I might walk into a gas station if the neighborhood is good to get water, that would be the max.

Those "folding metal" locks are more secure than a cable lock, less secure than a ulock. More convenient to carry, but they're heavy.

There's not a lot of variation in cable locks that would make one the "best". They're pretty much all the same, except in ways that are obvious by looking at them (the way the lock attaches, how thick it is, etc).

The best defense against having your nice bike stolen is to buy a $250 or so used bike and lock that up with a $40 lock instead of taking a $2400 bike and locking it up with a $150 lock that can be defeated.

Someone needs to write a study of the psychology of bike locks and identify personality types. I bet one's position on bike locks reveals a lot about other facets of their life.

Good post. I do think a cable lock is sufficient for quick stops where the bike is in view. A u lock + cable is best otherwise.