There’s no such thing as a good, cheap lock or a good, light lock. Good locks come at a price and are heavy. Unfortunately, just because a lock is heavy and expensive does not mean it is a good one.
Instead look for a ‘Sold Secure’ rating. This is an independent assessment of how long it should take a thief to overcome the lock. Ratings are Gold, Silver and Bronze.
When you secure a bike with a lock, try to secure the frame of your bike to something fixed – such as a bike stand or a lamp post. You might be tempted to secure your bike by a wheel, but that’s unlikely to be effective – most bikes have a wheel release mechanism that makes it easy to detach the wheel and take the rest of the bike.
Tip: if your lock comes with a key, keep it locked so you have to unlock it to use it. That way you won’t lock up your bike only to find you’ve left the key at home!
There are five basic kinds of bike lock:
- ‘Coffee shop’ locks – these are small, light locks with thin cables. They are designed to deter an opportunistic thief. A sharp tug is, however, all it takes to break this kind of lock. Avoid this type of lock if you leave your bike unattended for any length of time.
- Combination locks – have the advantage that you can’t lose the key. Unfortunately, all but the best combination locks are easily undone. Avoid if there is any play between the ends of the lock. Instead – if you want to use this type of lock, look for a good name with a good ‘Sold Secure’ rating.
- Padlocks – are a good compromise between security and weight/bulk. They consist of a chain and a padlock or a lock fixed to a cable at one end and that locks the other end. It’s easy to thread cables and chains through railings, around lamp posts and other fixings.
- D-locks or U-locks – they’re the same thing. They are – in effect – very large padlocks made entirely out of solid metal. You can also get cables that attach to this type of lock so you can secure your wheels to the frame. These are the most secure types of lock but they are heavy and can be difficult to secure to fixings. Commuters often leave their locks at work (or locked to a fixing) so they don’t have to carry them on the bike.
- Alarmed locks – all types of lock can be used with an alarm that goes off if someone tampers with the lock. These are not very practical when out and about, but can be a useful extra protection at home or at work.