Best Locks for Ebikes
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FlatSix911
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Take it inside with you... The Best Defense 
If you must leave it, I would recommend a good Kryptonite U-lock in combination with a heavy chain or folding lock.
www.nytimes.com
If you must leave it, I would recommend a good Kryptonite U-lock in combination with a heavy chain or folding lock.
The Best Bike Lock
We tested 32 bike locks, and the Kryptonite New-U Evolution Mini-7 is the most affordable lock that will most likely need a power tool to be defeated.
www.nytimes.com
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bikeman242
Active Member
Check out the pragmasis protector chain locks
Even if you bring it in, still lock it. Hit up your local bike shop and see what they have to offer. I like the Kryptonite New York series, and also have a ABUS U-lock. Whats interesting is I use a Hiplok Gold chain when out riding because it easy to carry/use. The U-locks are for the garage mostly.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
I was using a regular chain on this door and I installed a bus ring in the concrete to bolt my bike down but it was a hassle to knee lo the ground to lock and unlock it. so I used those abs chains and a bus lock to chain the door. you would have to saw through the door and this is a Moble home park with neibors right next door and across the street.
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Rin
Member
Best bike locks in 2023 | 8 top-rated D-locks, foldable locks and chain locks
Plus, how to lock up your bike safely and securely
www.bikeradar.com
I second sc00ter's recommendation of the Hiplok Gold chain/belt. I use both the Hiplok and an ABUS Granit X Plus U-lock to lock up my bike when I go to the office in downtown Toronto.
If I'm on a short grocery run or errand I will just use the Hiplok.
In no particular order I follow these general guidelines to secure my bike:
1. Use 2 locks, each of a different type i.e a Heavy chain and a U-lock.
2. Park next to a good bike with a crappy lock. A thief will probably take that one and leave yours.
3. Never park on a university campus or at subway or train station as these areas are frequently cased for good bikes.
4. Park near a security camera if you see one. (I have line of sight from my office so I have a security camera trained on my bike from my window.)
5. Try to and make sure whatever you lock your bike to is sturdier than your toughest lock.
6. Remove your battery if you can. (Most pro thieves that have the skills and tools to defeat an ABUS U-lock or a Hiplok know that ebikes are nearly worthless without a battery and will avoid them)
7. Lock your frame and front wheel with one lock to the post or rack and go through the rear triangle and wheel with the second lock. Or if you only have one lock, lock your frame and a wheel to a post and use a cable to secure your wheels to the main lock.
8. Remove your seat when parked or secure it with an ABUS Nutfix or Pinhead device so no one steals it.
9. But don't just worry about the pro thieves, remember there are drug addicts roaming about who will steal your seat or any quick release wheels to fund their habit. Your $500+ rim, tire and cassette or your $200 seat and post they will sell for $10 just to get a hit.
Cheers!
Here is a picture of my bike with it's thief's nightmare lock combo:
If I'm on a short grocery run or errand I will just use the Hiplok.
In no particular order I follow these general guidelines to secure my bike:
1. Use 2 locks, each of a different type i.e a Heavy chain and a U-lock.
2. Park next to a good bike with a crappy lock. A thief will probably take that one and leave yours.
3. Never park on a university campus or at subway or train station as these areas are frequently cased for good bikes.
4. Park near a security camera if you see one. (I have line of sight from my office so I have a security camera trained on my bike from my window.)
5. Try to and make sure whatever you lock your bike to is sturdier than your toughest lock.
6. Remove your battery if you can. (Most pro thieves that have the skills and tools to defeat an ABUS U-lock or a Hiplok know that ebikes are nearly worthless without a battery and will avoid them)
7. Lock your frame and front wheel with one lock to the post or rack and go through the rear triangle and wheel with the second lock. Or if you only have one lock, lock your frame and a wheel to a post and use a cable to secure your wheels to the main lock.
8. Remove your seat when parked or secure it with an ABUS Nutfix or Pinhead device so no one steals it.
9. But don't just worry about the pro thieves, remember there are drug addicts roaming about who will steal your seat or any quick release wheels to fund their habit. Your $500+ rim, tire and cassette or your $200 seat and post they will sell for $10 just to get a hit.
Cheers!
Here is a picture of my bike with it's thief's nightmare lock combo:
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
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- Silicon Valley
The best bike lock as far as I know, is Kitaco TDZ-12
It's on sale here: https://japan.webike.net/products/23236823.html
Official Website: http://www.kitaco.co.jp/goods_detail_en.html#sid=P880-0818120
Kitaco TDZ-12 specs:
Length: 2350mm (7.7 feet)
Width: 32mm (1.26 inch)
Weight: 22.6 kg (49.82 lbs)
Impossible to cut it with bolt cutter
Kitaco claims the TDZ-12 can't be cut even with a 70 metric ton (approx 158,000 lbs) industrial hydraulic cutter
Angle Grinder Resistant
1 minute of angle grinding will scratch approx. 1mm in depth, in theory it will take approx. 32 minutes to completely cut the lock
$1,063 and 50 lbs... no thanks.
Nova Haibike
Well-Known Member
I know back in the day the British motorcycle press did a how-to on picking cylinder locks with a ball point pen cap. After that, all my cylinder key style locks went in the recycle bin! It was to easy to open those locks! But this LockPickingLawyer guy is incredible! I would like to see him try some of the wacky keys that most modern cycle locks are using. My HipLok has a wavy "M" style key. My scooter has a "negative" style key. I'm sure he cold quickly decode/open them!
L Johnston
New Member
I thought posting my lock question under best EBike locks would be good. I have an OnGuard U lock with a cable. I suspect I am exposed with the cable but I got it for instances where the U lock is not long enough to attach to the anchor, or where we needed to lock two bikes together. I know that I am somewhat exposed with the cable, but I am now wondering if I have an even larger issue. This lock is only a couple of years old and when I went to see if I could find the keys, I found three together and they all work. I through I was in great shape. Then I found two together and another two together - they all worked! I know that it was not possible that I got this lock with 7 keys!!! Over the years I’ve had other locks that have now disappeared. I can’t specifically tell you that they were an OnGuard lock - but even if they were - I’m now wondering if these locks are not “Keyed Individually” and that If I were using the lock if someone could just randomly show up and might be able to unlock this lock. I would have never thought that this was possible but now I’m wondering if it is and I’m poorly protected. Any of you out there know or have an opinion? Thanks.
Do bring your bike in with you if possible. I had a mountain bike stolen that was locked in a hallway of a apartment while the snow was melting off it. That being said I have a hard time leaving my new ride out of sight for very long. Had to many bikes stolen over the years, and they didn't cost as much as my ebike. Guess I need to get a u-lock lock to go with my cable .
I know this thread is a year old but I am researching lock options and have some input to share, and maybe since it's been a year there will be other options as well as other recommendations. I am currently looking to get a good chain and a good U-lock. I was impressed with the Hiplok and the Tex-Lok. I noticed that the Hiplok has a thicker chain than the Tex-Lock at 10mm vs. 6mm and the Hiplok also has a thicker U lock at 14 mm vs. 12mm. The Tex-Lock boasts the tough textile covering on their chain which reportedly gums up bolt cutters whereas Hiplok does have a covering but no mention of what it does besides prevent scratching. I am still leaning more toward Hiplok because of the bigger thicknesses of the metals in both the chain and the U lock. The Tex-Lock looks to be more comfortable to carry around which isn't at the top of my list with my cargo carrier.
Another option is the Kryptonite New York "Fahgettaboutit" chain and U lock. Kryptonite offers the thickest chain yet at 14mm however it weighs 10 lbs. It does come with a lock that is apparently easy to cut probably not worth using. (Hiplok chain is under 5 lb and Tex-Lock 1.7 to 3 lb depending on length chosen). The Kryptonite N.Y. U lock resembles the Hiplok however even thicker at 18mm. (There were a few complaints on Amazon about the poor quality of the Kryptonite plastics like the cover to keep water out of the lock).
The Abus Granit X looks good but only 10mm, but nice length of 5.5 feet and about 8 lbs weight in one unit.
With all this in mind the Kryptonite chain with the Hiplok U lock is looking like a good combo to me, or possibly with the 18mm Kryptonite U lock. Need to do a bit more research to see if the Hiplok U lock will fit thru the links of the Kryptonite chain, or if the 18mm Kryptonite U lock will fit through the Kryptonite chain for that matter.
Hiplok and Kryptonite U locks offer roughly the same size locking area at roughly 6" x 3.25" while Tex-Lock says 14cm or 5.5" length but offers no width and I have found reviews saying the width is small for some bike racks.
Also considering an alarm for another layer of security.
We all know that the best defense is keeping it indoors or where you can watch it but most folks want a good lock system as well so with that in mind questions and comments welcomed and appreciated.
Another option is the Kryptonite New York "Fahgettaboutit" chain and U lock. Kryptonite offers the thickest chain yet at 14mm however it weighs 10 lbs. It does come with a lock that is apparently easy to cut probably not worth using. (Hiplok chain is under 5 lb and Tex-Lock 1.7 to 3 lb depending on length chosen). The Kryptonite N.Y. U lock resembles the Hiplok however even thicker at 18mm. (There were a few complaints on Amazon about the poor quality of the Kryptonite plastics like the cover to keep water out of the lock).
The Abus Granit X looks good but only 10mm, but nice length of 5.5 feet and about 8 lbs weight in one unit.
With all this in mind the Kryptonite chain with the Hiplok U lock is looking like a good combo to me, or possibly with the 18mm Kryptonite U lock. Need to do a bit more research to see if the Hiplok U lock will fit thru the links of the Kryptonite chain, or if the 18mm Kryptonite U lock will fit through the Kryptonite chain for that matter.
Hiplok and Kryptonite U locks offer roughly the same size locking area at roughly 6" x 3.25" while Tex-Lock says 14cm or 5.5" length but offers no width and I have found reviews saying the width is small for some bike racks.
Also considering an alarm for another layer of security.
We all know that the best defense is keeping it indoors or where you can watch it but most folks want a good lock system as well so with that in mind questions and comments welcomed and appreciated.
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
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- USA
... which happens almost never. Much more effective (but still rare) is a portable angle grinder.
Regardless, as the old saying goes: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
A locking strategy is about layers. Make the car next to you easier to steal than your bike. Make it more of a risk than someone is comfortable with. Don't be stupid about where you lock it. I wrote up some best practices and best locks here.
talesontwowheels.com
Regardless, as the old saying goes: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
A locking strategy is about layers. Make the car next to you easier to steal than your bike. Make it more of a risk than someone is comfortable with. Don't be stupid about where you lock it. I wrote up some best practices and best locks here.
Choosing Bike Locks: Small, Medium or Ridiculous?
I see this question so many times, lets write up my daily outdoor locking strategy so I can just link to it from now on.
talesontwowheels.com
Like I alluded to in my post we all know about the professionals and we all know the best defense is keeping it in a safe place as any lock can be defeated, I disagree with your blanket statement though that locks don't prevent theft. I will agree that they don't always prevent theft but they certainly filter out many of the lesser equipped and lesser skilled thieves. The most common way bikes get stolen where I live is a guy ride or walks up with bolt cutters in his backpack. Most do not carry a grinder or a portaband. They are mostly homeless or drug addicts. A bike with a decent lock will thwart these guys especially if only left unattended for 15-20 min in a populated area.
But I really didn't intend on making this thread into a discussion of locking or not locking, that should be a different thread. I intended on keeping it about locks themselves per the title where information about what is available can be exchanged without wading through discussions that don't pertain to the actual locks themselves.
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indianajo
Well-Known Member
That is why I usually lock to power poles, live gas meters, or live >220 vac conduits. Destroying the electricity to a block or two with a chainsaw will probably be noticed and will result in a felony & jail time. Likewise starting a fire at a gas meter, attempted arson. Those U-locks and the tubes bolted to the sidewalk they lock to are a bit silly.
While that 22 kg alloy nihongo chain for $1300 is impressive, I had been using a 3/8"x6' SS sling (9.5 mm) through the frame of a $2500 bike with no attempts in 3 years. I've since upgraded to a 1/2*x6' SS sling, which with lock puts it in the 10 lb catagory. Abus 92/80 lock necessary to clear the 1" of steel of the loops. Don't post those trite videos of somebody cutting a 1/4" 270 count 32 ga wire mild steel cable with a $12 dike. 19 ga SS wire is not that easy. $220 SS rated cable cutters with the notch will do it. $69 straight blade import bolt cutters, probably not.
I shop and attend meetings & performances all the time off my bike. QR seat clamp & axle skewer have been replaced by metric allen head bolts & nuts. No hexlock drive necessary. The tool is actually carried in the pannier bag, but thieves are not that organized.
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