What Lock Should You Get?

With so many different bike locks on the market, it can be hard to know which one is best for your bike and how to lock it properly, so here’s our guide to the different types of locks available…

U-Lock

U-Locks are very robust and much more resistant to cutting tools than a chain. You can add a steel cable to your setup to lock in the wheels. The downside to this type of lock is that they can be a bit heavy and cumbersome to carry. The easiest way to carry them is to use the brackets to secure the lock to the frame of your bike.

PROS: Robust, Hard to break, Good for medium to high risk theft areas

CONS: Heavy, Awkward to carry

Chain Lock

Chain locks are made of steel links with a cover (to prevent damage to your bike), the flexible nature of the chain means that it is easier to wrap around objects to lock your bike. But chains can very heavy so you might need to leave it at your destination for use when you arrive.

PROS: Robust, Hard to break, Easier to transport than U-locks, Good for medium to high risk theft areas

CONS: Most secure chains are very heavy, you need a high quality lock for the chain to be secure

Folding Locks

Folding locks are constructed of a series of metal bars joined together with sturdy pivots. The bars and pivots form a loop secured with a padlock. The lock can fold out to be wrapped around a bike and a post. Those locks are are made of hardened steel and very difficult to break. They are also very practical to carry as they can be mounted to any bike frame for easy transportation

PROS: Robust, Hard to break, Easy to transport, Compact, Good for medium to high risk theft areas

CONS: Can be a little tricky to manipulate around objects at first

TIPS ON LOCKING YOUR BIKE

• ALWAYS lock your bike to an IMMOVABLE OBJECT
• Lock your bike in a WELL LIT AND HIGH FOOT TRAFFIC AREA
• LOCK ACCORDING TO VALUE: Frame first, then rear wheel and finally front wheel
• GET A TIGHT FIT! If there’s no spare room, a thief can’t use leverage to pop your lock open.