Getting bike security right isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Too much lock and it's weight and size can make it cumbersome and result in it being left at home; too little and you spend your coffee stop looking over your shoulder the whole time. So when looking for the best bike lock there's a lot to consider.

Hiplock set out to fix this issue with a waist mounted chain lock which gave the brand it’s name. They now have a full range, including some very secure D-locks, which will hamper all but the most persistent and well equipped thieves.

The Z-lok isn't trying to replace a proper lock, it’s instead providing a deterrant for those moments where you otherwise might not lock your bike at all.

Hiplock Z Lock construction

The Z-Lok Combo is essentially a reinforced cable tie – a re-usable, steel core zip tie with a three digit combination head. It weighs around 70-80g and packs down small enough to disappear into a jersey pocket or decent sized saddle or frame storage bag.

At 45cm long it’s got just enough length to reach through the frame and attach to something fixed, provided you’re not trying to lock it to a lamp post or anything too substantial. It works like a cable tie in the sense that it grips as you push one end through the other, before the combination lock mechanism secures it.

A small frame bracket is also included, although I didn’t fit that and I suspect most riders will just pop it in a bag or pocket.

I find combination locks more practical than one with a key as there’s nothing to forget or drop mid ride, and nothing to fumble with cold hands.

Hiplock markets this lock as offering protection against opportunistic theft, nothing more determined, and that makes total sense. You wouldn’t use this if locking your bike out of sight for longer periods of time.

Hiplock Z Lock in use

Used within it’s limits, the Z-Lok Combo is a very sensible option. I’m often riding on my own, and have decided not to run into a garage or cafe as I don't want to leave my bike, unlocked, out of sight even for a couple of minutes. It’s an ideal lock for that little bit of peace of mind in those situations.

It’s really easy to use and functions just like a cable tie. You simply loop it around, feed it through itself, pull it tight, spin the combination dials and off you go. Because it pulls in snugly to whatever length you need it, there’s little slack for your bike to ‘fall into’ meaning it keeps the bike from falling. Useful in a location where someone else might nudge yours to get their own.

It’s the immediacy and portability of the product that changes behaviour. Because it’s so easy to take with you, I found myself using it in more situations. That might mean I’m drinking more coffee, or taking in an extra cake stop, but it’s made that all possible again.

Security-wise, expectations need to be realistic. This is not going to stop your bike getting stolen if a thief is well equipped and really wants to take it. It is reinforced but I suspect a heavy set of cable cutters would make relatively light work of it. I didn’t cut it as part of this test.

It’s simply there to hamper or deter someone who might see your bike and try to ride off, and for that it is perfect. Even if someone was more determined, the lock is enough to cause some delay, giving you time to spit out your flat white and throw your croissant at them.

Limitations include having to be selective about what you lock it to due to it's length, and the small dials being fiddly with cold hands when it’s cold. But those aren’t deal breakers .

I also use mine for a number of other things, including locking a paddleboard, skis and securing a motorbike to my bike. I’ve also used it for securing my camera bag to a table and I you could use it for a pushchair. I’m certainly using mine a lot more than I expected.

Verdict

Choosing a bike lock is always involves some compromise. Weight versus security, convenience versus peace of mind. The Z-Lok combo isn’t trying to resolve that tension, it's purely on the side of low weight and convenience. But in that bracket it does offer good security.

This is definitely not a primary security device, and shouldn't be used for long-term storage at home (in a shed or garage) or to secure a bike left outside all day.

For the quick dash into the shop or cafe, where you might just leave a bike outside, it’s perfect. In those scenarios, it’s adding just enough complexity to a thief who would have to carry, rather than ride it off, therefore making your bike a less appealing target.

It's that time of year again, when planning and talking about bike riding often takes precedence over actual saddle time, thanks to the often rather unpleasant weather outside.

Goal setting and event planning often come near the top of the list, with rides in faraway places an especially tantalising idea on a cold and wet winter night.

There is also the question of how you plan to get there. If you're going abroad, you might be looking at packing your bike into one of the best bike boxes and on to a flight; but if you're staying closer to home, you could well be looking at driving as an option – in which case you're going to need a bike carrier.

In which case, you're in luck, because we're seeing some great deals on industry-leading Thule racks this Black Friday.

Of course, you might be able to fit a couple of bikes inside the car itself, but having spent 400 miles last year wedged between the rear door and a saddle with a mind of its own, that is very much no longer my favourite mode of transportation.

It's also not ideal if you prefer the plush interior of your vehicle not to be plastered in mud and oil, or if the idea of metal-on-metal contact between your bike and the one you lay on top of it (despite being super-careful) and the resulting paint loss. Yes, both of these have happened to yours truly, too.

Enter the Thule Epos 2 with lights, which has a hefty 20% ($300) discount this Black Friday, down from $1,499 to $1,199.

When Tyler reviewed it, he said it was "both the most feature-laden bike rack I’ve ever encountered (it has wheels!), and also the most compact in storage mode."

He added: "In use, the rack works very well," but thanks to its ability to fold away, it was "arguably even more impressive off the car".

It will pivot downwards to allow trunk access, but, as we pointed out in our review, not upwards to store away vertically.

Boucher did mark it down for price, though, which is where this deal comes in. The Thule kit is market-leading in terms of quality and usability, and doesn't come cheap, even on the used market. If you're in the market for a car rack to facilitate your adventures next year, this weekend's deal on the Epos 2 with lights could well be worth taking advantage of.

It carries two bikes (there is also a three-bike version available) that can weigh up to 75lb (34kg) each, so even if you have a heavy-duty ebike, you should be covered. It also accommodates tyres up to 3.2in (or 5in with an accessory - not included).

As well as built-in lights, it comes with a license plate holder so you can head out to your event safe in the knowledge you're decidedly on the right side of the law.

It was after getting my beloved single speed town bike stolen that I decided I needed to up my lock game. While the bike wasn't at all expensive it fitted my needs perfectly. As I began to piece together it's replacement I promised myself that along with the new parts I need to complete the build I'd also invest in one of the best bike locks. I decided on the OnGuard Pitbull.

The Pitbull is a no-nonsense U-lock that's offered in a few different sizes to fit your needs, including an option that includes a cable lock, too. I opted for the Mini version as it fitted in my bag easily and weighs under 3lbs or 1.3kg. Vitally it carries a Sold Secure Diamond rating that means it's resistant to bolt cutters and other tools of the bike theft trade.

To cut a long story short it continued to keep my bike safe and I'd have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wants a portable but still sturdy lock.

I remain happy with my Pitbull Mini but a year or so ago I was fortunate to test a few locks for Cycling Weekly. And the Foldylock Compact lock from Seatylock left me impressed.

Like the Pitbull Mini it's designed to be easy to carry, which is essential for me when it comes to choosing a lock. While a huge chain will likely deter even the most determined of bike thieves carrying it around takes all the fun out of the ride.

As the name suggests, the Foldylock Compact is both small and foldbable. And it really is neat. Measuring just 7.45” / 18.9cm long by 2.35” / 6 cm wide it comes with a plastic carry case that you attach to bottle cage mounts, or you can just carry it in your bag. Either way at just 2.2lbs or a little over 1kg I barely noticed it was there.

It's small size made it a breeze to use, and while the external circumference of 33” or 85cm does mean that you're somewhat restricted in what you lock your bike to, I never had a problem finding an appropriate bike stand or sign post.

The humble bicycle might be mankind’s greatest invention, but anyone who owns two or more knows just what awkward things they are to store. Not just store, but move around to get to the one that’s needed. Which is almost always at the back of the pile.

Handlebars will get caught on other handlebars or saddles, while pedals will catch spokes, or worse, your shin. There’s never enough room to turn them round, or free space to stack them up somewhere else.

As editor of a cycling magazine, you might well think I face this problem with top-of-the-range, £12k-plus carbon race bikes with wireless electronic shifting and aero wheels. You couldn’t be more wrong. 75% of the bikes in my garage are kids' bikes, and although they’re much smaller, and much cheaper, they’re just as awkward to store and move around in a confined space.

If you have some free wall space, vertical storage is the most efficient way to store a bike, which is why so many bike storage solutions are essentially hooks fixed to the wall to hang a bike by its front wheel. This can however take up a lot of space. Even hanging bikes alternatively handlebar up, handlebar down will require a lot of wall space to give you room to move one off it’s hook without catching the bike next to it.

Plus, a fixed position doesn’t allow for a change of bikes, all of which may have different width handlebars.

The best solution therefore is vertical hooks that move sideways on a track to allow access to each bike without having to take others down. This system from Buller does exactly that, and without breaking the bank. We tested the 1.5m length track with five hooks (you can buy extra hooks separately) which retails for £139.04. Other parts are extra. Ceiling brackets (we used three) were £14.38 each and the stoppers £10.23 (one at each end, taking 8cm off the length at each end), giving a total price for this setup of £210.42.

Putting the rack together

Buller’s system arrived in multiple parts, including star washers, bolts, brackets, and trolleys. Assembling the vinyl coated hooks into the runners is simple enough, although you’ll need two 17mm spanners to ensure they’re done up tight enough.

You then slot the runners into the track and fit the stoppers into each end. It took me a few minutes to work out what these were and how to fit them (it wasn’t described in the instructions) but it’s one of those jobs that you realise how simple it is only once you’ve done it.

Then comes the DIY part. The track has to be fixed to something. The 1.5m track (a 3m one is also available) needs three ceiling track joining brackets that I screwed to a cut-down length of gravel board. I then fixed the gravel board to the rafters in the garage roof. Screwing through the board with double threaded wood screws and a few L-shaped brackets for extra strength.

Building the rack

All the components on this system feel solid. They are in fact industrial grade and come with a 25-year warranty. There are no nicely finished, polished parts, the bolts are exposed and edges of the track haven’t been filed down or polished. There are other systems on the market like Stashed, that are far more polished and wouldn’t look out of place inside a house with a bespoke bike room. This industrial feel of the Buller system is better suited to a garage, shed or warehouse and gives the reassuring impression of being bulletproof.

The trolleys run beautifully with no oil needed to smooth their path or lubricate, and the hooks turn freely. You can also set them up so they don’t rotate. There was nothing on this system that felt loose, cheap or weak.

Once up, five bikes hung alternately bars up / bars down can easily be condensed down to take up less than half the length of the rack, so around 75cm. Moving them to either side is easy and the wide hooks (with 12cm opening) make it simple to get the wheel rim in the vinyl hook.

The deepest rim we had to test was 40mm, and there was plenty of space for something deeper. If you need to you can rotate the bike through 180 degrees to place bikes even closer together but I didn’t need to do that

Other considerations

When fixing to the ceiling, ensure you leave enough space for the hanging bikes. Fix it too close to a wall and the rear wheel will catch it, and could then spin the bike around. I fixed it 31cm out from the wall which fits a standard road bike, although a couple more centimetres would be ideal.

Make sure you measure it out before fixing. And although most people won’t need to check, ensure whatever you’re fixing it too is level. If the roof, rafters or whatever aren’t horizontal, the bikes will roll to the side and could damage each other. If your ceiling is uneven use some shims.

When Buller sent us this rack they asked for some feedback as it was their first cycling product. The feedback is, they nailed it.

The DX1000 is diamond-rated by Sold Secure and is pitched as the best bike lock in Hiplok's range. It's the larger sibling of the original angle grinder-resistant D1000 and is substantial at 2.7kg/5.9 lbs. The DX1000 is designed specifically for bicycles with thicker tube profiles, such as E-bikes and Motorbikes, providing enhanced reach for home use or challenging locking scenarios.

It's exciting to witness cycling brands leading the charge in market innovation. Initially, Hiplok infused style with security, an area often viewed as overly serious, with its wearable locks. Now, they are taking on the challenge posed by portable angle grinders.

Construction

Hiplok has chosen to use multiple technologies, including a square profile, a graphene-reinforced hardened steel shackle, and what Hiplok refers to as its "anti-angle grinder security system” in its defence against angle grinder attacks. At 225cm²/34.4”², 20.5cm/ 8" tall, and 11cm/ 4.3" wide, the DX1000 offers the largest reach among the locks we tested. However, this has a weight drawback, as the Hiplok is very heavy at 2.7kg/ 5.9lbs.

The DX1000 features a significant amount of soft material encasing the shackle and lock barrel. My quick measurement revealed that the rubber-to-metal ratio is almost double. This design will safeguard your frame while providing the Hiplok with a substantial visual presence, but it does add bulk.

A captivating feature of the DX1000 is that, according to Hiplok, nobody has picked the lock cylinder since it debuted in 2021, solidifying its reputation as one of the top products available.

Specification

In use

My first impression of the Hiplok was a little underwhelming. Given the security claims of the DX1000, and as the priciest option in the test at £300/$350, I was surprised by the noticeable play between the shackle and the lock barrel. It didn't feel as premium as the Abus Granit or Litelok X3. I contacted Hiplok, which responded, “The play results from tolerances in the manufacturing processes. These tolerances do not affect the shackle's security, and the DX1000 easily meets the Sold Secure and ART testing standards.”

While the DX1000 performed without fault, its heft was noticeable without a proper mounting system*. This meant storing the lock in a bag or backpack during transit, which took up a significant amount of space in my pannier and limited the number of tasty continental treats I could purchase on an Aldi shopping spree.

One annoyance I had with all the locks on the test was the various attempts at weatherproofing the lock cylinders. Many have fixed systems, like Abus' metal doors or Litelok's silicone flaps, which obscure visibility and force you to feel for key engagement. Hiplok’s rubber flap cover, while simpler, provides better sight of the lock and makes key engagement easier, especially when I was awkwardly fumbling around at the bike rack.

* Hiplok, recently launched a new mount for the DX1000 that was not available during testing. You can read more about it below.

The angle grinder test

While the DX1000 didn’t stand out during usage, it also didn’t cause me any real issues. That changed when it came to the angle grinder test, where the Hiplok stepped up and performed impressively, competently resisting attacks.

The DX1000 initially matched the performance of the Litelok X3. Although I could apply considerable force to cut into the lock, the cutting disc quickly showed signs of wear. Holding the grinder steady proved difficult when trying to reach the centre of the lock, a feature that appears to be part of Hiplok's “Anti-angle grinder security system.” Each time I attempted to reposition the cutting wheel, the core's material kicked the grinder back. We managed to burn through two discs in our five-minute test, but the kickback was so violent there was no way I could cut any further through the lock.

While the OnGuard RockSolid claimed the title as best angle grinder-resistant lock, as I failed to make any cuts, the Hiplok secured second place, just ahead of the Litelok in this portion of the testing.

Value and conclusions

At £300/$350, the Hiplok DX1000 is not only the most expensive lock in my angle grinder-resistant bike locks test but also the most expensive lock we have tested here at Cycling Weekly. For this price, I expected it to stand out from the crowd, but the DX1000 does almost the opposite - it’s understated, functional and just gets the job done. However, the DX1000’s extra weight and the fact it is £100/$100 more than our overall winner does question the its value.

That being said, its performance in the angle grinder test was impressive and, provided Hiplok’s claims surrounding their “unpickable” lock cylinder stand-up, the DX1000 offers a very high level of security for your bike.

New Mount

As I mentioned above, when I tested the Hiplok DX1000 it lacked a mounting system. Well, just last week, Hiplok announced this addition. Designed to allow the DX1000 to be mounted on your bike, it also offers rack compatibility similar to that of the Abus Granit SE, alongside compatibility with KlickFix™ and Ortlieb™ handlebar mounting systems, which is a rather neat idea.

At £25, it adds an additional cost to an already expensive lock, but given the DX1000's weight (2.7kg/ 5.9lbs - if you had already forgotten), I'd argue it's a worthwhile investment.

How I tested this lock

After hours of research, my most noticeable finding was that opportunistic bike thieves typically have under a minute to steal a bike and leave. Many locks now have anti-twist and anti-tampering features, so they require two cuts to be removed.

This limitation is why angle grinder-resistant locks can be so valuable in the real world. Based on my findings, a thief would need several cutting discs and more than 20 minutes to cut through one of these locks.

Using a high-powered, battery-operated angle grinder with top-quality metal-specific cutting discs, I set the task to take a maximum of five minutes, which was generous considering my findings during the research phase of this group test. This allowed for disc changes and better simulated a thief's time in low-foot traffic areas or after gaining access to a shed or garage.

Like the other products in our angle grinder-resistant bike locks test, the Granit Super Extreme is a Sold Secure Diamond-rated lock. Abus is proud of both the lock’s resilience to angle grinder attack and its Made in Germany cachet.

Thieves once needed several tools and time to cut through the best bicycle locks. Hammers, bolt cutters, and hacksaws were commonplace. Now, they generally require just one battery-operated angle grinder and a few seconds. The Granit Super Extreme 2500 has been developed to combat this worrying trend, turning the tables on the modern bike thief.

Additionally, this was by far the easiest lock to transport, thanks to its versatile, high-quality mount.

Construction

Like its competitor, the Litelok X3, the Granit’s construction is largely based on chemistry and material science. Specifically, the Granit SE uses what Abus calls Wolfram Carbide, more widely known as Tungsten Carbide. This material combines tungsten steel with carbon, producing the second-hardest known substance after diamonds.

Abus crafts this into a 27 mm square parabolic shackle with a total area of 220cm²/33.5”², making it the second most capacious lock in the test, just behind the Hiplock DX1000's 225 cm². This corresponds to a lock measuring 22cm/8.6” in height and 10cm/3.9” in width. Weighing 2.1kg/4.6 lbs, the Abus lock is the second lightest in the test, narrowly outpacing the X3 by 100 grams/3.5oz.

Abus has equipped the Granit Super Extreme with its proprietary X Plus lock barrel, which it says provides "exceptionally high resistance to manipulation, such as picking.” It only comes with two keys, the fewest among our selection of angle grinder-resistant locks, but based on my experience, Abus keys can be easily replaced, provided you keep the credit card-sized code record somewhere memorable and safe.

Specification

In Use

Like the X3 and the OnGuard RockSolid, the Granit SE feels reassuringly solid, and secure. There is no play between the shackle and the lock, which makes a satisfying click when engaged. It even looks chunkier than its two competitors, which helps as a visual deterrent. The Abus does feature a slightly harder plastic coating, which, while it feels more robust, could be less kind to your frame's paintwork.

Throughout testing, the Granit Super Extreme performed as I would expect a $320/£260 lock to. The shackle’s extra reach was welcome, and I could easily slide the lock around my large E-bike downtube. I was even impressed with the Granit’s mount.

My go-to lock is a small Kryptonite U-lock weighing around a kilo. It's not the safest lock, but it's easy to transport. At 2.1kg, the Abus is the second lightest lock on test, yet even that extra kilo was noticeable, though not as much as the even larger, heavier 2.7kg Hiplock.

This is where the Abus Granit’s mount is brilliant - clearly, much thought has been put into its placement and design. Despite being a little fiddly to fit, it held the lock securely and never rattled. Ideally, it is designed for a pannier rack, although Abus says it can also be mounted between the chainstay and seatstay. While I didn't try this, I did offer it up, and it seemed plausible.

The Angle Grinder Test

During everyday use, the Granit Super Extreme held its own against the Litelock X3 and the OnGuard RockSolid. Unfortunately for Abus, the Granit lost ground during our angle grinder test. While the Granit SE did not fail our angle-grinder test, its performance was poorer than the X3, RockSolid, and DX1000.

During our five-minute test using a battery-operated grinder fitted with metal-specific cutting discs, I used only one disc, and I was able to cut just over halfway through. If we extrapolate that, with potentially two cuts required to remove the lock completely, the Abus would only need 2-4 discs and around 20 minutes to remove it. Compare that to the X3, which would require 8-10 discs over the same period.

The Abus is clearly resistant to angle grinders. However, in a group test, where all five locks offered decent resistance to angle grinder attacks, they must be ranked based on performance. If you encountered a very determined or well-equipped thief with time and patience, the Abus clearly underperformed the competition. To put that in perspective though, the likelihood of a thief having twenty minutes and multiple disks to hand is remote. But not impossible.

Value and conclusions

At £260/$320, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 is the third most expensive on test. However, considering that it includes a superb mount (an additional purchase for the Litelok X3), the Abus represents great value.

While there is some nuance in how well our group of locks performed during the angle grinder test, the Litelok X3 does outperform Granit Super Extreme. This moves the Abus into third overall and out of the best value slot.

However, for many, Abus is a known entity, and the quality of the Granit SE is second to none. If you like to travel light, keeping the weight on the bike rather than on you, then there is no significant reason not to choose the Abus Granit Super Extreme.

How I tested this lock

After hours of losing myself in YouTube rabbit holes, my research revealed that opportunistic bike thieves typically have under a minute to steal a bike. This makes the five minutes allocated for our test seem quite generous.

To remove a bike lock with an angle grinder, you can either make two precise cuts—one on the shackle and another on the lock barrel—or cut the shackle once and twist the lock. Given that most locks today are equipped with anti-twist and tamper-resistant features, I would likely choose to make two precise cuts.

This limitation is why some tests I've seen don't accurately reflect real-world situations. Based on my findings, it may require 5-10 angle grinder discs and approximately 20 minutes to cut through one of these locks. Thus, I was eager to investigate if bike locks marketed as angle grinder resistant actually failed within a more realistic time frame.

Using a high-powered, battery-operated angle grinder with top-quality metal-specific cutting discs, I set the task to take a maximum of five minutes. This would accommodate any necessary disc changes and better simulate a thief's time in low-foot traffic areas or after gaining access to a shed or garage.

The Litelok X3 is an angle grinder-resistant bike lock with an enviable pedigree. The brand was a pioneer of this technology, launching the X1, our outgoing best bike lock, just over two years ago. From its inception, the X1 prompted a significant revolution in bicycle lock technology, a drive towards enhanced security that Onguard, Abus, and Hiplock have also adopted. The result was a collection of new products that we at Cycling Weekly have been excited to test rigorously.

Two years on, the Litelok X1's five-time resistance to angle grinders is no longer as competitive as it was. Enter the Litelok X3, which boasts a claimed twenty times more resistance than the best-selling U-locks and is rated Sold Secure Diamond for bicycles and e-bikes.

Construction

This additional security of the X3 is achieved using a high volume of Litelok’s proprietary material, Barronium. Barronium is a fusion of hardened steel and composite materials that increases the X3's resistance to abrasion while upholding its strength against impacts, bending, and twisting. It's clever stuff, all developed collaboratively in the UK with the Swansea University School of Engineering.

The result is an imposing-looking bicycle lock that weighs in at 2.2kg/4.8 lbs and offers a locking area of 195cm²/30.4 inches², or 19.5cm/7.6 inches tall by 10cm/4 Inches at its widest. The Litelok X3 sits in the middle of our five locks on test, being the third lightest and offering the third largest locking area.

The X3’s use of an Abloy lock barrel (the world's largest lock manufacturer) means that key replacements should be available long into the future. Hopefully, that shouldn't be an issue anyway because Litelok provides three keys with every lock. Finer details like the silicone lock cover and neoprene sleeve for storage help the X3 stand out from the crowd. While it isn’t supplied with a mount, the Litelok Tactical Mount can be purchased at an additional cost.

Specification

In Use

As expected from a premium lock, the Litelok X3 feels sturdy and robust, an impression reinforced by the minimal play between the shackle and the locking mechanism. Its soft, plant-based, eco-rubber coating enhances its tactile quality, providing a non-stick surface and decent frame protection.

Litelok extends the use of soft materials to the lock barrel cover, which they refer to as the ‘self-sealing silicone keyhole cover’. However, I’m not entirely clear on what they mean by ‘self-sealing’. It's more akin to those plastic flaps on walk-in freezers. While it does an excellent job of keeping the elements out, it obstructs the view when locating the key in the slot. The key must be inserted quite deep, making it cumbersome to engage the lock when bending over awkwardly at a bike rack. Nevertheless, once the key is fully in place, the lock operates smoothly and feels well constructed, accompanied by a reassuring clunk that indicates it's unlocked.

My only minor issue pertains not to the X3’s function but to the Litelok Tactical Mount, which attaches the X3 to your frame during transport. Firstly, this Tactical Mount costs an additional £20/$25, and, what’s more, the mount is overly large, so I couldn’t fit it to either my e-bike or gravel bike. Admittedly, they are both small-frame bikes, but still.

Despite this, the X3 was brilliant and worked exceptionally well throughout testing. I absolutely loved the Neoprene sleeve provided with the lock. It kept dirt out of my bag and stored small items, like my gloves and glasses, making them easy to find.

The Angle Grinder Test

Similar to my experience with other angle grinder locks, such as the offerings from Hiplok and Abus, I could only cut into the X3 a small way during my five-minute test using a high-powered angle grinder. In that time, I burned through two discs and cut a third of the way through the lock.

What ultimately secured the X3's third place in the angle grinder test, behind the Hiplok and OnGuard, was while the Barronium Steel was abrasive enough to wear down the discs, I could continue cutting - albeit slowly. This differed from the Hiplok, which, once you reached the core material of the lock shackle, caused the grinder to kick back, halting further progress. In contrast, the OnGuard barely showed any signs of being attacked by an angle grinder.

While these are minor differences in performance, for the sake of argument, if I had the time to keep cutting and had several spare discs, I would likely have eventually got through. In reality, most thieves wouldn't have this opportunity, and the Litelok performed admirably.

Value and conclusions

If not for the exceptional performance of the OnGuard RockSoild in the angle grinder tests, the Litelok might have easily secured the top position. Although there is a minor difference of £50/$50 between them, the extra reach and features diminish this disparity for those who need them.

The extra expense of the Tactical Mount puts the X3 in line with the Abus Granit Super Extreme, which is £270/$320 and features a far better rack mounting system. Nevertheless, its performance in the angle grinder test and overall quality surpass any concern about competition from Abus and Hiplok.

How I tested this lock

After spending many hours lost in a YouTube black hole, my research indicated that opportunistic bike thieves generally have less than a minute to steal a bike. In theory, making the five minutes I allotted for our test appear generous.

To remove a bike lock using an angle grinder, you can either make two precise cuts—one on the shackle and another on the lock barrel—or make one cut on the shackle and then twist the lock. Since most locks today have anti-twist and tamper-resistant features, I would probably opt for making two precise cuts.

This is why other tests I have encountered do not reflect real-world scenarios. If you extrapolate my testing results, you will likely need 5-10 angle grinder discs and around 20 minutes to remove one of these locks. So, I wanted to learn whether bike locks claiming angle grinder resistance failed in a more real-world time scale.

Using a high-powered battery-operated angle grinder fitted with high-quality metal-specific cutting discs, I allowed myself a maximum of five minutes. This would account for any disc changes required and be more representative of the time a thief could have in a low-foot traffic area or if they had broken into a shed or garage.

The OnGuard RockSolid 8580 is a Sold Secure Diamond-rated lock that is claimed to resist angle grinders making it ideal, in theory at least, for securing high-end road, gravel and electric bikes.

OnGuard may not be the most recognisable brand in bike locks, but it operates as a subsidiary of Magnum Locks, a large industrial firm that’s focused solely on security. This relationship gives OnGuard access to a broad range of expertise and manufacturing techniques. Leveraging this specialisation and advanced knowledge, OnGuard has developed what it says is "an impenetrable fortress against even the most determined thieves”.

Construction

At its core lies a 15mm hardened steel shackle coated with OnGuard’s patented RockSolid finish, which is the basis of this remarkable lock's effectiveness—more details shortly. Weighing only 1.3kg/2.8 lbs, the RockSolid features a shackle reach of 17.5cm/6.8 inches and an internal width of 9cm/3.5 Inches, resulting in a locking area of 157 cm2/23.8 Inches. This makes the OnGuard the lightest in our tests by almost a kilo, although it also offers the smallest locking reach.

The main body attaches to the shackle using OnGuard’s X4P Quattro four-point locking system, secured by an enhanced Z-Cylinder lock barrel that’s designed to resist picking, pulling, and drilling. OnGuard provides five keys, the highest number among all the angle-grinder-resistant locks we’ve tested. To protect against the elements, the RockSolid features an automatic key cover and a robust rubberized coating to maintain its appearance.

Specification

In Use

On receiving the RockSolid, I immediately noticed its quality. The rubberized coating is soft yet not tacky, with minimal play between the shackle and locking mechanism. This secure connection is evident when removing the shackle, which requires a slight jiggle to disconnect. While this adds to the impression of security, it can be frustrating, as rushing makes alignment difficult. Simply slowing down resolves this issue.

This minor frustration extended to engaging the key a couple of times. While the automatic weather guard is a nice touch and utterly unique to OnGuard, getting the key to engage with it isn’t always straightforward. Once engaged, the lock was smooth, positive, and consistent across all keys.

In the wild, I was never troubled by the RockSolid’s lack of reach, but that could be because my local town is not a central transport hub or commuter hotspot, so there’s always room at a bike rack. I know how busy transport hubs in New York, London, and Manchester can be, and I see that as an issue for some, especially if you need to secure your bike to a lamppost or railing.

The Angle Grinder Test

This is where the OnGuard RockSolid solidified its status as my choice for best overall. By pure coincidence, the OnGuard was the last to be cut on the day, and its resilience took me by surprise. During our five-minute test, we used a high-powered battery-operated angle grinder fitted with metal-specific disks, and the OnGuard showed barely a scratch. The patented RockSolid coating that’s applied to the 15mm hardened steel shackle effectively ‘sanded down’ the cutting disc, launching plumes of grinder disc dust into the air.

In well under the five-minute time limit, we burned through three grinder discs, the most of any lock on test. To this point, all the locks were cut to some depth into the shackle within the time allowed.

Value and conclusions

Given the OnGuard RockSolid's security against angle grinder attacks, you may be surprised to learn it is the cheapest in our test at £200/$250. That’s £50/$50 less than the next cheapest, the Litelok X3, and a massive £100/$100 less than the Hiplock DX1000.

While I am awarding the OnGuard the title of best overall angle grinder-resistant bike lock, it could also be the best budget, most secure, and best lightweight bike lock. This shouldn’t reflect badly on the other locks in the test, as they all performed well. None failed the angle grinder test, and all offer similar specs and retail prices. The OnGuard RockSolid, like Tadej Pogacar, stood out in a field of outstanding performances, having that little extra something to give.

How we test - angle grinder locks

While watching sparks fly and examining a bike lock's construction more closely is fascinating, most videos and reviews of angle grinder-resistant locks do not represent the real-world scenario. In reality, thieves don't have half an hour or time to swap out worn-down cutting discs.

After many hours in a YouTube black hole, my research showed that opportunistic bike thieves really have less than a minute. After this, someone arrives on the scene with a phone filming the incident or attempting to get the thieves to stop. In some cases, the police are called and will be on their way.

So, I devised a very simple test.

To remove a bike lock with an angle grinder, you need to either make two clean cuts, one through the shackle and one through the lock barrel, or one cut through the shackle and be able to twist the lock. Since most locks now feature anti-twist and tamper features, I would likely need to make two clean cuts.

Using a high-powered battery-operated angle grinder fitted with high-quality metal-specific cutting discs, I allowed myself a maximum of five minutes. This would account for any disc changes required and be more representative of the time a thief may allow themselves in a low-foot traffic area, or if they had broken into a shed or garage.

Wearable locks are designed to eliminate the need for a one of the best pannier bags or best backpacks, so whether you're riding one of the best commuter bikes or popping to a local watering hole, you can travel without the additional weight of a traditional chain or U-lock in your bag.

Squire makes all its locks in the UK and is one of the few brands, alongside Litelok and Abus, that offers wearable options. I am reviewing the Straplok 35/850 wearable model, but it also offers the Chainlok 10, which uses the same wearable adapter and lock barrel but gets a much higher Diamond Sold Secure rating.

Construction

The Straplok 35/850 (850 denotes its overall length in cm) features a strap made of multiple high-tensile steel cores. This is wrapped in a flexible outer layer protected by a neoprene cover. The strap also has an adjustable extender that enables it to fit various waist sizes, from 30”/76cm to 48”/122cm.

By far, the Straplok's most unique feature is its patented ‘linear pin tumbler’ locking mechanism. This simple key slot system doesn’t require turning; once the key is inserted, it opens at the push of a small button.

If you need extra reach or take the belt-and-braces approach to securing your bike, multiple Straplok 35s can be connected together. A pair can be purchased at a discount bundle price of £129.99.

The Straplok's claimed weight for a single lock is just 1.2kg / 2.7 lbs, making it one of our best lightweight bike locks. It receives a Sold Secure Silver rating and is available in four bright colours, including black, blue and orange. Two keys and a wearable adapter, which enables you to adjust the Straplok to the size of your waist, are included with the lock.

In use

On the scales, I discovered the Straplok is lighter than stated, coming in at just 1.1kg, which is quite light for a lock of this type. Furthermore, it is narrower and flatter than the Litelok Core Plus I recently tested, more closely resembling a belt, making it significantly more comfortable to wear.

The belt adapter works rather well. Since it attaches at both ends of the lock, I could ratchet it up to achieve a comfortable and secure position around my torso when riding. I prefer this system to the one used by Litelok on its wearable range, and it's also considerably easier to remove if it's not needed.

When it came time to lock up my bike, the Straplok's flexibility was a great help. Its bendy nature meant I could comfortably navigate awkward locking situations that would have proved far more difficult with a less pliant lock. Attaching two Straploks together is a simple solution when you need a longer reach, such as when locking two bikes or securing a single bike to a lamppost.

The locking mechanism stands out. It feels solid, and the convenience of not having a rotating key and barrel should make it reliable against the elements. Additionally, the push-button response is delightfully uncomplicated—there's no catching or having to feel for engagement.

Another element I appreciated was the soft neoprene cover. It’s gentle on your clothes and your bike's paint whilst significantly increasing the comfort of wearing the lock. However, although I didn't use the lock in the rain, the fabric quickly picked up dirt and grease when handled and I worry that this may bleed into my clothing over time. Moreover, the sleeve is not removable for washing.

One issue that could prove more problematic than a dirty shirt is the lock’s low Silver Sold Secure rating. While I believe half the battle of keeping a bike secure is having a visual deterrent, sadly, a Silver rating will offer little resistance against the new breed of angle grinder-wielding thieves.

That said, it’s not a lock designed to secure a high-end bike for hours away from regular foot traffic. Rather, it's for those of lower value, say up to £1,000, for short periods and to deter opportunist criminals.

Conclusions and value

While it has a low-security rating, the Squire Straplok 35/850 is a super lock. It has been well-thought-out in response to how people use locks and what they actually require from them. I applaud Squire for this attention to detail and quality research.

At £69.99, it is bang on the money, considering its decent specification. In fact. the Straplok is priced in line with other flexible options such as the Seatylock Foldylock Compact my colleague Luke tested last year.

There are higher security non-wearable options at similar prices though, like the OnGuard Pitbull Mini, which offers a Diamond rating and weighs only a touch more a 1.3kg. Therefore, you should consider whether being able to wear a lock is a must-have feature before making a purchase.

Specification

Traditionally, the best bicycle locks have been carried in pannier bags, backpacks or secured to the bike's frame. However, wearable locks offer commuters another option for those who prefer to travel light with one of the best lightweight bike locks.

The Litelok Core Plus is such a lock. It is designed to be worn around the waist while in transit and features a flexible strap that can be adjusted for size. Litelok isn't the only company that makes wearable bike locks; Hiplok, Squire, and Abus also offer similar products.

Litelok Core Plus construction

The Litelok Core Plus has a certified Diamond rating by independent test house Sold Secure, the highest achievable rating for a bicycle lock. Very few wearable locks are able to meet this standard. So, how has Litelok managed it?

The brand claims that its Boaflexicore+ strap is designed to withstand attacks thanks to its layered protection, which includes “a plant-based polymer, radial reinforcement, and high-tensile core.”

The tensile steel strap is fastened by a lock body with corrosion-resistant internals - it’s said to have been tested to -40c - as well as pick-resistant disc retainer locks and drill-resistant automotive standard rivets.

The lock features a keyhole cover that’s designed to keep the locking cylinder free of moisture and dirt. Its 'click lock' closure means it locks without the need for a key, clicking into place in the way you might secure a seatbelt in a car.

Each side of the lock features an adjustable Velcro strap, enabling various lengths for a snug fit around your waist. Additionally, the lock includes frame mounts, which let you attach it directly to your bike frame. Mounts on both the top and seat tubes allow the lock to be tucked away within the frame. Altogether, this results in a lock that weighs 1.9kg / 4.1 lbs.

Litelok Core Plus specification

Litelok Core Plus in use

Let's start with locking a bike; this is where the Core Plus’s strengths certainly lie, and it really impressed me. The lock mechanism is both smooth and secure. I appreciated being able to take the key out when it’s unlocked, and the click lock feature is brilliant, meaning you will never forget to lock it.

While the Litelok lacks the flexibility of a chain lock, it offers superior reach and flexibility over any U-lock. I had to wrestle with it at times, particularly when locking up next to another bike or securing it to a lamppost as it is quite stiff, but this was no more hassle than trying to slide a U-lock between multiple bikes at an awkward angle.

If you intentionally choose a wearable lock instead of one stored on your bike or in a bag, you would expect it to be comfortable. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case with the Litelok Core Plus.

When wearing the Core Plus, I was acutely aware of its presence, perhaps understandably given its Diamond rating and nearly 2kg weight. Still, it was cumbersome, and the outer webbed finish was a tad 'scratchy', especially when I was wearing only a single layer. Given the security offered, I feel like this negative attribute is forgivable, and when used on short journeys, it was bearable.

What was more annoying was the Litelok constantly slipped down beyond my hips - not ideal when you’re in motion. I would suggest that the rubber O-ring that’s responsible for holding the wearable adapter in place is inadequate. It doesn't allow you to ratchet it up like a belt to hold the lock in place; when you try, the result is you just stretch the O-ring. Had there been a fixed point, like on the opposite end of the adapter, which clicks into the lock mechanism, this wouldn't be an issue. I fear this lock was designed with the more traditionally skinny cyclist build in mind, which I am not.

Litelok Core Plus Conclusions and Value

The Core Plus certainly meets the criteria if you're looking for a high-security wearable lock, and because of this, it receives my recommendation.

However, be aware that this level of security does come with a portability penalty. While my experience wearing it wasn't particularly favourable, slimmer users may not face the same challenges. Nevertheless, at this level of security, the lock's wearability presents several drawbacks that outweigh its benefits. If security is your priority, I would recommend one of the best U-locks or a chain lock instead.

At £139.99/$169.99, the Litelok also doesn't represent the best value and is considerably more expensive than several other diamond-rated locks. The OnGuard Pitbull comes to mind, which can be purchased for around £45/$55. Additionally, for just £10/$10 more than the cost of the Core Plus, you can buy Litelok's X1, which offers angle grinder resistance.

If wearability is a top priority, I'd recommend the Squire Straplok. Although it only has a silver-sold secure rating compared to the Core Plus diamond, it offers far superior comfort and at just £69.99, you can buy two for the price of the Core Plus.

Locks not only secure your bike but will regularly act as a visual deterrent to bike thieves; by this measure, the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit chain is like a large, bad-tempered guard dog complete with foam at the mouth.

It's a burly number, both in size and weight. So while it’s never going to be the most portable of options, its chunky dimensions make it a potential choice for those who are concerned more with a lock’s ability to keep their bike safe than they are to how easy it is to carry around.

Like all of the best bicycle locks, it comes with a high Sold Secure rating, emphasizing that this is a lock that places security above all else. We take a closer look at how it performs.

Construction

The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit chain is a generous 150cm in length. It’s made from a series of 14mm six-sided chain links made of 3t hardened manganese steel, all wrapped in a protective nylon cover.

The chain’s padlock boasts a 15mm steel shackle that features a disc-style cylinder with both a reinforced anti-drill and anti-pull protection system. There’s also a hardened double deadbolt and sliding dust cover designed to extend the life of the locking mechanism.

Each lock comes with three keys, one with a bulb if you need assistance locking your bike in the dark, and is part of the brand’s key safe programme.

In use

The purpose of this review isn’t to test the limits of the Fahgettaboudit chain by attacking it with bolt cutters, angle grinders and any of the other tools used by bicycle thieves. Instead, I’ve looked at the lock from a user perspective, namely how easy it is to lock and unlock your bike as well as other factors important to cyclists, such as portability.

On my scales, the lock weighs just under 7kg or a little over 15 lbs. Whichever measure you use it will likely make it too heavy to carry unless you’re riding a cargo bike or similar. I found carrying it on my person, both in a backpack and around my waist, impractical. I don’t use panniers but I’d guess that it might be too weighty for this application as well given that you’re likely to be carrying plenty of other gear in the bags to begin with.

But viewed as a lock to use in your shed or garage then the Fahgettaboudit’s weight and size stop being a hindrance and start to show where this lock thrives. Here you can use the burly chain’s generous length to secure your prized bike or bikes to a fixed point, such as a secured rack. I successfully locked two bikes using the chain. I also found it straightforward to lock and unlock the padlock.

Value

It's an expensive lock, perhaps unsurprisingly given the sheer weight of materials being used. Again, if you’re using it to lock up your pride and joy at home, it’s likely an acceptable amount to pay. But if you’re looking for a lock to secure your regular commuter, better options, in regards to portability and price are available.

While Seatylock is perhaps less well known than other premium brands who make some of the best bike locks it does offer a comprehensive range that includes chains, u-locks and a number of folding options.

The folding models include the Elite, Forever and Classic, all of which are ‘full-size’ locks. Then there are the Mini and the Compact. As their names suggest, they aim to balance bike security with portability. Here, I’m taking a closer look at the Compact, which we rate as one of the best lightweight bike locks.

Construction

The Foldylock Compact comprises six steel bars, which are joined by a number of stainless steel rivets, which allow the bars to pivot. Each is covered in plastic to provide additional protection and durability. The overall circumference of the Compact when unfolded is 85cm.

Any folding lock has two supposed advantages over a more traditional U-lock: it offers more flexibility when locking your bike because it doesn’t have such a rigid structure and because it can be folded down it’s far more portable.

Certainly, the Compact folds down into a package that accurately reflects its name. It measures 7.45” / 18.9cm long by 2.35” / 6 cm wide and fits into a plastic carry case that can be fitted to a bike’s bottle cage mounts. On my scales, it weighed just over 1kg / 2.2lbs, which means it can be comfortably carried in a backpack or bike bag as well.

The knock-on folding locks is that their USP also makes them more vulnerable to bike thieves; in essence, the rivets are an inherent weakness that can be exploited by thieves. To guard against this the Compact is said to have ‘patented ultra-protected rivets’, which Seatylock says have been “tested and protected against sawing and cutting attacks”.

Foldylock states that the locking cylinder is an ‘automotive’ standard. While I didn't have the lock for long enough to see how the locking mechanism held up it does state that all of the lock's metal components are resistant to rust. There's no dust cover here but there is a three-year warranty in case of any issues.

In use

The lock’s weight, or lack of it, is noticeable. When packed into the case it makes for a neat and tidy unit that I found easy to pop into a backpack. When I secured it to my bike’s frame it was equally forgettable. The carrying case was secured easily using the bottle bosses and when cycling it stayed in place and was silent; a rattling lock can be rather irritating if your journey is more than a mile so I was pleased to find that the Compact behaved.

The smaller size made the Compact easy to use too. The rivets were smooth in action but not so much that they rendered the structure too slack when unfolded. I’ve used other larger folding locks and I found them to be a tad tricky to manage when it comes time to lock and unlock your bike. The downside here however is that you have less internal space to work with; the internal circumference of the lock is approximately 33” or 85cms. That said I managed to lock my bike to a variety of objects without any real issue, although I’d probably add a cable lock to work in conjunction with the Compact so I could secure both wheels.

The object of this test is to see how the Foldlylock performed in use, in regards to transporting the lock and locking and unlocking a bike. I didn’t attempt to break the lock in anyway so I can’t attest to the brand’s claims. In terms of security, it holds a Sold Secure Silver rating, which is fairly typical for folding locks. And it’s one of the smallest and lightest Silver-rated locks on the market, offering an impressive size-to-strength ratio.

Value

At $90 / £71 the Foldylock Compact can be described as reasonably priced. The Compact is a similar price to the Abus compact folder, the Bordo 5700. OnGuard K9 folding lock is cheaper but offers a lower Sold Secure rating of Bronze.

If you're commuting to work and leaving your bike unattended in a city, it’s not just your frame that you need to protect. It’s also a sensible idea to lock your wheels, as these are often targeted by thieves too. The classic solution is to loop a cable through your wheels and use one of the best bike locks to secure it, and the frame, to an immovable object. However, this is quite a bulky system.

Self-proclaimed to be the “world’s smallest lock for bike parts”, I was intrigued to test Hexlox’s anti-theft system to see how it works - and find out whether something so tiny can be a reliable system for such an important task.

Construction

If you’re using the Hexlox system for your wheels, it consists of 3 parts: a Hexlox thru-axle for each wheel, a Hexlox key and two Hexlox tiny 6mm stainless steel inserts (which fit into the bolt of each thru-axle).

Importantly, how does Hexlox’s anti-theft system work for securing your wheels? Essentially, you insert the Hexlox into the socket of the thru-axle, which blocks access. If a thief comes along with an Allen key, they simply cannot insert it into the bolt to unscrew the thru-axle - so they’re unable to remove the wheel from your bike.

The Hexlox insert can only be removed with your specific Hexlox key as the shape of the Hexlox key and Hexlox insert are matched exactly (and they share the same three-digit keycode which is completely unique to the set).

It’s important to note that the reason why Hexlox inserts stay in the head of the bolt is because they’re magnetic. However, most thru-axles that come standard on your bike are aluminum - meaning that you will likely have to purchase a steel thru axle for the Hexlox insert to work. Hexlox sells a huge range, so you should be able to find one which is compatible with your bike. Or, if you do happen to have a steel thru-axle knocking about, you can just use that.

Hexlox’s system can not only be used on wheels, but also for essentially every bolt on your bike. You can drop the inserts in the bolts for your saddles, seatpost, handlebars, stems, pedals - the list goes on. It’s more likely that at least some of your bolts might be steel (and will therefore work with the magnetic Hexlox inserts), but if not, Hexlox does sell a variety of replacement bolts for different applications, too.

I put the system to the test on the thru-axles of my commuting bike. Here’s how it went…

The set up and ride

As mentioned, most thru-axles are aluminium - and mine are no different. In order for Hexlox’s system to work, I first had to swap in front and rear thru-axles which have steel heads. The front is Hexlox branded, the rear was sent by Hexlox, but is actually from Robert Axle.

As both the Hexlox key and insert are magnetic I was able to pick up the tiny insert with my key and place it into the thru-axle. I then turned the key anti-clockwise to lock the insert in place. Really quick and easy to do.

I also like that the key is tiny and much smaller than any other bike lock keys I have. When I added it to my set of house keys I could barely notice that I had added another key.

It’s a little trickier to remove the bolt - even with your matching magic magnetic key. I found that I had to really push the key in - and be very precise with removing the insert completely straight (not even at a slight angle). This isn’t the easiest thing to do when you’re crouching by the side of the road on an impromptu stop - most likely when you have a puncture and need to remove your wheel. Luckily I haven’t actually had a puncture on my commuting bike so far this year (thanks to Schwalbe’s excellent G-One Allround tyres), and so the only reason I tried removing the bolt was for the benefit of this test!

Anyway, as the insert is not something you’ll need to remove each day or even each week or month (hopefully), the fact that it’s a little difficult to remove isn’t much of an issue in my opinion.

Given the difficulty and frustration I experienced even removing the insert with the correct key, I’m pretty confident it will a hindrance to thieves. Most are opportunistic, so if they’re trying to jam in their Allen key but find it won't fit, hopefully, they’ll just move on.

I decided to try to remove the insert with a magnet that I pulled off my fridge door just to see how it’d cope and I wasn’t able to remove the insert. I don’t have any other stronger magnets around to test it with, but Hexlox claims that it’s not possible to remove the insert with a more powerful magnet. It says: “The Hexlox is held in place in your bolt with a very small magnet but the key does not use magnetic force to remove the Hexlox - there is a mechanical bond.” I had no success in using pliers to remove the insert either.

After these tests, I feel confident leaving my bike unattended with just a D-lock and these bolt-blockers. A highly motivated thief might be able to drill out the Hexlox insert using a cordless drill. But I would be surprised at anyone going to that much fiddly effort on the wheels - if the power tools are being broken out, it makes more sense to go straight for the D-Lock.

There are other steps I take to feel good about leaving my bike locked up unattended, such as nearby CCTV and in areas less frequented by thieves. There’s always more you can do to ward off thieves and provide additional protection, but Hexlox seems to be a good balance between security and neatness for me.

I have been impressed by how discreet Hexlox’s solution is. And I’ve also appreciated not having to lug a lock cable around with all my things for work.

In terms of getting set up, it’s quite easy to work out which size Hexlox you need for the bolts on your bike. Simply insert an Allen key into the bolt and whichever size Allen key fits the hole, that’s the size Hexlox you’ll need.

Value and conclusion

A single Hexlox costs £14.00 and Hexlox key costs £14.00, which adds up to £42.00 for protecting your front and rear thru-axles. If you need a front and rear thru-axle to go with it (because your current setup doesn’t have a magnetic steel head) then that’s an extra £54.99 for each. This brings the full cost up to €151.98. This is certainly a steep investment and a considerable amount more than simply using a cable with your D-lock. For example Kryptonite’s Kryptoflex costs just £14.99.

This review was checked and updated in 2025 to ensure that all information and advice is still correct as part of our big update of the best bike locks buyer guide.

It’s typical for the best bike locks to be rated for their security by an independent assessor. In the UK, that’s Sold Secure. It uses four grades to measure the level of deterrent the lock provides, with Bronze being the lowest rating and Diamond its highest, with Silver and Gold in between.

However, not all locks are sent to Sold Secure. A case in point is the 6206K Goose Lock from Abus, which is only rated by the German brand itself, getting a score of 7/15. This score, combined with the lock’s cable design, means that it's better suited to those who want to balance weight and portability with security - or plan to use it in conjunction with another lock.

Abus 6206K Goose Lock: construction

At the heart of the Goose Lock is a 6mm steel chain. Just like the housing and structural parts of the locking mechanism, it’s manufactured from specially hardened steel. Two metal spiral springs (wound together) effectuate the lock’s characteristic Goose Neck - they allow it to flex but not flop! A layer of foam cocoons these hard elements, with a final, flexible layer of plastic fibers. These latter elements are designed to eliminate rattle and protect surfaces (that the lock comes into contact with) from abrasion and scratches. They certainly add plenty of bulk, making the Goose look rather more beefy than other 6mm cable locks.

The Goose Lock is supplied with two keys. Abus offer a key service, so it’s possible to replace them if you happen to lose one (or both). This particular key will set you back $12.99 / £14.95. The fact that it’s a key lock, rather than combination, naturally boosts Abus’s security rating of the Goose.

There are two different lengths available: 85cm and 110cm. Claimed weights are 920g and 1,120g respectively. However, the 85cm lock I’ve been testing tips my scales at 1,120g and actually measures 91cm - perhaps best to take measurements with a pinch of salt! The hardened lock casing has a diameter of 4cm. The flexible plastic outer is approximately 5cm in diameter, though naturally there’s flex here, so it can vary.

If matching gear to your bike matters to you, you'll be pleased to read that the Goose lock is available in black, light green, blue and pink.

Abus 6206K Goose Lock: in use

Undoubtedly, the Goose Lock is very easy to transport, making it one of the best lightweight bike locks. Flexing it round the bike frame is effortless. I kept it on the top tube while riding. The internal coils do a great job of permitting flex, then retaining their shape once in place - the lock could just as easily have been named after a snake rather than a goose. The padding and synthetic coating do just what they are designed to - there was zero rattling and the frame is showing absolutely no signs of having had the Goose wrapped snugly around it. It can even act as a ‘cushion’ between your frame and a bike rack (though you may need to forfeit locking wheels).

While I personally didn’t suffer from thigh rub, this could be an issue (depending upon your frame geometry) if you keep it on the top tube. Other mounting options include the seat post or, depending on clearance, a pannier rack. Be wary of obscuring your bike lights if you opt to mount in either of these positions.

Since the lock bends in all directions, getting it around a frame, wheel and bike rack (or other fixed point) is pretty painless. That said, I’d personally advise the longer length of lock, so that it can cover all those difficult-to-reach-rails and wide-lamppost situations. The locking mechanism is smooth and easy to locate. There’s no cover or cap to protect it from water ingress, though.

I’ve been using the lock for just over four weeks and it’s handled the elements well. The synthetic outer is certainly robust. It cleverly adds bulk to the lock, belying the fact that there’s actually only 6mm of steel between your two-wheeled transport and a bike thief - a less beefy lock would certainly be more tempting for anyone hoping for a quick steal (using bolt croppers). I’ve used it in heavy rain and it seemingly dried out rather rapidly. Unsure as to whether or not water was penetrating the synthetic casing (Abus claim it’s ‘weatherproof’), I decided to let the Goose soak in a sink for an hour or so (lock casing excluded)! After a couple of minutes on a draining board post-soak, the lock weighed only 10 grams more than it did pre-soak. It had returned to its normal weight the following day - encouraging. To be fair, an hour’s bath is a little extreme anyway. My only concern with the plastic fiber casing relates to environmental impact - will plastic micro-fibers be coming away over time?

Abus 6206K Goose Lock: value and conclusion

The shorter Goose Lock that I’ve been testing has a suggested retail price of $79.99 / £69.99 (the longer lock has a SRP of $89.99 / £79.99) - not insignificant, considering the average security rating. Hiplok’s Original Lock, reputed for ease of transportation, has a Sold Secure Silver rating and a $99.99 / £74.99 RRP. Kryptonite’s Evolution 1090 Chain is Gold rated and is easy to find on-line for between $90 / £70 and $100 / £80. Admittedly, the Kryptonite will weigh you down somewhat (90cm, 2.77 kgs) by comparison to both Abus’ Goose and Hiplok’s Original (85cm, 1.95kg).

The Goose’s appeal is undoubtedly its usability - it’s not trying to compete with the top rated locked. It’s a well-made, robust option for anyone who needs a medium-secure lock that’s exceptionally easy to transport, easy to use and not too heavy. All of these properties also make it a great option as a secondary lock. It’s certainly not something I’d be using on its own if I wanted to leave my bike for a significant period of time. That said, it does a good job of looking rather more secure than it actually is, so might ward off opportunist thieves more effectively than other locks with comparable security ratings.

The struggle is real - well, it was until the Ortlieb Quick Rack arrived. It's possibly the perfect solution for anyone looking to equip their bike with a decent bike pannier carrying system at the drop of a hat. It’s well made, affordable and certainly lives up to its ‘quick’ name.

I’ve fitted my fair share of racks to a variety of bikes. Some can be relatively intuitive and easy to work with - 30 minutes to have it perfectly aligned, stable and secure is good going but all too often this isn’t possible without a fight. If you only have one bike, or need to transport it in a small car, removing the rack might be an essential chore, further overshadowed by the faff of re-attaching it again at some point in the near future. 

The Ortlieb Quick Rack and Quick Rack Light were introduced last year. I got my hands on the former just in time for a three-week tour from northern Spain to the UK - a super test to see how it performed and compared to the best bike pannier racks.

Ortlieb Quick Rack: construction

The Ortlieb Quick Rack is made of 10mm aluminium tubing and can handle 'a maximum load of 20 kilograms'. It's adjustable to different bikes via the variable strut length. The whole thing has a claimed weight of 580 grams and a 5 year warrranty is offered.

The Light version doesn’t have a platform and consequently tips the scales at just 440g.

Fitting the rack to a range of bikes is possible: Ortlieb claim full-suspension bikes and carbon frames - assuming the frame has eyelets and no carbon seat post should be no problem. It can be used with both 26” - 28” wheels (limited suitability for 29” wheels – up to max. 2.35” tire width).

The rack has a bike light mount and comes with mountable QL3.1 adapters, plus all necessary bolts and washers. 

Additional accessories include mudguards (in three widths, see picture below) and Ortlieb's Quick Rack Seat Stay Adapter for bikes without eyelets. I haven’t tested either of these but the mudguard is a massive plus in my opinion.

Ortlieb Quick Rack: mounting and performance

As with most Ortlieb products, in addition to written instructions, there’s a video that talks you through the product and includes full guidance for installing. In reality it’s intuitive and very simple; a case of setting-up the strut that mounts to the seat post and screwing the supplied hooks into (M5 or M6) eyelets.

Finding an optimal position for the rack isn't hard. Ortlieb provides two different lengths of strut, your preferred will attach above or below the rack tube and then clamp to either the seatpost, or seat tube.

In comparison to any other rack I’ve ever used, this initial ‘installation’ process is child's play. Thereafter, putting the rack on takes no more than 15 seconds, and getting it off is even quicker. The clamps are encouragingly stiff, they've become marginally easier to open and close with use. The bolted attachment points can remain on the bike and are pretty inconspicuous.

I had the rack on and off the bike several times, once to put it in a VW Polo (with very limited space) and a few times for a luggage free spin on a 'rest' day. If you happen to transport your bike a lot, you'll appreciate the Quick Rack. Or if you simply want to dabble in some lightweight touring on a bike that’s otherwise rack-free, this is a superb solution.

What can I say about performance? I was genuinely a little nervous about something that clamped with just two levers and a quick-release, I shouldn’t have been. Naturally I ensured I was within the 20kg payload. (Out of interest, this enabled me to tour with my usual clothing and personal belongings, a stove, sleeping bag, roll mat and tent, admittedly all lightweight). I could detect a very marginal ‘sway’ when out of the saddle - it’s not the rigid set-up that a rack bolted to a frame using 4 eyelets gives) but after a couple of days I’d got used to this. While I was primarily on the road I also covered plenty of kilometers on gravel and rougher forest trails. Nothing posed problematic for the rack.

Since the platform is rather minimal in terms of tubing, attaching panniers is no issue; there is plenty of rail available for the hooks to sit on. 

As if it’s not versatile enough already Ortlieb has designed the rack with two hanging levels. This makes it possible to carry panniers and a rack bag at the same time without facing a battle to remove either at any one time. 

The convenience of taking it on and off within seconds was priceless for transportation and non-touring days. Now I’m back home, I am still loving the speedy option of having a rack for quick shopping trips, or going without for casual spins. Yes, it's been on more than just one bike; the touring trip was on a Triban RC520, and since getting back I've tested it on a Whyte Glencoe (see above) and a Dolan Preffisio.

The rack itself is showing a few signs of wear, primarily where the panniers have rubbed against tubing while riding on rougher terrains. You can certainly see it’s been well-used but these are abrasion marks rather than chips. Changing the rack from one bike to another will reveal further signs of wear on the strut if you move its position. 

Overall, the only thing I'd 'add' to the Quick Rack package is a spare set of hooks for a potential second bike.  

Ortlieb Quick Rack: value and conclusion

At $99.99 / £70, this is not a ‘cheap’; some racks I’ve reviewed cost in the region of $30 / £20. However, take into account quality, a 5 year warranty and the unique versatility of the Quick Rack and it’s fair to say that it’s possibly the best value-for-money rack on the market. There are very few direct comparisons out there, the most obvious being Tailfin’s Alloy Rack. It boasts an impressive 27kg payload but will set you back $300 / £219. Since I’d personally rather spread the weight a little (if I'm exceeding 20kg), I’m not lured by the higher weight limit. I can't image I'm alone in this thinking.  

Out of all the racks I've had the pleasure of testing to date such as the LifeLine Alloy Rear Pannier Rack and the Topeak Uni Super Tourist Rack (Disc), this one most definitely comes out on top.  

Ortlieb Quick Rack: specs

• Material: Aluminium
• Weight: 580 g | 20.5 oz.
• Max payload: 20kg

Leaving your bike when you’re out for a ride is always a bit of a nerve-racking experience. Unless you carry your best bike lock (and a supplementary cable lock), which rather spoil a recreational ride, you’re never quite sure if your bike is safe, even if you’re only leaving it for a few minutes to queue for a coffee.

Even carrying a small cable lock around feels like a misuse of valuable pocket space, and it’s not going to deter any but the most opportunist of thieves. 

So the Japanese-designed AlterLock GPS bike tracking device feels like a clever way to up your bike’s security during a cafe stop. Although it’s got “lock” in its name, it’s not a lock but an alarm that detects if your bike is moved and sounds an alarm. It also sends an alert to your phone that something is amiss.

It’s a slim device, weighing just 46 grams, designed to fit under a bottle cage. AlterLock has CFD modelled airflow over the device to show that it won’t make your bike any less aero.

It comes with extra-long Torx mounting bolts that will fit through your cage and the mounting holes in your AlterLock to attach both to your frame. It’s really unobtrusive and slender enough not to affect access to bottles. You can select anti-tamper bolts when you buy it, if you want to be sure that AlterLock can’t just be unscrewed from your bike.

You power AlterLock up periodically via a USB-C cable. Battery life is up to six weeks if used on the standard settings. It’s IP66 weatherproof rated, although the sample AlterLock was missing the rubber bung that protects the USB port from the weather. 

AlterLock comes with a smartphone app (Android and Apple) that uses Bluetooth to communicate with the alarm, allowing you to set and unset it via a slider at the bottom of the screen. It beeps once to tell you it’s set and twice when you unset it again.

Once it’s set, any movement will sound a beeping alert. If it keeps detecting movement, an alarm will sound for a period that you set via the app, which can be anything from 10 seconds up to a minute. It’s noisy enough to draw attention, but not ear-splitting. After a delay, further movement will trigger subsequent alarms - you can set the alarm to go off between one and three times or to unlimited repeats.

At the same time, AlterLock will send an alert to your phone to let you know that it’s detected movement, so even if your bike is out of sight you know that you need to check that it’s still safe - there’s more on how well this worked for me later. You can either note the alert as a false alarm or record details in the app and potentially share theft details with police via the associated URL.

As well as the alarm functionality, there’s another set of screens that lets you record details of your bike like its frame number and its maintenance history, such as when you last changed your tyres or cleaned your chain.

 Different comms protocols 

BLE is designed to work over comparatively short ranges. How far depends on factors like whether there’s a wall between your phone and your bike. In the open air, BLE comms worked for me over around 10 metres, but this dropped to a couple of metres when I was indoors and the bike outside.

But once you’re out of range of BLE, AlterLock switches to using a wireless protocol called Sigfox. It’s a low energy protocol that runs over 2G, 3G or 4G networks and that AlterLock uses for one-way communication to send its alert to your phone that the alarm has been triggered.

As well as the up-front cost for the device, currently discounted to £91.11 from the list price of  £114.99, you need to pay a subscription to use AlterLock, payable via PayPal, which gives you access to Sigfox. It’s free for the first month, then costs £3.49 per month or £34.99 per year.

There’s a worldwide coverage map for Sigfox here. In the UK it’s OK for most of lowland England, Northern Ireland and the central belt of Scotland, but the map suggests there’s no coverage in the bulk of Scotland and Wales. It’s also patchy in upland areas of England like the Pennines and Lake District.

That’s also true in the Chilterns, where I live, and the Surrey Hills. Along with patchy mobile coverage, that meant that I didn’t receive an alert on my phone when the alarm was triggered while I was indoors. The bike alarm will still go off though, which might be enough to deter a thief.

Once the alarm has been triggered, AlterLock will also use its built-in GPS chip and Sigfox to send location information to your phone once a minute, where it is displayed on a map. You can set it to send a fix periodically even when the alarm hasn’t been triggered, although this will reduce battery life. If it’s moved somewhere where it can’t get a GPS fix, it will use WiFi to give you an approximate location.

 Global coverage and the competition  

AlterLock is also now available in Europe, where it costs €134.99 up front, which is currently discounted to €107.99. The monthly subscription cost is €3.99 per month or €39.99 per year. European coverage is pretty good, although as with the UK it’s patchy in more mountainous areas.

As yet, AlterLock hasn’t rolled out to the USA, as there’s limited Sigfox coverage. It says that it expects to use a different comms protocol when it launches Stateside.

AlterLock isn’t the only game in town, with Vodafone in the UK selling the Curve rear light which incorporates similar functionality and has an associated app. The up-front cost is lower than AlterLock, but the SIM contract costs £6 a month, reducing to £3 a month if you sign up for a 24 month contract. 

We've also reviewed the Abus Alarmbox, which gives you an alarm but not tracking functionality and see our guide to GPS bike trackers for more options.

AlterLock is a neater looking solution though, particularly on a performance bike.

Up-front cost: £114.99 (currently discounted to £91.11)

Subscription cost: £3.49 per month / £34.99 per year

Weight: 46g

Contact: https://alterlock.net/en/

Based in Milton Keynes, Milenco produces a wide range of security products, including some of the highest security bike locks currently available, such as the Dundrod ++ U-lock.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

This lock far exceeds the requirements for Sold Secure Gold, being awarded instead the new top-security Diamond rating. As a consequence, the Dundrod ++ is rather hefty — weighing in at around 2.5kg — which makes it best suited for securing the bike in one particular location, although use when out and about is still perfectly possible.

Security

Unfortunately, perfectly secure bike locks simply don’t exist. With the right tools, knowhow and inclination, a thief will be able to get through any lock.

That said, a good lock can greatly reduce the chances of your bike being stolen by preventing opportunistic theft and convincing more systematic thieves that there are easier targets to go for. Perhaps most importantly, a good lock is needed to comply with the wording of your bike insurance policy so that if your bike is stolen, you will at least be covered.

Sold Secure is an independent lock testing company which vets the resilience of locks on the UK market and thereby provides the yardstick by which “goodness” is measured.

Until recently, there three different rankings were awarded, Bronze, Silver and Gold, with Gold usually being required by insurers for bikes worth over £1,000. But now a new “Diamond” rating has been introduced giving recognition to those locks which go above and beyond what’s required for a Gold rating.

>>>Read more: How to keep your bike safe

Increasing protection

If the worth of your bike is measured only by money, then there is little reason to go for a lock stronger than Sold Secure Gold – as this is generally the upper limit of what an insurer will require in order for you to be covered.

But if your bike has a sentimental value or is a model that can’t be replaced, an insurance payout is not going to cover what was lost. In this case, prevention is much, much better than any 'cure'.

Although Diamond rated locks can still be broken — Sold Secure perform this feat themselves during the course of their testing — the amount of time and effort it does take to get through the locks means that thieves are likely to be deterred – and if they are not, the chances of them getting caught are much greater.

If securing your bike is genuinely important to you, there are more considerations than just which  particular lock to buy. It’s well worth using two Diamond rated locks as this genuinely does make it twice as hard to steal. Best practice is to lock each wheel to the frame and an immovable object, making sure to go around the rim rather than simply through the spokes.

The object you're locking to does need to be genuinely immovable, being at least equally as secure as the locks. This may mean also purchasing a ground anchor. Also, don’t overlook the security of the place you are locking your bikes, you may need to upgrade the locks to your garage, for example.

To be clear, this level of security would be overkill in most people’s circumstances, insurers wouldn’t generally require you to lock your bike in this way. This is aimed at those whose bikes are genuinely irreplaceable and want to take every step to secure it as well as possible.

The construction

As befits a Diamond rated lock, the Milenco Dundrod ++ is visibly beefier than your usual U-locks. While Silver rated locks tend to have shackles about 11mm in diameter and typical Gold rated locks are around 14mm, the Dundrod++ measures in at a whopping 18mm. The crossbar has been sized up too, making for a reassuringly plump looking lock all-round.

Both the shackle and the crossbar get a comprehensive polymer coating, meaning there’s no exposed metal that stands to potentially scratch your bike. Adding to the Milenco Dundrod ++'s weather resistance is a integrated dustcover for the lock barrel which should help to keep the mechanism from seizing in damp conditions.

Ordinarily, I would be disappointed to see that the shackle is a simple straight design, rather than incorporating a bend in one of the prongs. This means that the two holes of the crossbar have to be lined up with both the prongs of the shackle when locking up. Whereas, a “bent-foot” design would allow you to mount the crossbar one prong at a time – which may not sound so significant, but it really does make locking up a lot easier.

However, a bent shackle does tend to make for a weaker lock. It’s perfectly possible to meet the requirements for Sold Secure Gold rating with one, but for maximum security, it is a design feature that is necessary to leave out. So, in this case this is more of an observation than a criticism.

It’s possible to order more keys, but three come supplied – which is very good to see. When given two, you only have to lose one before the worry starts to set in and you feel obliged to order another. With three, you can lose one and not concern yourself with taking any action immediately as you still one plus a spare (plus if you give it a couple of days the lost one will probably turn up again).

In use

With internal dimensions of 115mm x 225mm, the size is a pretty standard one for a U-lock, making it easy to secure the bike through the frame and wheel against Sheffield Stands and the other usual places you would lock your bike up to.

At around 2.5kg, the Milenco Dundrod ++ is quite heavy for use about town and you do definitely notice its weight on the hills. But it’s by no means an anchor that will cause you to grind to a halt once the gradient tips above 5%.

For context, it weighs about the same as two 1L water bottles with their bottle cages and bolts — and that’s not an especially horrifying prospect to cycle with.

But with that said, use around town isn’t really the purpose the Dundrod++ was designed for – and as a consequence, there is no bike mount supplied to help facilitate that application.

In all, the Milenco Dundrod ++ is quite a straightforward item, it doesn’t perform any party-tricks other than being incredibly secure meaning the experience when using it is quite modestly understated – but that is exactly what you would want from this style of lock.

Value

The value of this style of high security lock is quite tricky to pin down. Diamond rated locks can vary quite widely in price and Sold Secure doesn’t provide any more of a granular stratification comparing which Diamond rated locks are better than others.

You could use price as a proxy for inferring the relative strength of these Diamond rated locks, but it’s worth remembering that the most expensive lock isn’t necessarily the most secure.

With that in mind, Halford’s own Diamond rated Advanced 23cm D lock is £50.00 and comes with a bike mount plus five keys with the option to order more.

On the other end of the scale, the Diamond rated Abus Granit Extreme 59 is £199.99 and also comes with a bike mount but only two keys – although you can order more.

At £89.99, the Milenco Dundrod ++ strikes a reasonable balance between those two price extremes, although it is less portable without a bike mount. However, we haven’t yet tested the other two locks and so can’t vouch for their performance.

The Abus Bordo Granit X Plus 6500 is one of the very few folding locks that has been awarded the coveted Sold Secure Gold rating, making it a great option for anyone looking for a high security lock with a large and flexible lockable area.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

Founded in 1924, Abus is a German security brand with a long history of manufacturing high security bike locks.

Security

Ultimately, all locks can be broken through, with the right tools, knowhow and inclination. However, a good bike lock has important roles to play in defending against opportunistic theft, convincing more systematic thieves to go for an easier target and – most importantly – complying with the wording of your bike insurance policy so that you are at least covered, should your bike be stolen.

Sold Secure is an independent lock testing company which sets the standards for locks on the UK market. Until recently, three rankings were awarded: Bronze, Silver and Gold. For context, bikes worth over £1,000, will usually only be covered by insurers if locked using a Gold rated lock.

Now, however, there is a new “Diamond” rating, which gives recognition to those locks which greatly exceed what’s required for a Gold rating.

>>>Read more: How to keep your bike safe

The construction

It’s typically much harder to produce a folding lock with a high security rating. With so many moving parts, there’s many more potential weak points than with a simpler design, such as a D-lock. This makes the Abus Bordo Granit X Plus 6500 one of only a few folding locks that has been award a Gold Sold Secure rating.

The consequence of such superlative security is a significantly greater weight. At just under 2kg, the Bordo Granit X Plus weighs more than the majority of other folding locks, as well as most Gold rated D-locks.

That said, it is worth remembering this lock does have internal dimensions of 14cm x 31cm and a lockable area of 434cm² — which is more than the vast majority of D-locks. This, when coupled with the flexible nature of a folding lock, makes the Abus Bordo Granit X Plus significantly more versatile than a D-lock.

A bike mount comes included, making for easy transportation of the lock. It attaches using wire cables, so you aren’t limited to only mounting in places where there are bottle cage mounts. The cables do have a plastic coating which should protect your frame from being scratched, but I would add a bit of helicopter tape to the tube first just to be on the safe side.

There is also a rubber coating over all parts of the lock that are likely to touch your bike, meaning scratches to your paintwork are unlikely with this lock.

Only two keys are provided, and while it is a shame that a third doesn’t come shipped with the lock, you can at least order duplicates from Abus. With keys that you do get, one does come with an integrated light which can be useful for locating the lock barrel in the dark.

In use

When setting off and climbing hills with the Abus Bordo Granit X Plus, you do notice its weight. But that said, in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t significantly more than a Gold rated D-lock and you get used to the extra couple of kilos quite fast – it feels heavier in the hand than it does on the bike.

The bike mount is very simple to use, the lock simply clips in and out of it. But even though access to the lock is very quick, the mount still held the lock securely in place, even over ill-kept roads.

With such a large lockable area, securing my bike properly through the rear wheel and the frame was a lot easier than with an ordinary D-lock. It also meant I could lock both mine and my partner’s town bikes with just one lock, making things a little simpler. It is worth making sure that your insurance will cover locking two bikes in this way before giving it a go, though.

In all, I found the Abus Bordo Granit X Plus performed really well, offering all the benefits of a folding lock (compact size coupled with a large and flexible lockable length), without the considerable downside of a low security rating — which often blights locks of this design.

Value

At £144.99, the Abus Bordo Granit X Plus is undoubtably expensive. The Gold rated Zéfal K-Traz U17 D-lock costs just £34.99 by comparison. But compared to other folding locks, there are very few that can match the Bordo Granit X Plus for its security rating.

One of the only other options is the Tre-Lock Folding Lock FS500 Toro which is also Sold Secure Gold and retails for £100.00. With a length of 100cm compared to the Bordo Granit X Plus’s 110cm, it is a little smaller than Abus’s offering.

Sold Secure also doesn’t provide any more of a granular stratification beyond just the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond ratings, so we can’t say which is more secure. We also haven’t yet tested the Tre-Lock, and so can’t vouch for its performance.

The TiGr BLUE Mini+ is manufactured in the USA and marries an elegant design with a lightweight build, producing a lock that tips the scales at just 470g.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

This is an updated version of the original titanium design. Now made from high carbon steel, the lock is a little more robust and a little less expensive. It does, however, weigh a few grams more than its predecessor – which is still available to be bought, should you wish to surrender yourself completely to weight-weenism.

Security

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfectly secure bike lock. A determined thief will always be able to break through – with the right tools, knowhow and inclination. The main function of a bike lock is to prevent opportunistic theft and to persuade more systematic thieves to pick an easier target instead. But the principal function is really to comply with your bike insurance policy’s wording, so that you will at least get a pay-out if your bike is stolen.

In the UK locks, are tested for their security by the independent company, Sold Secure. There are three levels a lock can be awarded. The lowest is Bronze, with locks of this level only being suitable to guard against oppoertunistic theft. The next is Silver, which is generally sufficient for moderate crime areas and for bikes valued up to £1,000. The top level is Gold, which is for use in high crime areas and bikes worth over £1,000. However, it is important to check the wording of your bike insurance policy to make sure that you are using the level of lock that they specify.

>>>Read more: How to keep your bike safe

The construction

TiGr BLUE Mini+ gets a polymer coating which not only protects the steel shackle from corrosion, but stops the shackle scratching your paintwork too. Although it might not look it from the photos, the shackle is actually extremely flexible and therefore quite easy to loop around your bike and immovable objects.

The bike mount attaches to the frame using the bottle cage bosses, rather than mounting directly to the frame with some form of straps, as other brands do. This means you do sacrifice a bottle cage, but on the other hand, it is quite simple to mount and dismount the bracket. The lock itself simply clips into the bracket, making placement and removal quite a simple process.

The most significant aspect of the lock's construction is the fact that it only receives a Sold Secure Bronze rating. Many insurers require – at the very least – that you use a Silver rated lock, if not Gold.

Interestingly, the Dutch lock rating company, ART, awarded the TiGr BLUE Mini+ a score of 2/5. Its scale goes up to include motorcycle locks, hence why the score sounds a little low. A score of 2/5 generally equates to either a Gold or Silver Sold Secure rating. The Abus Bordo Granit Xplus 6500, for example gets a 2/5 from ART and a Gold rating from Sold Secure.

So, it is a little surprising that the TiGr BLUE Mini+ receives such a low rating from Sold Secure. However, in order to be covered by your insurance, you will have to follow the wording to the letter and that may rule this lock out.

Only two keys are provided with the lock, but it is possible to order more should you need to.

In use

The flexible shackle made it quite easy to swallow objects as wide as its greatest width. At 10.2cm x 20.3cm and giving a lockable area of 207cm², the shackle is a little smaller than a more typically sized D-lock. But even so, I didn’t experience any real impediment when it came to reaching and looping around objects.

At 470g, it was incredibly lightweight and essentially unnoticeable on the bike. There is a smaller version, called simply the TiGr BLUE Mini which is smaller and weighs 44 grams less. But I would say unless you particularly want a smaller sized lock, you may as well go for the larger option as a the weight difference is barely perceptible.

Although the bike mount secures the lock only by clipping it in, the lock remained perfectly in place even over rougher roads. The simple clip mechanism did make mounting and dismounting the lock very quick to do.

Aesthetically, I think the TiGr BLUE Mini+ performed very well, certainly not detracting from the lines of the bike and adding its own almost swan-like profile.

Value

The TiGr BLUE Mini+ is significantly lighter than Kryptonite Messenger Mini with U-Lock Extender, which weighs in at 1,109g compared to 470g, it comes with a bike mount and I think it is fair to say it is more stylish too. But on the other hand, the Kryptonite lock has a larger lockable area, takes up less space, is Sold Secure Silver and costs £25 less. So, which of these two locks is best for you very much depends on what your application will be.

A more direct competitor is the Litelok Silver Flexi-U, which has a claimed weight of 750g, has a larger lockable area, comes with two straps for mounting it to your bike, is Sold Secure Silver rated and costs just £79.99. Although again, I think it loses on aesthetics.

The Oxford Alarm-D Pro is a Sold Secure Gold rated D-lock with an inbuilt motion sensor and 120 decibel alarm that will sound if it detects any tampering.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

The medium size, reasonable weight, along with the included bike mount, means it is well suited to everyday and around town use. But the high security rating and integrated alarm means that it is far more versatile than a slimmed down and lightweight lock.

Security

It’s a matter of fact that no lock is perfectly secure. With the right tools, knowhow, and inclination, a determined thief will always be able to break through. The three main purposes of a lock are to prevent opportunistic theft, convince more systematic thieves that there are easier targets to go for, and to comply with the wording of your bike insurance policy – so that you are at least covered if your bike is stolen.

Sold Secure is an independent lock testing company which vets the resilience of locks on the UK market. Three levels of ranking are awarded. The lowest, Bronze, means the lock is only suitable for preventing opportunistic theft. Silver is generally regarded as good for moderate crime areas and for bikes valued up to £1,000. While Gold should be used in high crime areas and for bikes valued over £1,000. It should be specified in the wording of your insurance policy which level of lock you need to use to be covered.

>>>Read more: How to lock your bike up safely

Construction

Made from 14mm “special” hardened steel, the shackle has been given a vinyl coating to help protect the paintwork of your frame. Helpfully, one of the prongs of the shackle features a bend so that the crossbar can be fitted one prong at a time, which is a significant improvement over designs that require you to line up both prongs and the crossbar exactly.

An attachment for the bike mount comes already fitted to the shackle and the system for connecting it to the bike is really quite elegant. Rather than having a clasp with a release mechanism, it is the lock itself that secures it to the mount. This does mean that you need your key to take it on and off the bike, but most of the time when you are doing that you will either locking your bike or putting it away again, which you’d need your key for anyway.

The mount attaches to the bike in one of the more user-friendly ways I’ve seen. The long straps can accommodate a huge range of tube shapes and sizes, while the bolts for tightening up those straps are quick and easy to insert. This made fitting the mount a relatively faff free experience.

The alarm is housed inside the crossbar of the lock and, by the look of it, quite secure from most attacks. To get to the battery, you need to remove the cross bar and unscrew the screw inside one of the holes for the prongs of the shackle. The battery is supposed to be long life so shouldn’t need to be changed often, but it’s a quite straightforward process when the time does come.

Dimensions of 17.3cm x 26cm give the Oxford Alarm-D Pro a lockable area of 450cm² and this is quite sufficient for most applications. It’s wide enough to get around the majority of objects you’d want to lock a bike to and it’s long enough that reaching the bike is never really an issue. There is a version of this lock which is 32cm long and would perhaps be better if securing multiple bikes with one lock, but the length of this one is perfect for use on a single bike.

In use

The alarm function of the lock was very easy to use and it trod well the fine line between being sensitive to movement, without being irritatingly oversensitive. The alarm is set by turning the key in the barrel of the lock until you hear an clear electronic beep. If you wish to secure the lock, but not activate the alarm, such as when transporting it, you just need to turn the key twice and you’ll hear two beeps which tell you it is disarmed.

When the lock is armed, if it detects any significant movement, it will first sound a loud warning beep. If disturbed again, then it will sound two loud beeps, and only if it disturbed a third time after that will it initiate a countdown and sound the full alarm. This system of warning blasts should prevent it from going off by accident, and I never found it sounded any false full alarms during my time testing the lock. The alarm itself is loud and piercing, exactly what you’d want.

Although the alarm does provide a bit of extra peace of mind when leaving my bike locked up in town, I think the instance where it would provide me with the greatest utility is on cycle tours or when bikepacking. There is often quite a lack of suitable objects to lock a bike to when out camping, meaning that I often end up resorting to just locking bikes to each other – which isn’t particularly secure. With a motion sensitive alarm, I would be able to sleep a lot more easily in the knowledge that if someone were to tamper with the bikes, I would definitely hear about it.

Beyond the alarm function, the Oxford Alarm-D Pro performed very well in its day-to-day application. The crossbar and key barrel were easy to operate and the size of the shackle never left me frustrated. Coming with three keys meant there was plenty of spares, and it is also possible to order more should I have managed to lose all of them.

Although the shackle gets a nice vinyl coating, the crossbar only gets rubber protectors at the ends. To be fair, this is sufficient for not scratching the paintwork as it’s generally quite possible to get the lock to rest on the frame without touching the exposed metal middle of the crossbar. But it would have been nice for this not to have been a concern at all.

Value

The Oxford Alarm-D Pro’s most immediate competition comes from the Abus 440 Alarm U-Lock bike lock. But at £84.99 and only Sold Secure Silver, the Abus doesn’t compare very favourably to the Oxford lock at all, which costs just £60.99 and gets a sold secure Gold rating.

Zefal’s K-Traz U17 undercuts the Oxford Alarm-D Pro significantly, coming in at less than half the price while also getting a Sold Secure Gold rating. However, the Zefal doesn’t have an alarm, so doesn’t deliver on that aspect.

The Zéfal K-Traz U17 is a low cost Sold Secure Gold rated D-lock. It’s very lightweight for its size and price, and comes shipped with a bike mount — making it good for use around town as well as being a high security option at home.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

Having recently celebrated its 140th birthday, Zéfal is a French company with a long heritage in the bike industry. Although facing stiff competition from manufacturers in the Far East, Zéfal’s affordable product lines mean that it continues to scoop up a fair chunk of the market share.

Security

It’s an unfortunate truth that no bike lock is perfectly secure. A determined thief – with the right tools, knowhow and inclination – will always be able to break through. Instead, a good quality bike lock serves to prevent opportunistic theft and to convince more systematic thieves that there are easier targets to go for. But the most important function is to comply with the wording of your bike insurance policy – so that you are at least covered if your bike is stolen.

Sold Secure is an independent lock testing company which tests the resilience of locks on the UK market. Three levels of ranking are awarded. The lowest, Bronze, means the lock is only suitable for preventing opportunistic theft. Silver is generally regarded as good for moderate crime areas and for bikes valued up to £1,000. While Gold should be used in high crime areas and for bikes valued over £1,000. It should be specified in the wording of your insurance policy what level of lock you need to use to be covered.

>>>Read more: How to keep your bike safe

The construction

Protecting the paintwork of your frame from any scrapes is a smooth plastic coating that surrounds all the exposed surfaces of the Zéfal K-Traz U17. The design actually looks really quite classy and belies the low price of this lock.

The shackle is a pretty standard size for a U-lock at 11.5cm x 23cm giving a lockable area of 265cm². However, the prongs of the shackle are both straight, meaning they have to be lined up together with the crossbar to lock the lock. Other U-locks have a bend in one of the prongs so that the crossbar can be fitted one prong at a time – which really does make a palpable difference to the ease of use.

The lock barrel on the crossbar features an integrated weather seal, which should help to extend the lock’s longevity, particularly if often used outside. Popping the lock on the scales, it came in at 1.28kg which is significantly less than the claimed weight of 1.47kg. I assume Zéfal must have weighed literally everything the lock comes with. And indeed, when I put the mount, spare bolts for the mount, all three keys and keyring, manual and cardboard packaging onto the scale, it did shoot up to 1.44kg – although this was still lighter than the claimed weight.

I find weighing the lock on its own is the fairest measure, as some locks (such as the Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-lock Extender) don’t come with a bike mount; 1.28kg is really quite light for a Sold Secure Gold rated lock of this size and the fact that the K-Traz U17 is significantly cheaper than much of the competition, this weight is doubly impressive.

In use

Setting up the bike mount was quite straightforward, only needing two bolts to be screwed in to attach it to the frame. A longer pair of bolts was also provided for use on tubes up to 80mm in diameter, but these weren’t necessary for me.

Attaching the lock to the mount is something of a different story. The plastic bracket itself feels quite tacky and I found the release button for extracting the lock once it’s mounted to be quite difficult to press sufficiently for getting the lock out.

Aside from that, however, the lock was excellent to use. In being a fairly standard size, it was quite easy to lock the bike in a range of locations using a variety of different immovable objects — the larger lampposts were off limits as ever they are with a normal sized U-lock. The plastic coating did the intended job of protecting my frame from any scuffs and scrapes.

Three keys were provided with the lock and it’s possible to order more should you need to. Beyond that, there isn’t much more to add regarding its performance in application. It did the job simply and effectively, which is exactly its purpose – even if that doesn’t lend itself to flowery descriptions.

Value

Comparing the Zéfal K-Traz U17 to the Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-lock Extender, the Kryptonite costs £74.99, weighs 1.11kg, is Sold Secure Silver rated, and has a lockable area of 236cm². Whereas the Zéfal is less than half the price, 170g heavier, Sold Secure Gold rated and has a slightly larger lockable area – although it doesn’t pack down as small.

The Oxford Alarm-D Pro is Sold Secure Gold rated, has a motion sensitive alarm, an intuitive bike mount and a “bent foot” shackle – which makes mounting the crossbar easier – but retails for £60.99. If you have the money to spare, the Oxford lock is packed with features and is very well executed. But if cost is the bottom line, then the Zéfal K-Traz U17 would be the better choice.

The Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender is intended as something of a goldilocks lock from the American security brand.

>>>Read more: Best bike locks

It’s designed to be lightweight, while still offering a useful degree of security – as well as being portable, but not to the extent of being so small that it becomes impractical.

Security

It’s worth bearing in mind that no lock is perfectly secure, a determined thief will always be able to get through a lock with the right tools, knowhow, and inclination. A lock has two main purposes, to convince any thieves that there are easier targets to go for and to comply with the wording of your insurance policy so that if your bike is stolen, you will at least be covered.

Sold Secure is an independent lock testing company which vets the security levels of locks on the UK market. They award three levels of ranking: Bronze (generally only good for preventing opportunistic theft), Silver (generally good for moderate crime areas and bikes valued up to £1,000) and Gold (generally good for high crime areas and bikes valued over £1,000). It should be specified in the wording of your insurance policy what level of lock you need to use to be covered.

>>>Read more: How to keep your bike safe

The construction

In all, the build of the lock is really rather good with a range of well thought out design features. Principal among these has got to be the “Bent Foot” shackle. Getting the prongs of the shackle to line up with the holes of the crossbar doesn’t sound like it should be a particularly onerous task, but on competitors, without this "Bent Foot" it somehow always caused me an annoying extra faff.

With the Kryptonite Messenger Mini, one prong is bent to enable the crossbar to slot onto that one first, before swinging over and onto the second prong. A simple design, but it does make the lock significantly quicker and easier to use over the competition with straight shackles.

The crossbar features a sliding dustcover which can cover the barrel of the lock and helps keep out the elements. I haven’t tested the lock for the months and years I would need to in order to meaningfully comment on the long-term durability of this lock, but the sliding dustcover is likely to mitigate any issues with the mechanism seizing.

Both the shackle and crossbar feature a smooth, rubberised coating which prevents the lock from chipping the paintwork of your frame. It also felt like it provided a modest amount of insulation when holding the lock with ungloved hands in the cold.

The dimensions of the main lock are 9.5cm x 16.5cm and the extra shackle comes in at 8.3cm x 9.5cm. This means that the lock folds up significantly smaller than an average sized U-lock, such as the Kryptonite Evolution Standard which is 10.2cm x 22.9cm. Despite this, the Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender actually has a slightly greater lockable area at 236cm² compared to the Evolution Standard’s 234cm².

In terms of weight, the Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender stacks up pretty well too. On its own, the Messenger Mini weighs in at a very impressive 788g, which is bumped up to 1,109g with the addition of the U-Lock Extender. Still a very impressive weight, especially considering the lockable area and security rating.

In use

The extra shackle provided a significant advantage over other portability focused U-locks. It was very easy to secure both the frame and one of the wheels, whereas with other lightweight locks I’ve only tended to be able to secure the frame.

It also helped in providing a bit of extra reach when pushed for space, opening up the possibilities of where I could lock my bike. The shackles are narrower than a standard U-lock though, so I did have to recalibrate my gauge of what is a good object to lock-up to. The bent foot design of the shackle was a real plus, and the sliding dustcover added to my peace of mind when leaving it out in foul conditions.

On the negative side, I was surprised to find that the lock doesn’t come with a bike mount, which is quite a significant omission for a lock with a raison d'être of portability. I would have much appreciated not having to bring a rucksack each time I headed out with the lock – even if it wasn’t taking up much space or adding much weight.

The normal mount that most Kryptonite locks use (the Transit Flexframe-U Bracket) is only compatible with shackles that are 13mm or 16mm in diameter. The Messenger Mini’s shackle is 11mm and so won’t fit this style.

Kryptonite does sell a Transit H-Bar Handlebar Carrier for around £12, and this is compatible with shackles down to 10mm. It mounts the lock onto your handlebar, which could present some compatibility issues depending on your setup, but we haven’t yet had a sample in to properly assess its user friendliness.

Also, only two keys are provided with the lock, although it is possible to order more. Personally, I would be very nervous if I were to misplace a key and only be left with one. Three is the number provided with most locks and is a much better number. That way, if a key is misplaced, you still have some time to wait and see if it will crop up (which it usually does) before having to go to the trouble and expense of ordering a new one.

Value

The Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender is significantly heavier than the TiGr BLUE Mini+, which weighs in at 470g and has a lockable area of 207cm², compared to the 1,109g and 236cm² of the Kryptonite. However, the BLUE Mini+ retails for around £100, which is £25 more than the Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender. The BLUE Mini+ also has a Sold Secure rating of Bronze compared to the Kryptonite’s Silver.

The Litelok Silver Flexi-U has a claimed weight of 750g, and a lockable area of 311cm², as well as coming with two straps for mounting it to your bike. As the name suggests, it is flexible so wide lampposts won’t trouble it and its security rating is also Silver. However, the Litelok Silver Flexi-U does retail for £79.99, so it is more expensive than the Kryptonite Messenger Mini With U-Lock Extender and it also takes up a lot more space to provide that lockable area.

With a long history of producing quality security products, Abus is perhaps best known to the cycling world for its bike locks and more recently helmets – but the Abus Alarmbox is neither of those. Its function is to sound an attention-grabbing alert if it detects any tampering via its inbuilt motion sensor.

Abus makes the point that a skilled thief could discreetly pick a bike lock on a busy street without attracting much attention – which is what the Alarmbox is designed to guard against. It’s also suggested that the Alarmbox could be used on scooters, barbecues, buggies, or anything else that might benefit from being alarmed.

However, it's still a good idea to get some specific bike insurance as no lock or alarm will 100 per cent guarantee your bike's safety.

Construction

Although the Alarmbox is quite small, it is very heavy at 415g (including the fixing bands) and almost feels like the weight of a lock in itself. The casing is entirely metal, save for the rubber bumper that wraps around it, and feels very robust.

Its interface is brutally simple: on one edge there is a button for arming the device and on another there is a keyhole which has the dual purpose of disarming and disassembling the device. That’s it. This pared-down construction does give a reassuring sense that any potential weak spots have been kept to a minimum.

Taking off the back plate of the Alarmbox, the rubber casing inside does look as though it would be effective for keeping water out and isolating the internals from any shocks and impacts, and I was pleased to see a CR2 3v battery was already included.

Attaching the Abus Alarmbox to a bike is quite pleasing in its simplicity and security. The back panel and two Allen bolts first need removing. Then, you just thread the metal bands through the slots in the panel and around whichever tube you want to secure the Alarmbox to. Thread the ends of the bands back through the slot and then pinch them in place with the two Allen bolts. Finally, you mount the rest of the Alarmbox to the panel and you’re good to go.

When the Alarmbox is assembled, the bolts are completely inaccessible and the device is kept securely in place. You can then use some tin snips to trim down the excess length of the bands. One thing I would be aware of is to attach the Alarmbox in a way such that it would be impossible to slip a pair of snips between the metal band and whatever you are fixing it to – as then it would be quite simple just to cut it off.

Abus Alarmbox: the ride

In use, the Abus Alarmbox is as simple as its utilitarian construction suggests. Simply push the side button to arm it and turn the key to disarm it. When armed, if it detects movement, a loud warning blast will be given. It’s only if there is repeat movement that the alarm will go off continuously. This is so that it won’t give an annoying false alarm if your bike is simply knocked while the Alarmbox is primed.

I found the sensitivity of the motion sensors to be really well calibrated. The odd knock when locking another bike next to it wouldn’t cause it to sound continuously, but it flawlessly picked up repeated little vibrations – of the kind made by someone struggling with a lock.

When the alarm does sound, it is quite high pitched and very piercing. It is definitely something that would attract attention.

I appreciated the comforting extra layer of security the Alarmbox gave me when leaving my bike locked up, and I didn’t have any problems with it going off when it wasn’t supposed to.

I can also see this being useful on bikepacking and cycle-touring trips. The best location for sleeping often doesn't bear a strong correlation with the presence of a good place to lock your bike. Although you can lock your bike to your tent or bivvy bag to give a warning rustle against any tampering, this never fills me with confidence. The addition of an Alarmbox – with its sensitive and piercing alarm – would do a lot to put my mind at rest in these cases.

Value

In terms of value, it is a little hard to judge as there are very few direct competitors. Brands are available on Amazon which promise a similar product with prices around £21.99, but these manufacturers are largely unknown and so we cannot vouch for their quality.

The most direct competition comes from locks with alarms already built in. Such as Abus’s own 440 Alarm U-Lock bike lock at £84.99. This weighs in at 1,400g and is 230 x 105mm, making it significantly larger and heavier than the Alarmbox. However, the Alarmbox does need pairing with a lock if you were to leave your bike for any length of time, so the total price, weight and size is likely to be in the U-lock’s favour.

But if your needs from a lock are so specific that simply getting one with an alarm built in doesn’t present you with any viable options, the Alarmbox does represent good value for a standalone bike alarm.

In summary, when popping into a café on a Sunday morning loop, the extra security of an alarm would be nice to have. But considering the heft of the Alarmbox, I felt that the weight-to-security as well as the performance to price ratio would be better served by simply bringing a stronger lock. And also, compact and easy to mount though it is, the Alarmbox doesn’t quite suit the aesthetic of a speedy road bike.

This review has been checked and updated in 2025 as part of a wider review of our best bike locks buyer's guide. The lock is now rated as Sold Secure Pedal Cycle Silver level security.

Several styles of bike locks are available, including chain locks, folding locks, and perhaps the most commonly used, the U or D-lock.

Regardless of the design, all of the best bike locks share a common goal - to keep your bike safe from thieves. And while it’s hard to find any lock that’s a match for an angle grinder, there are varying degrees of protection available to you, typically indicated by the lock’s Sold Secure security rating.

Some bike locks come equipped with an alarm for extra security. Abus, a company that has been producing bike locks since 1958, has chosen this approach for its 440 Alarm model.

Construction

Both the shackle and body of the Abus 440 Alarm U-Lock are made from hardened steel. The steel is heated and then plunged into a cold liquid before heating again, ultimately hardening its grain structure.

The benefit of a U-Lock, or as we often refer to them in the UK as D-Locks, is that the simplicity of their solid structure and no moving parts other than the locking mechanism makes them very difficult to penetrate and gives them pretty good theft resistance properties alone.

It is still well worth getting specific bike insurance, though, as no lock is ultimately unbreakable. This way, should the worst happen, you will at least be covered

The brand claims that the duel locking mechanism on the Abus 440 Alarm is a very high-quality barrel that is incredibly difficult to pick up. As a user of the 440, I can assure you that you would have to be pretty brazen to even attempt it.

In use

I've used a couple of opportunist-deterrent bike alarm locks before and found that they generally make my bike look slightly more difficult to grab and run off with. However, I would never feel happy about leaving it for any length of time, e.g., at a train station or outside work.

While I can't profess to have tested the ability to hacksaw, lop, or angle-grind through the shackle, or indeed pick the lock with a hair grip or a nail file, I can say that even lifting the set Sold Secure level 8 (silver standard) bike lock off a desk at 5 am will make it emit an ear-splitting bleep that's enough to wake an entire household.

It's what Abus calls its '3D position detection' system, which detects vibrations and the smallest of movements to trigger the alarm to trill at 100db. Technically, this is around the noise level of a hand drill or French horn, or as I like to call it at 5 am "Aaaaahhhhhhhhh, what the ah?" followed by several profanities level.

There is a locking setting that allows you to use the Abus 440 Alarm U-Lock without setting the alarm. This makes it much easier for transportation when the lock isn't in use.

Regarding transportation, it's this aspect of the lock where you must make compromises. Something so robust and strong is, of course, going to be heavy and somewhat cumbersome. Weighing 1400g there's no denying the Abus 440 Alarm will add to your bike's weight. Even with the easy-to-use bike mounting system, it's not exactly a lock you're going to want to take on a long club run or a ride of any real duration.

There's also the issue with product placement. Having been all over my size small road bike, the only fit was under the top tube, which meant sacrificing my standard water bottle location. I could just about squeeze a bottle in, too, and a bigger frame would likely accommodate a better mounting location. A smaller shackled lock would certainly be a better fit on the bike and would reduce the lock's overall weight, but measuring 23cm means there's enough length to get the lock around a sturdy pole and your top tube. If keeping my bike mine was my priority, I'd happily accept the weight and bottle compromises.

Value and conclusion

This is much more than an 'opportunist anti-theft lock' option. If you are looking for that, you can't go wrong with the Abus 440 Alarm. The only real downside is the battery choice. A rechargeable option would be appealing, but I suspect this would weaken the design. Albus has selected the lesser-known CR2 batteries, so getting a set in early doors as a backup is worth it.

The Sold Secure level 8 (Silver standard) Abus 440 Alarm U-Lock is a fantastic bike theft deterrent. It has a solid shackle and a high-level dual locking mechanism. Its weight and size make it unsuitable for long rides, but if your main concern is leaving your bike unattended, it's one of the best on the market.

Bike storage is a problem for a lot of cyclists. For someone who reviews bikes for a living, and shares a home with another avid bike rider, it's a very big problem.

We keep mountain bikes and commuting bikes in an Asgard shed (like this one), and road racing bikes inside - and the Hornit Clug has certainly proved a useful piece of plastic engineering in the latter case.

>>> Best bike storage solutions 

Clug offers its miniature bike racks in five sizes for adult bikes - I had the roadie, suited to tyres of 23mm-32mm. For those experimenting with gravel and mud, there's options from 33mm-81mm - so you should be covered.

Weighing in at 35g, the Clug arrives as two pieces of moulded plastic, with two screws and plastic plugs. It's designed for use on stone, brick and concrete walls - fitting one on a plasterboard wall is not recommended.

You don't want to rip the box open, as it's actually used as part of the fitting process, with a printed template designed to make the job easier.

The Clug needs to be positioned at the correct height for each bike, to ensure that the rear wheel will touch the ground, so that the floor is actually taking the weight of your machine. This could present a problem if you're frequently swapping bikes, but I didn't encounter issues - differences in wheelbase are fairly minimal provided the bike is a similar size.

Once the outer holder (white in this case) is fitted to the wall, the inner (orange) snaps in, it's easy to snap out again should you want to remove the Clug.

Installing four Clugs in our spare room took about an hour, and the result was a much tidier space. The rear wheel does rest against the wall, if this is a problem, you can place a protective layer between the tyre and paintwork.

We've since removed the Clugs to redecorate the room, with no issues around marking or damage.

It's also possible to store bikes horizontally, with both wheels on the ground and the rear clasped by the Clug, though this is more of a one bike storage solution and will take up more floorspace.

The only issue I encountered during my Clug journey was that the device relies upon the tyre staying within the 23mm-32mm tolerance. I did once wake up to a cascade of crashing carbon - with four bikes lined up (two of them time trial bikes used mainly in the summer months) the tyres had gradually deflated and this led to a potentially expensive domino effect.

It's fair to call this user error, however - prevention is as simple as removing the bike from time to time, and pumping the tyres. If you use lightweight latex tubes, it's probably not a solution for you.

Coming in at £14.99, the Clug isn't a big outlay - but it is a lot more pricey than some of the simple hooks you can find on eBay. However, it's significantly more attractive.

Do an internet search for bike storage you’ll mostly find neat, space saving ways of hanging bikes, all of which require a space in the first place. The realistic solution for many is some sort of additional outdoor storage. And if on reading that sentence you’re thinking ‘no chance, my bikes will get pinched!’ then read on, because that’s exactly what I thought. A quick caveat: no matter how secure your outdoor storage solution, it's still worth considering some specific bike insurance.

>>> Best locks to secure your bike

For our testing purposes we had a few preconditions, which we figured most people would have. The unit had to have a relatively small footprint, it had to be secure and it had to protect whatever was in it from the elements.

It didn’t take much researching before we came across Asgard, a British company that has been building storage units for 40 years. They have a range of metal storage ‘sheds’ for bikes, motorbikes or garden accessories. The bike sheds range from walk in units that take eight bikes to single bike vertical lockers with a tiny 3.5 X 2.5 ft footprint. We called in the Bike Shed X 3 for test.

Before building the shed we had to create a flat surface for it to sit on. Where the shed was to sit was on a small slope and had a rough surface. So the first task was to measure out the 6" by 3" space - adding a 1.5" apron - work out the volume and order the aggregate, sand and cement to build the base. A wooden frame was bolted to the floor and the hard work began.

Other than getting the mix right for a smooth surface, the base had to leave a small gap from any wall and or greenery to allow for airflow around the unit. Other than these factors, they can pretty much go anywhere there’s space.

Security

Undoubtedly the biggest issue for most will be security. This test product was sitting in a parking bay in front of our property, just a metre or so from the road. I sent questions to Andy Heath at Asgard who was adamant no extra security was needed. I knew the shed was Police approved, but explained it’s location and asked about alarms or whether floor bolts could be fixed through the floor of the shed with which to lock the bike.

‘The only way you can get in to our sheds is with an angle grinder. You’ll realise why that alone is secure enough when you build it,’ was basically the message. Clearly Andy was very confident in the product, but I thought it a bit questionable that no extra security was advised.

The shed is designed with all screws are on the inside of the panels, so there’s no dismantling it from the outside, while the Police and Locksmith approved Titan lock is encased in metal and is pick and drill resistant. The keys can’t be copied – so whatever you do don’t lose them. The doors lock with vertical bars moving up and down in to the frame of the shed, rather than a latch like on a standard door.

But what about someone trying to get in to it late at night while everyone was asleep? While building the Asgard Bike Shed X 3 I realised why Andy was probably chuckling to himself when replying to me. Pushing the panels in to place and banging them about to get the screw holes lined up basically made the sound of thunder. If someone did try and break in with an angle grinder, or anything else, they’d make so much noise as to wake the whole neighbourhood and drown out any alarm.

The unit is bolted to the concrete base meaning there’s no way of removing the whole unit with contents inside. Well, not without industrial lifting gear and again waking the whole neighbourhood.

To give extra piece of mind, I still put a motorcycle lock through the bikes stored in the shed, but it’s really not necessary. Asgard say the only way in is with an angle grinder and they know as that’s the only way they have been able to get in to sheds when customers have lost keys or had a faulty lock - I repeat, do not lose your keys. So there’s not even a secret way in that their engineers know about.

Building

The secure design was what I feared when it came to the build, assuming anything so secure would need specialist tools or skills to build, but I was wrong. It took me and my helper over two hours to put together, but anyone more proficient in wielding a screwdriver would have been quicker.

The advice was to put the base down and then start from the right-hand side and work around to the left.

A quick note on delivery first. There was almost no packaging for the shed. Each of the panels had a dozen or so little sticky foam pads that protected them from banging against each other. The Fascia and rain guard came in a plastic bag with the screws, keys and wedges (for if your base isn’t quite perfectly level) also inside. I mention this as from an environmental point of view there is minimal waste, and for pure simplicity, there's nothing to load up take to the local tip.

Building is made easier by each panel clearly marked with a sticker saying where it goes. A very simple idea, but very helpful - makers of flat-pack furniture take note. So I set about screwing it together. Each panel is screwed to the base and the one next to it (and eventually the roof) with multiple self-taping screws. Holes are pre-drilled in the panels and meet up all but perfectly. Some of the screws went in very easily, some positions were a bit fiddly, and most – there were 123 of them - needed a fair bit of oomph to get them to bite.

A manual crosshead screwdriver is recommended in the instructions, but we found we needed a handheld electric hammer screwdriver both to get the purchase needed and speed things up.

We dropped screws more times than we could remember, but it’s a process that could be taken on by a complete DIY novice with little to go wrong.

Once all the panels are in place the fascia (that sits above the double doors) goes on and then the roof. For this the screws fix u-shaped brackets in to vertical slots either side of the hole to spread the weight. And while the roof drops nicely in to place (this is a two person job) it leaves gaps to allow for airflow within the unit.

The doors are then hung by the hinges and lastly the anchor bolts go in each corner to hold the shed down.

Ours was supplied with the wooden base (recommended) and several hooks and a half width shelf (both highly recommended). The hooks and shelf mean you can store so much more than bikes inside. I’ve got shoes, inner tubes and lights stored on the shelf and helmets and tyres hanging from the hooks. Apart from food and water, all my ride stuff is in the shed along with a couple of bikes.

Although the Asgard Bike Shed X 3 a three-bike shed you could squeeze a fourth road bike in. I managed to get two bikes, a pram base, child’s bike seat, track pump, rollers and a little scooter inside without too much trouble. Getting it all out to get to the bike at the back is a pain, but I can live with that. The doors do help here as they turn through 180 degrees and lie flat against the panels to allow plenty of space for getting things in and out.

Then it was time to test the Asgard Bike Shed X 3. Well, as much as leaving it where it is and putting stuff in it allowed. Over several months it hasn’t been broken in to, and has left me feeling that it is completely secure. More day-to-day worries are water ingress and heat. We’ve had several heavy downpours and some constant incessant rain.

Never has any water made it in and the wooden base is a good test of that. Any damp would show up straight away. It’s also handled 36 degree heat. Sitting in the full sun in the June heatwave nothing melted or exploded inside and it didn’t seem to intensify the heat.

The only thing that did manage to get in to the shed uninvited was a few spiders. But I don’t mind giving them a home.

Laziness gets the better of me sometimes; I’ve needed a roof rack for ages - something to get these large wheeled bikes out of the small car I drive - but the options are limited and complicated. Part 476 to connect to fitment B/7 but only on models older than 2013, never gives you confidence that it'll actually fit your model car.

Buy now: Seasucker Mini Bomber from Tredz for £424.99

I just needed to find something that was a fit and forget and the Seasucker Mini Bomber bike rack delivers in that respect.

Seasucker have been operating since 2005 but it wasn’t until 2009 that some bright spark considered its products for automotive use, previously the marine industry had been its sole beneficiary.

The idea is simple, sucker pads - that can adhere to almost any smooth surface with a simple thumb actuated vacuum holds your beloved bicycle to the roof of your car, and firmly at that.

While there are many different variations of Seasucker’s product the Mini Bomber bike rack consists of a large front wing plate that features two mounting points for forks, and an additional two singular suckers with velcro straps that firmly plant the rear wheel of the bike to the car roof. Meaning the rack offers the ability to affix two bikes of your choosing to the roof of your car each weighing up to 45 lbs or 20.4 kg.

Attaching the Seasucker Mini Bomber couldn’t be simpler, place the rack in the desired position on your surface of choice, apply a little pressure to the rubber cup so it sits flush to the surface, and pump a little thumb sized piston that swiftly sucks the air from within the cup. You have to repeat the process for each cup on the rack, with the Mini Bomber that’s six times, but equates to no longer than 5 minutes of set up time.

It is really important to ensure each sucker is properly installed before use. Each piston has a white tab to indicate that the pad isn't fully engaged. Whilst priming the Mini Bomber pads the white tab will reduce in size and once it has disappeared you are good to go.

You have to remove the front wheel of your bike to fit the bike to the rack but that is similar to most roof racks. While Seasucker do provide other products to mount those spare wheels to your roof at an additional cost, I’ve been sticking them inside the car quite happily, although if that’s a deal breaker and you need the entire bike on the outside of the car then maybe there are better solutions than the Seasucker Mini Bomber.

Although, you can buy attachments to hold your front wheel too.

Let’s talk about the strength factor, the biggest apprehension I had of this rack. At first I was a little nervous affixing my bike to the roof of a car with nothing but a small amount of hand compressed air holding the bikes from oblivion.

The grip and wiggle of a fork leg in the rack puts your mind at ease a little, one can literally hang from the side of the car holding nothing but one’s bike.

Once you’ve established that the fork leg you’re holding onto is seemingly more likely to give way before the Seasucker does it’s time to nervously get behind the wheel for a drive.

Buy now: Seasucker Mini Bomber from Tredz for £424.99

It really does stick the the roof of the car and I was in no doubt it'll fly off. A down side to the rack is the wind noise level, it really does whistle, however, if you are a nervous user at least this sound is reassuring that the rack has stayed attached to the roof!

Finally security is always a concern with roof racks but with the Seasucker Mini Bomber I was always worried about leaving the car at a service station as whipping a bike off could be done very quickly (a simple pull of each sucker pad, again Seasucker offers safety options but it isn't an ideal situation.

For general bike security, it is well worth getting some specific bike insurance – particularly if your bike is expensive, as the amount standard house insurance will cover is generally quite low.

It’s a bike rider’s conundrum: what do you do to keep your bike safe while you’re stopped and away from it? A good quality D lock or chain lock is secure, but also really heavy to ride around with, whereas anything lighter is likely to be flimsy and not keep a thief at bay for long. The Hiplok Z Lok looks to address this by being one of the best lightweight bike locks.

However, it's worth saying before we get started that some specific bike insurance is worth considering as no lock is unbreakable.

The Z Lok weighs only 70g, so you’re not going to feel burdened by it if you stuff it into your pocket or clip it round your frame. The design is like an oversize zip tie and inside the plastic covering is a steel ribbon. If you use the Z Lok to secure your frame to a post or railing, it’s enough to stop a thief from walking away with your bike, although it’s unlikely to stand up long to a bolt cutter. Its steel band design is significantly more robust than other lightweight locking options, which tend to use thin cables, though.

At 40cm long, there’s enough length to secure your frame to something immoveable and possibly your rear wheel too. Because of its zip tie-like design, you can also shorten the loop to make it harder to get leverage with a cutter.

The standard Z Lok costs £9.99 and comes with a small key with a couple of pins to release the lock. The Z Lok Combo is more sophisticated, with a three dial combination lock. You can set your own three digit combination, with each dial having ten positions. Once locked, you can tighten the loop, but you’d need a lot of leverage to force it open. There’s a release lever to undo the ratchet when unlocked.

Hiplok suggests using the lock when you’re leaving your bike on a car carrier and it would work well for skis and other kit too. The Z Lok Combo comes in three colours: teal, black or yellow, so you can go for something more stealthy or more visible. It’s a clever, useful bit of kit to carry around for the coffee stop or quick errands on the bike and cheaper than a full-strength lock too.

I’ve spent years transporting bikes in the back of a car, usually whipping out the front wheel, throwing an old grease stained fleece blanket over it and slamming the boot shut before heading off. Bags would be placed carefully around it of course and it took a little more finessing if I was taking a friend and their bike. But I became fairly adept at balancing bikes on top of each other - separated by blankets - and avoiding any damaging movement.

Transporting a bike in the car keeps it largely out of sight, doesn’t affect fuel consumption, it’s quick and there’s never any danger of it falling off or out. I still have memories of family holidays, looking nervously back at my beloved Specialized Rockhopper wobbling about on the boot mounted bike rack of my Dad’s car.

A bike rack however is the only option if you need to fill the boot with bags or have other people in the car so can’t flip the seats down – family holidays a case in point. There’s also a strong argument for roof racks when your bike is filthy. If want to keep the inside of your car clean, a rack is of course the best option.

If I’m going to use a rack, even when the boot is empty, it has to meet a few simple requirements.

1. Mounting the bike has to be as quick and easy as putting one in the boot.
2. It has to be secure enough to not leave me stressed the whole drive, thinking ‘is it about to fall off ?’
3. It shouldn’t restrict access to the boot or visibility

There are a few other things that are important to me, and no doubt many of you will have your own requirements depending on car and lifestyle. I for example like a rack that won’t take up much space when off the car – which pretty much rules out boot or tow bar mounted racks. I’d also rather leave it in situ for most of the time due to the amount of use.

The ProRide meets requirement number three no problem and is no problem when left in situ. Thule do advise you take it off when not in use as it will affect your fuel consumption. But I found it to be negligible, happily staying around 62-64 mpg on long motorway drives. With a bike on it typically dropped to nearer 60mpg, but this number is affected more by the way you drive than having a bike on the roof.

Before using it you do of course have to fit it and before you can do that, you have to have roof bars in place to attach it too. I already had a set of Thule Wing bars on my car meaning compatibility wasn’t an issue. The ProRide will fit to all Thule bars, and other manufacturer’s roof bars, with the Thule adapter kit (available separately).

Fitting the ProRide was pleasingly simple. I’d prepared myself for a long and frustrating afternoon of shouting at the instructions booklet but instead had it all in place in less than 15 minutes. Once the T-screw is in place (in the roof bars) you simply slide the two base plates in to position, feed the T-screw through the holes in the base plate and clamp them down with the cam levers. One of which is locked in place so the whole system can’t be taken off without the provided key.

There is plenty of forward and back movement in the base plates to ensure they sit on your roof bars wherever you’ve placed them on your car. I wouldn’t want to keep taking it on and off every time I used it but it’s not a major operation to remove it.

There’s not a bit of movement once the whole system is in place. Wobbling the roof rack will move the car on its suspension rather than move the rack; which filled me with confidence even before I’d put a bike on it.

Next up was the acid test. Getting the bike in the rack. This does feature in the instructions, but as a man I felt duty bound not to read them. As editor of a cycling magazine, I was pretty damn sure I could get a bike on a bike rack without reading instructions.

I’ll admit that my own cackhandedness meant I was fumbling around for several minutes on my first attempt, but once I’d done it a few times I found the right order of actions which sees me getting a bike in and out in little more than 20 seconds. Here are the steps for getting the bike in.

1. Undo the quick release wheel straps and tuck them behind the wheel mount
2. Open the frame clamp and raise the arm to approximately 30 degrees, or where your downtube is going to meet it (doesn’t need to be exact)
3. Standing on the ground (not on the rear door seal) lift the bike by the seat stay and fork and place tyres in the wheel mounts. These do slide back and forth if needed.
4. Pivot the bike on its tyres so the downtube sits between the two parts of the clamp, leaning it against the back of the clamp.
5. Holding on to the rear seat stay tighten the clamp (it takes a few turns) ensuring the downtube sits snug in the centre of the clamp.
6. Tighten the straps over the rims ensuring the rubber guards are over the rim. (You might just need to rotate a wheel to move a spoke out of the way.)

Once it’s in place you can lock the clamp to secure the bike. You don’t have to lock it to keep it closed, just to prevent anyone else from opening it. For anyone to steal it once this is locked they would need some serious equipment to break the clamp arm or the clamp itself. The times I did leave it unattended I ran a lock through the system just in case.

I used the rack with a standard road bike and a mountain bike with a big chunky downtube, both were clamped snuggly in place as the rubber lining of the clamp moulds around the tube whatever its shape. We got the quick release wheel straps over a set of Cannondale Knot 64mm deep section wheels and there was plenty of strap to spare. The design of the mounts also means any width of tyre will fit with the possible exception of fat bikes.

The one addition I’d like to see made to this is a clip to hold the wheel straps out of the way when putting the bike in place. You can tuck them behind the wheel mount, but I found they would often flip back over and get in between the tyre and the mount meaning you had to put the bike down, tuck the strap out of the way again before picking the bike up to put in place. Not a big deal, just mildly annoying.

One thing to consider before buying is the number of bikes you want to transport. The advantage of most boot mounted racks is that they’ll take multiple bikes (usually up to four), if you want to use the ProRide, you’ll need to buy more racks which will put the price up considerably.

That aside, there are no complaints from me. The aluminium throughout the system is cleanly cut and neatly finished. All fixings are precise and feel solid, it’s secure, doesn’t impinge on normal car use and above all, it’s easy to use.

Just remember one thing. Always, always look out for height restriction barriers and avoid multi storey car parks at all costs.

The Abus Bordo Alarm is a folding, keyed lock with an alarm built into the locking mechanism. Abus says that this emits 100 decibels if disturbed.

It’s a chunky beast, weighing 1.4kg, so it’s heavy to lug around. It does come with a nice bike mount though, weighing 110g, which automatically clamps around the lock when it’s inserted, making it easy to take the lock on and off your bike. On the plus side, the folding design makes for a fairly compact package. There’s a rubber cap to the locking mechanism and the locking bars are rubber coated, so the Abus Bordo Alarm shouldn’t scuff up your bike.

>>> Six best bike locks: a buyer's guide

The fold-out design means that there’s extra length over a D-lock. Unfolded, the Abus Bordo Alarm lock is 52cm long. Of this, 42cm is the locking bars, although you can’t use that much length as that’s its length unfolded straight, without any space between the two sides to actually lock anything. The hinges do make the lock a lot easier to fit around your frame, your wheels and an anchor than a D-lock.

The hinged segment design adds points of vulnerability to the lock and makes the Abus Bordo Alarm less secure than a quality D-lock though. It’s rated Sold Secure silver rather than the top gold rating.

But it is still well worth taking out some specific bike insurance – whatever the security rating – as no lock is ultimately unbreakable. This way, should the worst happen, you will at least be covered.

>>> Best bike storage solutions

Although the in-built alarm provides enough noise to deter a thief if there are people around, it’s not actually that loud. Setting it off outside a double-glazed window, it was audible. But there’s probably not enough noise that you’d wake up if someone tried to nick your bike from outside your house when you were asleep.

>>> GPS bike trackers: find and follow your stolen bike

The alarm makes various beeps to show you that it’s set and to warn when its battery is on the way out. It’s smart enough to just give a short beep if it’s not subjected to a concerted attack, but only gets nudged.

>>> Bike theft statistics and how to lock your bike up safely

At £140, the Abus Bordo Alarm lock is expensive. You can get a gold rated D-lock for less than half the price, giving you extra security, although without the protection from tampering afforded by the Abus Bordo Alarm’s siren.

Apparently the bikes on the car must always be worth more than the vehicle itself - but the existence of such a rule doesn't mean there aren't automobile conscious cyclists out there. Some of us like driving and riding - and what these people need is a reliable bike rack that isn't permanently fixed or unsightly.

Once a year, my partner in crime and I embark upon a bike assisted road trip. Driving between bucket-list attractions, parking up, riding, and usually stopping for beer, pizza and occasional sleep.

Such trips require a bike rack which is quick and easy to attach to the Toyota GT86 in question, ideally one which doesn't increase drag too much and thus fuel consumption.

This year our trip took us to Morzine, Bormio (home of the Stelvio and Gavia), and Germany for the infamous Nürburgring - and we opted to test out the SeaSucker Mini Bomber along the way.

SeaSucker Mini Bomber 2 Bike Rack: what's in the box

The SeaSucker Mini Bomber is a unique bike rack which uses vacuum suction cups to attach the precious cargo to the roof of a car – no nuts and bolts required.

The Florida based brand offers the racks in a selection of orientations – to suit anywhere between one and three bikes - and they can all be fitted to any car.

The Mini Bomber two-bike rack comes with a front plate, which uses four suckers – the outer two housing quick release fork mounts designed to suit 9mm drop outs - and two suction pads for the rear wheels.

To attach the suckers, you simply push down on the body of the mount, and press a small pump to seal the unit; an indicator line shoes when attachment has been successful.

The bikes are loaded up by removing the front wheel, slipping the fork into the fork mount, tightening the quick release and strapping the rear wheel to the second sucker.

The rack can be used on the roof or car boot and the box also contains a crank arm strap which can be used to prevent the crank hitting the roof of the car if this is a risk.

The unit can cater for bikes up to 45 lbs (20kg) each, and weighs 12lbs (5.4kg) itself, with a footprint of 30” x 9”.

The suckers are rated to 210lb pull-strength – meaning they’d require a pretty incredible amount of force if they were to ever be removed without intention. Indeed, we'd hazard a guess that less force would be required to snap the forks in two.

SeaSucker Mini Bomber 2 Bike Rack: the ride

This summer, Cycling Weekly put the two-bike version through some pretty vigorous testing, but we’ve also tried the single steed option too.

Before setting off, we left the rack suctioned to our living room window for about a week - just to make sure it worked. Such is the disconcerting nature of entrusting thousands of pounds worth of bike to untested physics.

Fitting the rack was pretty simple, but due to the curve of the rear window, a fair amount of force had to be placed on the body of the rack when attaching the outside suckers. My partner managed fine but I always found it quite difficult. However, testing it on the flatter roof of my own (more practical) car the issue was eliminated.

There was no hassle in securing the bikes. The Velcro straps provided for the rear wheels were sufficient, but you can also purchase ratchets in the SeaSucker spares store which I’d be inclined to do for future use.

From the passenger seat, it's quite notable that the bikes do wobble around - but the suckers never budged.

Taking on the autobahns of Germany, we were more conservative with speed – mindful of the 80mph max speed suggested by SeaSucker. This said, we did (legally) cruise at 150kph/93mph without suffering any ill effects.

Aerodynamics of the car were hardly affected - the overall figure being 32 miles per gallon across the 1,900 odd miles driven (including a few laps of the Nürburgring which probably had more effect than the rack).

One issue we came across was the inability to attach any sort of locking system when using the SeaSucker as it is. A thief wishing to lift the bikes would only need a dose of courage and a basic understanding of bikes.

Another slight gripe is that the front wheels need to sit on the back seats (if in a small car) – this will suit some people perfectly well, but does add to the general jumble-sale appearance created in the rear of the car on a long trip.

Both of these could be solved with add ons - SeaSucker sells a front wheel attachment as well as a cable anchor which can sit lodged in the boot door. The former looks great - the latter feels a bit risky, should someone attempt to yank it free.

These complications cast aside, the SeaSucker Mini Bomber was by far the easiest rack we’ve ever used. Aside from potential detriment to peace of mind posed by suspending bikes to the roof of the car via suction, it was the safest too. Plus, now we're home it takes up minimal space in the all-purpose cupboard-under-the-stairs.

Due to the unique set-up of this bike carrier, it was very hard not to worry about our precious cargo when using the SeaSucker Talon QR-1 roof rack. The extremely effective sucker pads stuck like glue, but trundling down the motorway it was always in the back of my mind that the bikes weren’t being held in place by traditional, sturdy nuts and bolts.

However, without the constraints of said nuts and bolts, or straps that just aren't quite long enough, this bike rack is a lot more versatile and easy to use on a range of vehicles.

Convenience is key with the Talon; a simple pump action engages the sucker pads, which never popped off, even with a bit of exuberant driving. Even so, a simple pull of the tab released the pressure, allowing removal of the mounts for stowing away in the car boot.

The rack weighs in at 2.123kg, which means it can be easily transported when not in use.

Contact: fisheroutdoor.co.uk

Neat use of wordplay indicates Hiplok’s on-trend attitude, and the fact that it’s designed to be worn around the waist for ease of portability is an inventive way of solving the age old problem of what to do with your lock when it's not in use. These locks are an accessory you're likely to see on any urban fixed gear bicycle rider, too.

This Hiplok bike lock is canvas-sleeved, hardened steel and folds up into a very compact ball. However, it does weigh upwards of 2kg, so being able to distribute that weight around your person is a nifty solution when not wanting it in your backpack or hanging from you bike.

It boasts a Sold Secure Silver rating and is a reasonable 850mm-long, so will accommodate plenty of bike and post, as well as waist sizes from 24 to 44in. Its usability makes it a popular choice for utility riders who stop often, but is also good for longer commutes.

Contact: hiplok.com

The Masterlock Criterion bike lock sits at the top end of the bike lock market in terms of both cost and security. It sports a Sold Secure Gold sticker and costs close to £100, so sits resolutely at the business end of proceedings.

Unfortunately, this is not obvious when holding the lock and you’d be hard pressed to guess as much, because it looks and feels rather cheap. With a plasticky body, dainty 1.3kg weight and the shackle’s less-than-snug fit into the body, only the plush keyhole dust cover hints at the quality within.

The lock is a good 270mm-long with a frame mount included, so usability is convenient and the lock can be used on non-uniform bike racks or railings.

We’re not going to argue with a respected independent body like Sold Secure so you should be in very safe hands with this bike lock, and its low weight will be welcome when stowed in a back pack or on the bike's frame.

Contact: fisheroutdoor.co.uk

The Squire Mako Conger bike lock is the only combination/chain lock that we have tested recently, the rest using a key lock system.

The obvious advantage to a combination lock is the keyless use; never again will you have to turn around and go home because you can't lock your bike up due to a lack of keys.

The chain is encased in a super-tough PVC outer, and the hardened steel links are visible through the sleeve — and they look beefy, as attested to by the Sold Secure Bronze rating.

The quality movement of the five-digit combination code barrel was particularly pleasing, and the 900mm length is pretty useful too. A satisfyingly user-friendly piece of kit.

The Mako Conger can’t quite match some of its rivals for quality of finish, though; it’s a bit plasticky in places and started to look a little tatty after a few uses.

The lock weighs in at 1.8kg.

Contact: raleigh.co.uk

Kryptonite’s considerable reputation precedes it, and its flagship Kryptonite New York M18 bike lock did not disappoint.

Plastered in approval stamps and stickers (including Gold ratings for cycle and motorcycle security), this bike lock means business — as you’d discover were you to drop it on your foot.

But it is still well worth taking out some specific bike insurance – whatever the security rating – as no lock is ultimately unbreakable. This way, should the worst happen, you will at least be covered.

Its leverage-resistant 18mm shackle is an accommodating 260mm long which means it can be used on nearly every awkward shaped frame and bike rack combination. What's more the key action is butter-smooth and there is even a natty keyhole dust cover and LED keylight - great when used at night or in the low light of a winter's day.

This product is at the higher end of the price range for bike locks, but you certainly get what you pay for. As with many locks, the unit's weight (2.7kg) can be both a positive and a negative: great when in action but less good when lugged around.

Contact: madison.co.uk

This style of lock is a popular alternative to the standard D lock thanks to the flexibility it offers when locking your bike; a handy feature when a uniform bike rack isn't available (think lamppost).

Unlike the other bike locks we have tested recently, this was the only one without an independent security rating, the K-Traz (inspired by San Francisco’s most rocky island prison) is, for what it’s worth, rated four out of five by Zéfal.

The finish is of good quality with thick vinyl cable-sleeve and a meaty, double-locking barrel. At 1,200mm, it’s long enough to accommodate an awkward bike and a lamppost.

The Zéfal K-Traz A25 bike lock is also fairly flexible and should fit comfortably into any rucksack. It’s reasonably heavy, though, at 1.75kg, which although reassuring on the security front, will mean you need to press a that little bit harder on the pedals when carrying it.

Contact: chickencycles.co.uk

This lock is small and well designed, but its strengths may also be its weaknesses.

With Knog’s reputation for kookie designs, it comes as no surprise that the Knog Bouncer bike lock is far and away the cutest lock we've tested (who’d have thought that a shackle lock could be cute?). However, we’d draw the line at dangling it out of a handbag and showing it off at parties (as Knog suggests on its website).

By far the best feature of this bicycle lock is that it comes with a silicone coating, meaning the Sold Secure Bronze-rated shackle is designed to protect your paint.

For some, the small size will be a welcome feature when chucking it in a bag and pedalling off to the next destination,  and for these glass-half-full people its small size (and its low, 860g weight) does make it very portable. Even so, for some other cyclists the fact that there’s not a whole lot of room inside that 120mm ‘D’ could make locking to a wide post or around an aero frame difficult.

Contact: wiggle.co.uk

While there's a massive choice of top-notch work stands designed for the professional workshop, the cheaper versions aimed at home use often fail to hit the mark - and finding an affordable middle ground often isn't easy.

This stand from US firm Feedback Sports ticks just about every box on our list. Heavy and solidly built so it doesn't wobble about in the breeze, yet foldable in seconds and portable enough to chuck in the back of the car for race days.

Set-up and adjustment is a doddle, with each moving part and clamp sliding freely on the high quality powder-coated finish.

There's something initially ?quite unsettling and then ?(once you've seen that it works) very pleasing about the gravity-based system used by this rack.

It simply leans against a wall without any need for permanent fixings, ?and looks quite sculptural with bikes on it. If you buy two then you can put them back-to-back for twice the storage.

It's very straightforward to assemble and the healthy gauge of the tubing means that it has a good, sturdy ?feel to it. The soft rubber sleeves on the arms also promise to be gentle on your bikes' top tubes. The downside to the rack is that it takes up quite a bit of space.

What a mouthful! Let's just ?call it the Velo Cache. As ?over-engineered as its name, it's kind of appropriate when faced with the stand.

With three widely spaced legs, the central triangular column is amply stable, which is a good thing given that the top tube is potentially a long way off the ground.

We love the fact that each individual arm can be adjusted separately so almost any frame shape can be accommodated and that two XL bikes can be put on the Cache without clashing.

Of course, there are limitations; you can't turn the pedals and the arms themselves could do with being further apart to further increase stability.

A one-bike-only Saris rack is ideal for anyone who wants to keep the inside of their car oil-free and who doesn't want to store a big, ungainly multi-bike rack in the garage.

The Solo rack fits in seconds with the four feet sitting neatly on the rear window and tailgate. We tested it on a hatchback but see no problem with using it equally successfully on a saloon, with the usual adjustable straps to secure it in place.

The bike is held tight with plastic ratchets that clamp the top tube, holding the frame clear of your car's bodywork, although the front wheel needs tying down separately.

Its soft rubber feet aid a snug fit on the car and prevent scratching, although we had an issue where one would constantly try and jump free and twist round no matter how tight we fixed the rack.

Given that baggage handlers have a reputation for destroying the indestructible, I have to say that it was a relief to see the Scicon Aerotech box and therefore my bike arrive intact on a number of occasions.

The hard plastic case is excellent and despite taking some obvious knocks it’s still in once piece. Packing the bike does not require any more stripping down than with a bag and the liner and wheel covers protect the bike sufficiently.

Wheels make moving the box easier but I still found myself needing to throw it on a trolley, as its manoeuvrability is not entirely straightforward.

The Scicon Aerotech does take up more space, however, as it cannot be manipulated like a bag, but this is a good thing where your bike is concerned.