The Best Bike Lock (And How To Use It), According To Bike Thieves

The Best Bike Lock (And How To Use It), According To Bike Thieves

A decent bike lock can be the difference between cruising home and being forced to walk — not to mention the blow a stolen can deal to your wallet. This bike lock will give you the most bang for your buck, and it’s what seasoned bike thieves would use on their own rides.

Photo by Richard Masoner

You don’t want to throw down your hard-earned money on a bike lock unless you know it’s going to keep your ride safe from thieves. Eric Hansen at The Sweethome did some extensive product research and then spoke with some real-deal bike thieves to see which locks manage to foil them. One thief, dubbed “Bug Out”, explained that U-locks require special tools and aren’t worth his time. Another thief, known only as “Jimmy”, agreed, suggesting you have to be able to cut through both legs.

We’ve suggested U-locks before (and explained that the best practice is the Sheldon method), but which U-locks are the best? Hansen suggests the Kryptonite Series 2 package, for cheaper bikes. For really pricey bikes you’re better off with the costlier Kryptonite New York Standard Bicycle U-Lock with Transit FlexFrame Bracket.

Most locks — like cable locks and padlocks — are easy for thieves to crack with minimal tools, so make sure you’re protecting your bike as much as you can. To read more about the other bike locks tested — and learn more from the interviewed bike thieves — check out the link below.

The Best Bike Lock [The Sweethome]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


4 responses to “The Best Bike Lock (And How To Use It), According To Bike Thieves”