The Best Bike Locks for Keeping Your Wheels Safe
Thwart any would-be thief with these expert-approved bike locks.
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In this busy world, a lot can happen in a minute. You can order a coffee, send a tweet, check your email—or lose your unlocked bike to an unscrupulous thief, who will post it on Craigslist in a neighboring city for pennies on the dollar. Unless you’re extremely lucky, chances are your bike is gone forever; thieves are working quicker than ever right now to move bikes online. According to The New York Times, bike thefts rose almost 30 percent in New York City during the first six months of the pandemic, likely motivated by increased demand and international shortages that have been plaguing the bike industry since 2020.
There is good news though: Most bike thefts are crimes of opportunity and easily thwarted by securing your bike more thoroughly than the one next to it. Read on to see which one of the 10 best bike locks I recommend might work best for you.
Best Bike Locks
The Experts: As a former six-year employee at my local bike shop—and a one-time victim of bike theft—I’ve taken plenty of time over the years to study what it takes to keep bikes from ending up in the wrong hands. To help verify my picks, I sought the advice of Grant Corman, manager of The Bicycle Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, whose bike wizardry has been helping college town commuters keep their bikes safe and running for over 20 years.
The Four Types of Bike Locks
Just about any bike lock can be defeated in five minutes with the right tools and a little experience. However, hardened steel locks or bike chain locks will require an angle grinder, which is loud and obvious. Thieves are more likely to quickly and quietly snip through less expensive cable locks with bolt cutters. Your locking location and duration should dictate how much security you actually need.
Places where bikes are locked all day, like big cities and college campuses where bike thefts are common, require more security. And if you’re locking a bike up outside overnight, there’s no such thing as overkill—using multiple locks that each require different tools to defeat is a good strategy. Here are the four basic types, from least to most secure
▶ Lightweight Locks: Zip tie–based designs and the familiar coiled cable lock—often with a combination tumbler—are popular lightweight locks. Most styles can easily be defeated with simple hand tools, like bolt cutters or tin snips. These locks are best used in light security situations, like a quick trip into a store or a longer stop in a café where your bike might still be in sight.
▶ Folding Locks: Folding locks can reach through wheels and frames and around larger things to which you lock a bike. They’re popular due to the compact size when folded, making them easier to store or mount on the bike. The folding pivots are weak points for power drills, however, and some might be vulnerable to bolt cutters. YouTube’s LockPickingLawyer has additionally proven that folding locks can often be wedged apart at these joints with tools like a nut splitter, a tool designed for ripping seized nuts off old bolts.
▶ Chain Locks: As long as the chain and lock shackle are both made from hardened steel, a chain lock can be just as secure as a U-lock, which is regarded as the most secure design. But it’s a losing proposition to use an old gym locker combo lock with a chain from the hardware store that is liable to be defeated by a pair of bolt cutters. Although chain locks can be heavy and unruly, this can play to a thief’s disadvantage as well, often making the lock more difficult to position and hold taut for an angle grinder. High-quality chain locks can come with a fabric outer sleeve, which simultaneously protects your paint job, makes it easier for cutting tools to slip, and provides comfort when wearing the lock like a belt—something I do often when commuting. Large chain locks can reach through both of your bike’s wheels and frame, as well as increase the size of things you can loop around and lock to.
▶ U-Locks: U-locks are heavier than most other types of locks, although they’re the most secure. Typically made with hardened steel, they will thwart thieves wielding hand tools but can still be beaten with power tools like an angle grinder. Some models, like Kryptonite’s New-U, use a double dead-bolt design that requires two cuts to be defeated.
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Can My Bike Lock Be Picked?
Just as all bike locks are vulnerable to being cut, the actual locking mechanisms can also be “picked.” Although, according to competitive lock picker Schuyler Towne, most modern bike locks can’t be picked by an amateur. Locks with disc detainer cores, using a stack of notched discs that rotate, are among the most difficult to pick. Slider locks that use laser cut keys with channels on the flat sides can also be very secure: “The more cuts on the key, the more secure it is,” Towne says. Common in most residential entry locks, pin tumbler locks can sometimes be defeated by brute force attacks, like drilling out the cores—picking requires more skill and time. Wafer locks, often used in automobile doors, are considered the least secure; they’re one of the easiest types to pick.
Using Your Bike Lock
Along with the type of lock, technique matters. Start by making sure the most valuable parts—the frame, rear wheel, and the front wheel—are secure. Weave the lock through these parts when possible, locking the wheels to the frame, as well as a stationary object that they cannot be lifted over. So, no parking meters or sign posts less than 8 feet tall—also no trees small enough to be cut through. In high-risk areas, consider two locks if one won’t secure both wheels to the frame. Be sure to pick a well-lit location if your bike will be locked into the evening or overnight. And lastly, record your bike’s serial number and register it with your local police.
How We Evaluated
I’ve used several bike locks on this list for commuting and travel purposes, though I tend to store my bikes inside overnight, much to the chagrin of my roommates. Some of the recommended models were vetted by the Popular Mechanics gear team, which involves weighing them, examining their mechanisms, cutting and destroying some, and using them to lock their own bikes. Other selections were thoroughly evaluated based on their posted specifications: material, core and shackle construction, weight, and the relationship among all that. Experts like LockPickingLawyer provided insight to the “pickability” of various locks. I also talked to plenty of my former bike shop coworkers, as well as some campus commuters at Penn State University, about their personal picks and what has worked best for them. Among the various styles and models below, there’s a bike lock that’s right for you.
Kryptonite Kryptonite New-U New York Lock Standard
Pros
- Very durable
- Relatively lightweight
Cons
- Weak mounting bracket
- Pricey
Key Specs
- Weight: 4 lb.
- Frame Mount: Yes
- Locking Mechanism: Disc detainer
“Kryptonite is king,” says bike shop manager Grant Corman. The company stands behind its New-U lock with a guarantee to replace your bike, up to $4,000 in value, if it’s stolen because the lock is compromised. The shackle, that’s the “U” part of the lock, is 16-millimeter hardened steel, notched on each end to work with the unit’s double dead bolt. This makes it less susceptible to twisting attacks and forces thieves with angle grinders to cut through it twice. The New-U comes with a nylon bracket that provides some flexibility for frame mounting and keeps the water bottle mounts free for cages. The lock relies on friction to remain seated in the mount, which has garnered mixed reviews on how well it holds up over time.
Pros
- Very secure
- Good value
Cons
- Very heavy
Key Specs
- Weight: 12 lb.
- Frame Mount: No
- Locking Mechanism: Slider
At 12 pounds, OnGuard’s Mastiff is a monster of a lock, heavier than most people would ever want to carry. However, with the proliferation of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes, the weight becomes less of an issue. To be fair, the titanium-reinforced steel chain is 3.5 feet long, enough to snake through both wheels and the frame. The chain links are 10 millimeters thick, and their hexagonal profile makes cutting more difficult. When the PM gear team last attempted to cut a Mastiff chain, they completely ran down the battery on a cordless angle grinder before doing so. OnGuard uses its tough Boxer U-lock to secure the chain at each end and a tough nylon sheath to protect your bike frame from scratches. The company also offers a $15 protection plan, which will cover the replacement of your bike, as long as it’s locked properly, for three years.
Pros
- Extremely difficult to cut
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
Key Specs
- Weight: 13.8 lb.
- Frame Mount: No
- Locking Mechanism: Disc detainer
When Altor introduced the SAF, it claimed the U-lock was the first in the world to be angle grinder–proof. That sounded like a challenge to the PM gear team, so they set out to see if they could best it. Ultimately, they did—sort of. Using a cordless angle grinder, it took six batteries, four abrasive cutting discs, and no small amount of cursing to get through the gargantuan shackle. That thick build is the key: A standard angle grinder just doesn’t have the cutting depth to make it all the way through, so it takes repeated cuts to make a deep “V” that allows the grinder head to get into the cutaway area and reach through the aluminum and hardened steel shackle. So, practically, it’s undefeatable—a thief will move on to another bike that’s less secure. The downside is that, at 13.8 pounds, it’s not exactly portable or easy to carry.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Comparable design to fancier locks
Cons
- Thinner shackle than higher-quality locks
Key Specs
- Weight: 2 lb.
- Frame Mount: Yes
- Locking Mechanism: Slider
I get it—spending $100 or more on a bike lock can sometimes seem like overkill, especially in less dicey areas. Thankfully, the Ultra Mini 410 sits at a much cooler price, below the $50 mark, and it does so without compromising quality where it’s most necessary. It has all the fixings of many other high-quality U-locks: a hardened steel shackle and body, a twist-proof double dead bolt, and a thick enough build that bolt cutters will struggle to clamp around it with any considerable leverage. With only a 12-millimeter shackle, however, this lock will see less time under an angle grinder than the Kryptonite New-U before it’s breached. It’s still a solid U-lock, though, and most thieves will seize a better opportunity if it’s around.
Pros
- Compact
- Quality bike mount
Cons
- Pricey
- More joints leads to more weak points
Key Specs
- Weight: 3.8 lb.
- Frame Mount: Yes
- Locking Mechanism: Disc detainer
An alternative to heavier U-locks and chains, the Bordo Granit XPlus 6500 is a relatively compact and easy-to-carry folding lock. The mount straps to your frame and is easy to switch between bikes. The 5.5-millimeter-thick folding links are designed to make them difficult to cut, though the pins that connect the links don’t seem to be hardened, so they could be susceptible to drills, bolt cutters, or wedges. At 3.5 pounds, the Bordo Granit is lighter than typical U-locks, but it isn’t exactly featherweight. The gear team’s tester expected to feel it when it was strapped to their bike, but it wasn’t noticeable or inconvenient.
Pros
- Stays on bike at all times
Cons
- Not ideal if trying to use with multiple bikes
Key Specs
- Weight: 2.7 lb.
- Frame Mount: Yes
- Locking Mechanism: Disc detainer
Unlike most locks, the Lobster Lock 2.0, once mounted on the frame, never comes off—the arms simply unfold and wrap around the frame and either the front or rear wheel. The lock mounts to your bike’s bottle cage bolts, but you can still attach a cage directly to it. The two ends of the lock unfold and latch together with a keyed mechanism, and the most recent model sports a disc detainer to keep pickers at bay—a welcome upgrade from past cores.
Kryptonite Kryptonite Evolution 1090 Integrated Chain
Pros
- Integrated lock saves weight
Cons
- Less secure than the same Kryptonite chain with a corresponding U-lock
- Waist fit will be somewhat tight and awkward for some people
Key Specs
- Weight: 5.8 lb.
- Frame Mount: No
- Locking Mechanism: Disc detainer
When I’ve been riding in large cities, this has been my lock of choice for the past several years. A little less secure than the brand’s Evolution U-lock, Kryptonite’s Evolution 1090 Integrated Chain still comes with a bike replacement offer, up to a $3,000 value, if your bike is stolen while locked up properly. To take advantage of the program, you need to register your bike; coverage is free for the first year, after which it costs $10 per year, or $25 for five years. Kryptonite cuts weight by using hexagonal 10-millimeter manganese steel alloy for the links and by shedding the extra U-lock, making the chain a clean, one-piece package. The chain affords greater versatility than the company’s U-locks due to its flexible nature (as well as its 35.5-inch length), and it still rocks the brand’s disc detainer lock design, which is packed inside a proprietary core. I have a 29-inch waist, and the lock sits a little loose on me when wearing it, but I imagine it wouldn’t wrap around too many larger frames, largely due to how the chain and the core connect perpendicularly.
Hiplok Hiplok Gold
Pros
- Wearable design is convenient
Cons
- Too big for waists under 30 in.
Key Specs
- Weight: 5.3 lb.
- Frame Mount: No
- Locking Mechanism: Pin tumbler
Designed to be worn around the waist, the Hiplok Gold has a nylon buckle and an adjustable hook-and-loop strap to tailor the fit. The chain is made from 10-millimeter hardened steel, and the lock shackle is 12 millimeters thick. The reflective nylon cover increases visibility in low-light conditions and is both removable and washable. The editor who tested this lock has a 34-inch waist and, though the Gold was adjusted appropriately, said it became uncomfortable after an hour of riding. However, they did find it convenient and secure for shorter rides or commutes. As Hiplok notes, this chain lock is too long for waists under 30 inches.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Very affordable
Cons
- Often can’t secure frame and wheels simultaneously
- Cheap-feeling plastic cover
Key Specs
- Weight: 1.7 lb.
- Frame Mount: Sold separately
- Locking Mechanism: Slider
Like the Abus Ultra Mini 410, the Sidekick is a budget U-lock, but it means featherweight business. It’s the lightest U-lock I recommend, and that comes at the cost of some robustness, yet it still stands as a strong deterrent against anyone looking to swipe your favorite ride. It’s pretty small, with the standard model only able to wrap around one frame tube, but it makes up for its size with several thoughtfully added details, such as a bolt cutter–proof hexagonal double shackle and a frame-friendly silicon cover. Buy it alone or pair it with a Cinch for some mind-easing redundancy.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Keyless
Cons
- Can be cut with hand tools
Key Specs
- Weight: 0.5 lb.
- Frame Mount: Optional
- Locking Mechanism: 3-digit combination
For short trips—and I mean short, like five minutes or less—Ottolock makes the lightweight easy-to-use Cinch. It’s not a substitute for a more secure lock but rather intended to thwart opportunity theft. Weighing in at 0.5 pounds, the Cinch coils up into a 3-inch diameter circle—small enough to slip in most pockets. Ottolock keeps the weight in check by designing the ratcheting strap with a thin steel band at its core, stacked between multiple layers of Kevlar, that’s then covered in nylon. The locking mechanism is a three-digit tumbler type with a resettable combination. For an additional $25, Ottolock also offers a mount for your seat post or frame.
The Best Place and Technique to Lock Up Your Bike, According to Expert Grant Corman
PM: When someone has options, where and to what should they lock their bike?
G.C.: I always recommend designated bike racks. In most cities, you don’t want to do signs—they can be dummies that [thieves] can pull out of the ground. Definitely store your bike in a prominent place where plenty of other people can see it.
PM: Which part or parts of your bike do you secure with a lock?
G.C.: Frame and wheels, whenever possible. Also, it’s not a bad idea to get rid of the quick release on your seatpost clamp if you have one [and replace it with a bolt-on clamp], and the same goes with your wheels’ skewers.
PM: We all like a deal, but when would it be worth it to you to spend more than $100 on a bike lock?
G.C.: I think it’s a good idea if I’m living in a city or leaving it out overnight. I’m a cable lock guy, but that’s because I almost never leave my bike unattended unless it’s stored inside.
Editor’s Note: Former Test Editor Dan Roe and Test Editor Bradley Ford contributed to this article.
Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at Runner's World, though you might see his byline on Bicycling and Popular Mechanics, too. A lover of all things outdoors, Adam's writing career comes after six years as a bike mechanic in his hometown of State College, PA. His journalism experience is steeped in cycling and running gear reviews, and he's also a published creative nonfiction and satire author. When he's not writing, riding, or running, you can catch Adam at home mixing cocktails, watching Star Wars, or trying in vain to do the Sunday crossword. You can check out his latest work below.
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