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Bicycle Locks: Ratings of Sources

Total of 20 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. Wired
Jan. 31, 2011
Bike Locks for the Theft-Averse
by Will Palmer
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentWired performs testing on six bike locks with a hammer, bolt cutters and a Dremel rotary saw to determine how well they withstand "way beyond what most thieves would deploy." The Kryptonite New York Legend 1590 chain lasted the longest with the Dremel, while the Master Lock Street Cuff 8200D was easily taken care of with a hammer.
2. Men's Journal
June 16, 2009
Tested: Bike Locks
by Stan Horaczek
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentMen's Journal enlists a world-champion safecracker and various power tools to try to crack five of the toughest bicycle locks it can find. Each bike lock receives a score for security and usability. All five locks tested stand up to the punishment, but the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock earns the Editor's Pick award. This review is one of the few recent tests of bike locks available.
3. BikeRadar.com
As of July 2011
Locks
by Editors of BikeRadar.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentBikeRadar.com doesn't have comparative reviews in its extensive database, but the reviews are valuable nonetheless. Since this is a U.K. website, many of the bike locks in their review database are not available in the United States. However, we did find reviews for several popular bicycle locks available here. Each lock is tested with various tools, and a star-rating system makes this site valuable for making comparisons. Cycling Plus is one of the contributors to BikeRadar.com.
4. Slate.com
April 18, 2006
Avoiding the Bicycle Thief
by Scott Elder
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis is an older article with rare in-depth testing and comparisons of locks that are still available and continue to get top ratings in reviews. Author Scott Elder, himself a bike commuter, goes after bicycle locks with an "arsenal" that includes an 18-inch crowbar, 30-inch bolt cutters, a hacksaw with extra blades and "my trusty claw hammer." He tests nine bicycle locks, including chains, cables and U-locks, rating each on strength, ease of use and value. The report is clear, humorous and concise. The easy winner is the New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock. Cable bicycle locks offered the least protection.
5. Maxim magazine
May 2009
The Great Lock-Off
by Steve Mazzucchi
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentMaxim magazine enlists the help of Hal Ruzal, a bike mechanic from New York City, in an attempt to break three bike locks, including the OnGuard Doberman 5030, Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock and the OnGuard Brute STD 5001. All three locks were broken by an angle grinder, but the OnGuard Brute STD 5001 wins the test. Ruzal says, "For the price, it's shocking how good this lock is."
6. New York Magazine
July 20, 2008
Lock It Up
by Scott Ward
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentScott Ward recommends three bike locks for different types of riders, and he lists the pros and cons for each. However, there's no mention about how the locks were evaluated, so it appears that Ward did not test them for the article.
7. The New York Times
Aug. 2, 2007
Physical Culture -- Gear Test, Locks
by Stephen Krcmar
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis older review and slide show is based on the observations of Brad Quartuccio, editor of the bicycling magazine Urban Velo. Short write-ups for five bicycle locks include some mention of testing. Quartuccio is consistent with other reviewers, saying the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock would take "forever to hacksaw through," and the OnGuard Bulldog DT 5012 (U-lock with cable) is "pretty perfect for most people." Quartuccio does not recommend the Master Lock 8200DPRO Street Cuff for high-crime areas.
8. Amazon.com
As of July 2009
Bike Locks
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentAmazon.com includes a number of owner-written reviews for bike locks. This is a good site to find information on how long padlocks or combination locks work in the long term, because independent testing organizations don't generally use the locks for long periods: They just try to break them. Kryptonite and OnGuard are brands that most consistently receive high ratings at Amazon.com.
9. CommuteByBike.com
Jan. 3, 2011
The Very Best Bike Locks
by Jamie Carruthers
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentJamie Carruthers from LockYourBike.org.uk picks the best locks to use for your bike. On his website he conducts in-depth reviews and makes recommendations based on tests performed on the locks. For CommuteByBike.com, he pulls together those he finds to be the top performers, all of which are U-locks.
10. TownsAndTrails.com
June 24, 2009
Review: OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC Bike Lock
by "Dave"
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThe OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC 5013TC U-lock gets 4 out of 5 stars in this review from the editors of TownsAndTrails.com. The Bulldog Mini TC 5013TC bike lock is praised for being lightweight and several pounds lighter than other U-locks on the market.
11. The Independent (U.K.)
Jan. 17, 2011
The Ten Best Cycling Accessories
by David Phelan
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentOnly one bike lock scores a mention on The Independent's list of the best cycling accessories -- the Kryptonite New York 3000 U-lock (Officially called the Kryptonite New York Lock STD), which they say is "effective and secure." The same lock was featured -- also as the only lock mentioned -- two years ago in the same publication's list of the 50 best cycling gear choices, so the editors must feel strongly about it. Still, it doesn't appear that the lock was tested, and there are few details available.
12. BikeForums.net
2009
Best Bike Locks -- 2009 Discussion
by Contributors to BikeForums.net
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis discussion site includes personal information on and experience with bike locks. There's plenty of information on esoteric complaints and links to more information.
13. Buzzillions.com
As of July 2011
Bike Lock Reviews
by Contributors to Buzzillions.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThe OnGuard Beast 5016 chain lock is the top-rated bike lock on Buzzillions.com, a spot it has held for a few years. However, it s the only high-rated lock with more than 10 reviews, which still isn't many. Most bike locks at Buzzillions.com get only a few reviews.
14. TotalBike.com
As of July 2011
Locks
by Contributors to TotalBike.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThe bike reviews here are well organized and the list is huge, but most locks have only a couple of comments from owners. The OnGuard Beast line of chain locks gets a good number of comments, with most owners having a favorable view of the lock. This is a good site to find comments on bicycle locks not included in professional reviews, such as the Schwinn 12 mm Combo Cable Bike Lock, which gets decidedly mixed reviews. Still, there's no way to sort the list to see which locks receive the best reviews.
15. REI.com
As of July 2011
Bike Locks and Security
by Contributors to REI.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentREI.com is a retail site that allows its consumers to rate and review its products. The bike locks REI.com offer don't get very many reviews, but the OnGuard Beast Chain has the most out of those with extremely high ratings.
16. RunTheLine.com
Date unknown
Bike Locks
by Ross Middleton
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentRoss Middleton is a triathlete in London who writes a blog with his articles pertaining to his sport. In this blog article, Middleton discusses the two highest-rated Kryptonite U-locks: The New York Fahgettaboudit and the New York Standard. He notes that both offer exceptional security, but that his personal choice is the larger Kryptonite New York STD lock for its size.
17. RoadBikeReview.com
As of July 2011
Bike Locks
by Contributors to RoadBikeReview.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis is another site that allows owners to review their bicycle locks. It has a decent list of locks to review, and most locks have no reviews penned yet, but some of the comments are helpful. In addition, if you don't want to read the reviews, the average rating (using a five-point system) is visible on the opening page, so you can do a quick comparison.
18. TreeFortBikes.com
As of July 2011
Locks
by Contributors to TreeFortBikes.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentTreeFortBikes.com is a retail site with reviews for many of their products. Most of the bike locks have only one or two reviews, but the Kryptonite New York 3000 (also known as the Kryptonite New York Lock STD) lock gets close to 10 reviews, with every one of them giving the lock the highest possible rating. The site uses "gears" rather than the more common stars to indicate ratings, and while you can see how many gears a product gets on its main listing, you have to go into an individual product's page to see how many reviews it has.
19. Livestrong.com
April 17, 2010
Best Bicycle Locks
by Brandon Mathis
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentIn an article recommending the best bike locks in three different categories (U-lock, chain lock, and cable lock), Brandon Mathis suggests the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-lock, the OnGuard Beast Chain and the OnGuard Rottweiler Cable. He does not explain how he has arrived at these conclusions, so we are left to wonder.
20. BikeSomewhere.com
As of July 2011
Locks
by Contributors to BikeSomewhere.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentBikeSomewhere.com allows the purchase of their products, as well as written reviews. There are not many reviews for bike locks, however, and while you can see the ratings for each product, you cannot see any information about a product without going into its individual page. This makes judging a product difficult. Three OnGuard locks get positive reviews from a decent number of owners.
     
 

This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  
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