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Bicycle Locks: Ratings of Sources
Total of 21 Sources

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

1. Men's Journal
June 16, 2009
Tested: Bike Locks
by Stan Horaczek
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Men'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.
2. Slate.com
April 18, 2006
Avoiding the Bicycle Thief
by Scott Elder
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

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.

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3. Cycling Plus magazine
May 2007
Tested Locks
by Warren Rossiter
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This huge article in a special issue looks at 30 different bicycle locks. It's a substantial report that clearly denotes which locks survived assaults by a hand tool and a power tool. Editors describe parts… of the lock, features, rating systems and anti-theft warranties. Because this is a U.K. cycling magazine, many of the reviewed bike locks aren't available in the U.S. Among bicycle locks that are available in the U.S., the New York Fahgettaboudit chain lock and U-lock are highly rated. As a budget bike lock, the OnGuard Pitbull STD 5003 gets the nod.

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4. BikeRadar.com
As of July 2009
Locks
by Editors of BikeRadar.com
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment BikeRadar.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, but they do review several popular bicycle locks available here. Each lock is tested with various tools. Cycling Plus is one of the contributors to BikeRadar.com.
5. Maxim magazine
May 2009
The Great Lock-Off
by Steve Mazzucchi
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Maxim 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. Bicycling Magazine
As of July 2009
Locks
by Editors of Bicycling
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Three bicycle locks receive a Gear of the Day accolade from Bicycling magazine in 2009, including the WordLock Bike Lock, Kryptonite New York U-lock STD and Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock. Each lock receives a brief editorial review based on testing, but the locks are not compared to each other.
7. Ride On magazine
Feb./March 2007
Lockbusters
by Mark Horner
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This excellent article from Australia's Ride On magazine has one drawback: Only three of the 11 bicycle locks tested are available in the U.S. Those three products are all made by OnGuard (known as… BikeGuard in Australia). This review is thorough and systematic: Mark Horner breaks down bicycle locks into categories of light to medium cable (not recommended), armored cable (also not recommended) and medium-security U-locks (which he calls D-locks). The Trelock BS400 and the Abus Sinero -- neither of them widely available here -- resisted manual and portable power tool attacks for the longest time. Horner upgraded to "industrial power tools" before he could break these two. Of OnGuard locks, the Pitbull STD 5003 held up the best.

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8. Consumer magazine
March 17, 2006
Bike Locks
by Editors of Consumer magazine
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This New-Zealand based magazine is a nonprofit that's similar to Consumer Reports. For bike locks, editors test six cable locks and five U-locks, deciding none of the cable locks were worth buying. Several… of the models are not available in the U.S., and some have been discontinued. The Magnum UL2 and OnGuard Bulldog are the two best U-locks, which resisted attacks from hacksaws, bolt cutters, lock picks and brute force for more than a minute. Testing is competent, but aside from a ratings chart, bicycle locks aren't discussed in detail. Editors also don't tell us which OnGuard Bulldog model they tested -- there are several in production.

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9. Choice magazine
Aug. 2007
Bicycle Locks
by Editors of Choice magazine
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This Australian consumer magazine also tests bike locks. As with other articles from foreign publications, the testing is great, but bicycle locks just aren't always available in the U.S. At press time, this article wasn't yet available online, but in bike forums, we read that the Trelock BS400 and Abus Sinero were top-rated.
10. New York Magazine
July 20, 2008
Lock It Up
by Scott Ward
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Scott 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.
11. The New York Times
Aug. 2, 2007
Physical Culture -- Gear Test, Locks
by Stephen Krcmar
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This 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.

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12. The Boston Globe
June 15, 2008
To Be Safe, Think Like a Bike Thief
by Ethan Gilsdorf
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Ethan Gilsdorf at The Boston Globe interviews Loren Mooney, the executive editor of Bicycling magazine, about bike locks and gets her recommendations. For cable locks, Mooney recommends the Master Lock Quantum series++. In the chain category, the OnGuard Beast 5016 is Mooney's pick. For U-locks, Mooney likes the Kryptonite New York Lock STD and Kryptonite Evolution Mini.
13. The Independent (London)
March 7, 2009
The 50 Best Cycling Gear
by Simon Usborne
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Only one bike lock scores a mention on The Independent's list of the best cycling gear -- the Kryptonite New York U-lock, which they say is "definitely worth the price tag." Still, it doesn't appear that the lock was tested, and there are few details available.
14. Bicycling Magazine
Not Dated
Flic A Bic
by Joe Lindsey
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This article isn't dated, but since it covers the big Bic controversy, we can guess it dates from 2004. This lengthy article covers the whole issue, but doesn't test or recommend bike locks. Rather, it's a good background article.
15. Amazon.com
As of July 2009
Bike Locks
by Contributors to Amazon.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Amazon.com includes a number of owner-written reviews for bike locks. This is a good site to find information on the 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.
16. TownsAndTrails.com
June 24, 2009
Review: OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC Bike Lock
by "Dave"
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC 5013TC U-lock gets four out of five 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.
17. BikeForums.net
2005
Best Bike Locks -- 2005 Tests
by Contributors to BikeForums.net
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This discussion site includes personal information on bike locks, including advice on how to care for them. There's plenty of information on esoteric complaints and links to more information. Also discussed is the 2005 version of the tests at Cycling Plus (U.K.).
18. Buzzillions.com
As of July 2009
Bike Lock Reviews
by Contributors to Buzzillions.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The OnGuard Beast chain lock and the OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC 5013TC U-lock are the top-rated bike locks on Buzzillions.com, but they still don't attract many reviews. Less than a dozen reviewers comment on each lock, but both receive positive reviews.
19. TotalBike.com
As of July 2009
Locks
by Contributors to TotalBike.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

The bike reviews here are well organized, but most locks have only a single comment from an owner. The OnGuard Bulldog Mini DT 5013TC 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.

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20. RoadBikeReview.com
As of July 2009
Bike Locks
by Contributors to RoadBikeReview.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This is another site that allows owners to review their bicycle locks. It has a long list of locks to review, and several locks that have no reviews penned yet, but 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.
21. Good Housekeeping
May 2005
Keep Your Bike Safe
by Anthony Losanno
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment In this very short article, editors say they tested six bicycle locks. Editors don't tell us which locks they tested, only that the Kryptonite New York lock "best withstood our attempts at lock busting." We wish this report included more than one paragraph.

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