Lock Your Bike

The South London Press got hold of some figures under the Freedom of Information Act which show the number of bicycle thefts by postcode. SE1, which includes the areas of Borough, Bankside, Waterloo and Elephant & Castle took the top spot which shows more than 2 bikes a day are being taken. Rotherhithe (worryingly, where I live), Bermondsey [...]

As London’s Met Cycle Task Force prepare to celebrate their first year anniversary, they’ve issued a press release to highlight what has been achieved so far. The unit consists of 30 officers, funded by Transport for London (TfL) and tasked with reducing bicycle crime (theft and damage) across the capital. So how did they get on in [...]

Kryptonite are one of the big names in bicycle locks, and the New York range is their toughest. Within this range are the Fahgettaboudit locks; the toughest of the tough. The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit chain big, bold and heavy with a monstrous weight of 5.5kg and unsurprisingly is Sold Secure Gold rated. There is no easy way [...]

The Australian cycle accessory firm Knog have a range of colourful locks, each offering varying degrees of protection. The Knog Party Frank lock is the cheapest for very low risk areas. It offers a 5mm core steel cable and silicone over-mould designed to prevent scratching your precious bike frame. The weight is just 250g which is incredibly light, [...]

Whilst perhaps not as recognisable as the likes of Kryptonite or Abus, Trelock have a number of mid-range locks which offer decent protection. The Trelock BS510 D lock has a Sold Secure Silver rating and can be bought for anything between £30 and £55 with a bit of hunting around. With a weight of 1.5kg , it is reassuringly heavy without [...]

I spotted this on Percy Street, in London W1 this morning. What used to be a nice looking single-speed bike (I’d seen it locked there before) has been reduced to a sad looking frame. Everything removable has been removed. You can see how a Kryptonite Kryptoflex cable has easily been cut through to relieve the bike [...]

The London Cycle Task Force successfully prosecuted a professional bike thief after a sting involving a decoy bike. David Benjamin was sentenced to 5 months after pleading guilty and another man given a conditional discharge for the theft which took place in Bethnal Green in July 2010. According to BikeBiz, the men were driving a silver car and stopped [...]

Kryptonite Mini ‘s are a great secondary lock, and a favourite amongst the hipsters and bike messengers who take their appearance seriously whilst tearing around town, so it is quite fitting that Kryptonite now sell coloured skins to fit over Mini U lock. From Kryptonite’s press release:

The Mini U-Lock Color Skins are for use on all Kryptonite Evolution [...]

Brick Lane in East London is as famous for the stolen bike market as it is for it’s gastronomic Indian delights and is often the first port of call for the unfortunate victim of bike theft looking for their ride. Cycling in London has soared in popularity, and so has bike related crime (up 71% in London). [...]

Abus tout this chain lock as suitable for use in medium to high risk areas. Some serious thought has gone into this lock as the normally vulnerable lock barrel mechanism is armoured with 3mm plate to resist hammer and chisel attacks and the links constructed from hardened heavy duty 8mm steel. All this has resulted in [...]

The Abus Granit Extreme 59 D lock is touted by Abus as ‘probably the toughest D lock money can buy’ which is a big claim if you consider how well the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini performs. This lock is extreme in every sense, with a weight of nearly 3kg and costing over £120.  It is designed primarily for [...]

The Abus Granit Steel-O-Flex 1000 is one of the best-selling cable locks. Cable locks offer flexibility and portability where big D locks don’t, but they are also considered to offer lesser protection, despite a Sold Secure Gold rating. In fact, we don’t recommend any cable locks, but if we had to, this would be the only [...]