This post with videos compares 7 of the best bike locks, and shows you the Independent Security Ratings of the strongest, most secure bike locks we could find. All but one of these locks are rated as Gold Standard by Sold Secure. The unrated lo ck is our super budget bike lock option, which is only suitable for limited circumstances.
This post starts with a chart comparing our top choices for best bike lock, and indicates what each lock is best suited for. This is followed by reviews of each bike lock, plus really interesting videos about our top choices. At the end of the post, we have included a video on how to lock your bike securely.
Chart Comparing 7 of the Best Bike Locks
| Bike Commuters who love their bikes and want the best Bike Chain option that is light enough to carry around | Links are 10 mm thick; longer chain is 35.5" (90 cm) long & weighs 6.1 lb (2.76 kg). Also available is a 22" (55 cm) long chain that weighs 4.4 lb (2 kg). Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Rated no. 1 by the best bike lock picker in the world! See video below. Improved design with a patented design that secures the chain directly to a hardened deadbolt |
 No. 2: Kryptonite New York Standard U-LockBest Price on Amazon right now: $91.96 | Bike Commuters who love their bikes and want the best U-Lock option that is light enough to carry around | 18 mm thick; weighs 6.1 lb (2.76 kg). 3.9" x 10.3" (10.3 cm x 26.1 cm). Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Large; double deadbolt; center keyway with cover; comes with Transit FlexFrame Bracket for mounting on bike. Offers a great balance between strength, weight, link resistance, and price |
 No. 3: Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-LockBest Price on Amazon right now: $95.96 | Bike Commuters who want a strong but lightweight U-Lock option | 18 mm thick; weighs 4.55 lb (2.06 kg) 3.25" x 6" (8.3 cm x 15.3 cm). Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Lighter because it is smaller than the New York Standard; 1 key has a built in light; double deadbolt; center keyway; no mount |
 No. 4: Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit ChainBest Price on Amazon right now: $135.95 | Cylists who want to store their bikes long-term or overnight with complete Peace of Mind | 15 mm thick chain links; 3 foot long chain weighs 10 lb (4.5 kg); 5 foot weighs 16 lb (7.3 kg) Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Will keep your bike safe but is too heavy to carry on a bike – needs to be kept in one place. This makes it ideal as your overnight storage bike lock |
 No. 5: Onguard Brute STDBest Price on Amazon right now: $54.74 | Bike Commuters on a budget who want to keep their bikes safe while they are at work | 16 mm thick; weighs 4.17 lb (1.86 kg) 4.53" x 7.96" (11.5 cm x 20.2 cm). Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Comes with mount; great security on a budget; after-sales not as good as Kryptonite; features a quadruple deadbolt lock |
 No. 6: Abus Bordo Granit X Plus Foldable | Bike Commuters who want an ultra portable lock that is flexible for locking a bike in odd places | 5.5 mm thick; weighs 3.48 lb (1.58 kg) 4.72 x 2.36 x 11.02 inches when unfolded (12 cm x 6 cm x 28 cm); folds up much smaller. Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure. | Folding lock; relatively light; flexible, so it can be tied to a variety of objects; very secure but not quite as secure as the other locks in this post; super easy to pack into a pannier and transport |
| Those looking for a Super Budget Option. Only good enough for parking your bike for a few minutes while you can still see your bike; or for locking kid's bikes at school | Cable is 2 foot (0.6 meters) long. Weight is not specified. Not rated by Sold Secure | Easy to use combination lock and cable. Not to be used on expensive bikes. Appropriate if you are going to be having lunch on a patio where you can see your bike |
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No. 1: Kryptonite Evolution Bike Lock – Best Bike CHAIN Overall (non U-Lock that is also light enough to carry on your bike)
This bike lock has a unique claim to fame – it is the top choice of the man who is most likely the best bike lock picker in the world. Watch the video below to learn more. Note that this Youtuber, LockPickingLawyer, ends the video by picking the lock in double quick time. This might put you off, but it did not put off any of his fans.
The reality is that LockPickingLawyer is an Olympic-level lock picker. The thieves in your neighborhood do not have his skills. In fact, most bike thieves do not pick locks; they use brute force. Bottom line, after testing hundreds of bike locks, this is the lock that LockPickingLawyer chose to protect his own bike!
The 3-foot (90 cm) long version of this chain will enable you to lock your bike to almost anything. At 6 pounds (2.76. kg) it is heavy to carry around, but definitely possible. There is also a shorter version, which is 22 inches (55 cm) long and weighs in at 4.4 pounds (2 kg). The downside is of course that sometimes it will be harder to find something to lock your bike to.
Updated Design and New Patent
The 10 mm six-sided chain links are hewn from 3T manganese steel. The design has been improved, in that the chain secures directly to a hardened deadbolt, so that there is no weakest link in the chain. Kryptonite has a patent pending on that design. The disk-style cylinder has been beefed up with even more security, so it should resist anyone but the formidable LockPickingLawyer (and he is not going to want your bike!).
This chain ships with 3 keys; one of them is an LED lighted key with replaceable battery. This lock is encased in a nylon sleeve to protect your bike. It also has a sliding dust cover over the keyhole, and ships with a mounting bracket. And it is eligible for Kryptonite’s optional Anti-theft Protection Offer. Kryptonite has been around for decades and excels in after-sales care. They offer optional protection against theft up to $3,000. You can also register your keys in case you ever need a replacement.
No. 2: Kryptonite New York Standard Lock – Best U-Lock Type Bike Lock for Bike Commuters
Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure.
Made from hardened 18 mm steel, this lock incorporates all of the must-haves for a great lock. It has a double deadbolt (twice as safe), with a new, flat, center keyway that protects against leverage attacks. The keyway has a plastic cover to protect the locking mechanism. This U-lock will keep your bike as safe as humanly possible. Kryptonite leads the field in quality bike locks, and this is their most secure, standard-sized U-lock. It is long enough to attach to most things, but a little narrower than rival locks, which makes it harder for thieves to break it with leverage.
This bike lock comes with three keys, one of which has a light on it for night-time unlocking. And it comes with a Transit FlexFrame Bracket for easy mounting to frame tubing from 25 mm to 80 mm.
Kryptonite is famous for great locks. In my opinion, carrying around this 6-pound U-lock is well worth it for the peace of mind it offers. This lock is very highly rated by the fiercest bike lock critic in the world, Youtuber LockPickingLawyer. He sees it as offering a great balance between strength, weight, link resistance, and price.
No. 3: Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-Lock – Best Lightweight Bike Lock
Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure.
This lock is much like our no. 1 choice, but is smaller and lighter. This is good for obvious reasons, but has one serious drawback – it restricts the variety of locking options. I have one of these and sometimes become annoyed when I cannot reach a particular object I need to lock to (which is why I also carry a standard lock). On the other hand, if you have a slim-line bike and an appropriate object nearby to lock to, it will keep your bike snugly secure.
The smaller size of this lock can be an advantage, because it makes it that much harder for thieves to attack (there is much less space for them to insert a crowbar or a jack). Like the Kryptonite New York Standard it has a double deadbolt and center keyway. It also has an oversized, hardened steel sleeve over the crossbar for double security.
However, the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-Lock does not come with a mount. Of course, it is smaller, so you can just carry in your pannier. It comes with three keys, one of which has a little LED light for night-time unlocking – useless when you don’t need it, invaluable when you suddenly do, as I discovered one night!
No. 4: Kryptonite New York Evolution Chain – Best Bike Lock for Peace-of-Mind Bike Storage
Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure.
This is an extremely strong, heavy duty chain. Because it is a chain, you have much more flexibility in terms of what you can lock it to, than you do with a U-lock. It is available in a 3-foot long and a 5-foot long option.
However, it is much heavier than a U-lock. I cannot imagine that anyone would want to actually carry it around. The 3-foot long chain weighs 10 pounds and the 5-foot long weighs 16 pounds. It is ideal for keeping your bike super safe while parked all night in your condo parking, or all day in a bike cage while you are at work. In both of these situations, you could leave the chain in place and not carry it around. During all the years I bike commuted, I always left a chain like this at my parking place at work, permanently. It was much easier than carrying it back and forth. This is only useful if you have good bike parking where you can leave a chain.
This Kryptonite chain features massive 15 mm round chain links made of hardened steel that provide extreme strength. Even with an angle grinder, this would be hard to break, as chain links move around. You would need to secure the links with a vice grip, while wielding an angle grinder. It comes with a protective nylon cover.
This is quite simply the strongest lock that Kryptonite offers.
This lock has been rated as Gold Standard by Sold Secure. It is a beefy monster of a chain, and definitely one of the most secure locks you can buy.
No. 5: Onguard Brute STD – Best Bike Lock for Bike Commuters on a Budget
Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure.
This lock from Onguard is cheaper than the Kryptonite locks, but still has a Gold rating from Sold Secure. It boasts a quadruple deadbolt lock. This sounds impressive, although no one has conclusively proven that this is any safer than a double deadbolt lock.
The company does not offer the after-sales perks offered by Kryptonite, such as key registration and anti-theft protection. But if you just want a very secure lock at a budget price, this could be the lock for you.
No. 6: Abus Bordo Granit X Plus 6500 Foldable Lock – Best Bike Lock for Bike Commuters who want an Ultra Packable Lock that is Good for Locking Your Bike in Odd Places
Rated as Gold standard by Sold Secure.
This lock is different because it is a folding bike lock – in fact, it is the strongest folding bike lock available. It is lighter and more portable than U-locks or chains. Interestingly, although it carries a Gold standard rating from Sold Secure, it is not as highly rated by another independent standards evaluator. This suggests that it would rank at the lowest end of the Gold rating; that is, other Gold-rated locks would be stronger and more secure. This makes sense, given that its bars are thinner than U-lock shackles; plus, it has pins holding the bars together, and these could be attacked by thieves.
It is still strong enough to be used in high risk parking situations, and offers the convenience of ultra-packability and portability. Also, because it is so flexible, it will work better when locking your bike up in odd places – for example, you can thread it around odd shapes.
Because this lock is quite unusual, I have included a photo to show the lock in use.
No. 7: Sanwo Security Bike Lock – Best Budget Bike Lock Option
This is not the bike lock for you if you want to leave a $500 or more bike parked in public for longer than about three minutes. However, it is a good deal if you want a super budget bike lock option for certain circumstances:
- To lock your bike within sight while you have lunch on a patio.
- For your grade school child to lock his or her bike up at school (not at a store on the way home).
- If you have a beater bike that you don’t care about too much, and you don’t plan to leave it for more than a few minutes.
- Basically, to lock your bike for short periods in circumstances when you just want to deter someone long enough so that you can walk over and say, “Hey, that’s my bike!”
For those uses, its 4-digit combination lock offers quick, keyless convenience. It’s just 2-foot-long, so it’s easy to carry around, and long enough to go around the frame of your bike and attach to something solid.
For the price this budget bike lock is well made, with steel cable and a plastic sheath to protect it. It’s very well rated, and is Amazon’s no. 1 best seller in budget bike locks.
Factors to Consider in Choosing the Best Bike Lock
If you want more information about how to choose the best bike lock, please take a look at our post called How to Choose the Best Bike Lock.
How to Choose the Best Bike Lock – Using Ratings to Choose a Strong, Secure Lock
Good luck with finding the best bike lock and keeping your bike safe!
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- 7 of the Best Bike Lights for Bike Commuting and Touring, 2020
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Video Showing You How to Lock Your Bike Securely
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