locks & bike security (touring)

[Schindlersontour]

Can anyone recommend a good bike lock for taking on a bicycle touring holiday? Strong but easy to carry (where weight is a factor!).
Thanks

[mjr]

I carry my kilo plus of toughened D lock. The weight sucks but I use the D lock near home because it's a long walk or expensive taxi home if the bike gets nicked and that's even more true when touring.

[PH]

Can't beat a D lock for security, but I find on tour there's a lot of situations where I can't use it, trees, lamp posts, benches... so I've stopped carrying my D and now use a chain. This Kryptonite one suites my needs as the best compromise on weight (1.3 kg) and security (Sold Secure Silver) and price (£18 from Halfords with the CUK discount)
https://www.kryptonitelock.com/en/products/product-information/current-key/000853.html
Of course the level of security you want depends on many factors - where you're touring, how often and how long you leave the bike, where you're staying... if I was traveling light and fast, staying in B&Bs and the bike rarely out of sight I'd take a different lock to one on a camping tour, or where the bike would be locked up in a city centre for hours while I went sightseeing (On such a tour I'd take the chain & D lock)
This is assuming you're touring alone - if there's more than one, a combination of locks and sharing the weight would be ideal.

[Oldjohnw]

My insurance company insists on sold gold, which rules out convenient chains. My kryptonite d lock merits requirement (I went for a smallish one on account of the weight) but finding a suitable post is often impossible.

[foxyrider]

For touring I use a half metre armoured cable with a tone point five metre double loop cable. In addition I have security q/r's so the cables can concentrate on fixing the frame to something.
It might not offer super high security but it's a reasonable deterrent - hide all the accessories from temptation and that's it. Then of course selecting a sensible parking spot is important. So far it's worked, I try to avoid getting paranoid, just avoid high risk areas.

[fastpedaller]

My insurance company insists on sold gold, which rules out convenient chains. My kryptonite d lock merits requirement (I went for a smallish one on account of the weight) but finding a suitable post is often impossible.

When I recently took out house/contents insurance putting 2 bikes on cover didn't add to the price! They would need a gold standard lock if cost price of each bike was more than 1k, otherwise any lock is ok. I only use a coil lock, but only left at Norfolk Cafes and in sight. If in a large city I don't think I'd be comfortable leaving bike even locked.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Mini D-lock - does exactly what a D-lock does but is smaller and weighs less! You just have to be a bit more careful where you lock it up, in that the radius is too small to fit round the biggest posts - and it rules out locking the rear wheel. But I usually manage to find somewhere suitable.

[tatanab]

For touring purposes, this year I tried an Ottolock https://ottodesignworks.com/shop/ottolock it is light, compact, available in 60" length, and almost certainly more resistant to normal cutting methods than my 1970s cable lock that I use for domestic purposes. I think it is possibly more secure too being "different". I bought my lock as a part of a group order. I tend to use rural campsites, and my machine is usually tethered to my tent if a tree or similar is not available. Usually the only time it is out of sight is when I am in a supermarket.

I could not use any insurance policy requiring great big locks because those policies also say "must be secured to immovable object", or sometimes they specify "in a solid construction building", and sometimes "not covered after 8pm on the street". Not at all practical.

[Cyril Haearn]

Use two or more different locks, that makes a bit more work for a thief

Lock both wheels to frame and stand. My front wheel was stolen once

[Oldjohnw]

My insurance policy does not require a 'great big lock' but a gold standard. This applies, as others have noted, to bikes which would cost in excess of £1000 to replace. As far as I know this is not a rule of one particular company but it is an ABI agreed policy. So I have no choice. In addition my bike must be kept in a locked shed and secured in the shed.

The value simply comes from the addition of an electric motor. They are apparently attractive to thieves.

[mjr]

As far as I know this is not a rule of one particular company but it is an ABI agreed policy. So I have no choice.

If that's true, does it make the ABI a cartel?

[mjr]

For touring purposes, this year I tried an Ottolock https://ottodesignworks.com/shop/ottolock it is light, compact, available in 60" length, and almost certainly more resistant to normal cutting methods than my 1970s cable lock that I use for domestic purposes. [...] Usually the only time it is out of sight is when I am in a supermarket. [...]

Does it matter how resistant it is to cutting when it only has a 3-digit combination lock? Even if they can't get picks up the sides of the barrel to feel the right setting, 2 seconds per combination would let someone check them all in under 40 minutes, so the expected time to theft is under 20 minutes. If they saw you arrive, you'd probably still be in the checkout queue when your bike leaves.

[Nigel]

My insurance policy does not require a 'great big lock' but a gold standard. This applies, as others have noted, to bikes which would cost in excess of £1000 to replace. As far as I know this is not a rule of one particular company but it is an ABI agreed policy. So I have no choice. In addition my bike must be kept in a locked shed and secured in the shed.

I'll check mine when it comes to renewal again, but my policy doesn't state anything about securing inside shed/garage, or the grade of lock.

But, that comes at a price - a policy via a specialist broker might be more than an off-the-peg policy. Fine if your house or contents needs it, but perhaps overkill if its just one bicycle (when self-insuring may be more cost-effective).

[tatanab]

Never in my life have I spent as much as 20 minutes in a supermarket, at home or on tour.

My touring steed cost me £4000 and I would join a 12 month waiting list if I wanted another. Being very specialist kit it tends to attract attention so perhaps that in itself is a bit of a safeguard. My camping/touring kit is another £1000. I think any insurance company (specialist ones are the worst) would insist that it is permanently attached to an anchor from HMS Queen Elizabeth which then has to be attached to my left ankle.

There comes a point at which requirements of insurance companies become unrealistic and impractical. In France about 5 years ago, a young English tourist was horrified that I was securing my machine with an old cable lock versus his pair of enormous (to my eyes) D locks. This reflects a difference of expectations and experience. He lived in London and was new to touring. I live in a small town and have many years of experience touring in rural Europe and other places.

We each have to make this value and practicality judgement for ourselves.

[Oldjohnw]

We each have to make this value and practicality judgement for ourselves.

You are correct. In my case, my judgement was that if I did not follow the insurer's rules I would get nothing in the event my steed was nicked.

My memory is that the addition of this bike to my existing policy made minimal difference to the price. I am fortunate in living in a low crime area.