Lightweight chains

[Bogawski]

Wife and I just bought a couple of electric folders and we are going to need to lash them together with something substantial, however I don't want to lug around an A class chain or spend about £150 buying one.
Does anyone know a lightweight steel bond that wouldn't cut with a pair of bolt croppers, flexible enough to roll up and put in rack bag please?
Thanks, Bogs.

[geomannie]

I am sure that others will reply, but there is no such lock proof against a serious thief with bolt cutter or angle grinder. A simple cable might deter an opportunistic thief but you could not count on it.

One possibility that springs to mind is a mini u-lock. Depending on size it should be able to attach the bikes to each other, but then not to a solid object. Vigilance is always needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kryptonite-Evo ... B0741C9GT1

[Mick F]

You can buy alarm locks.
Providing you won't be far away, you'll hear them screeching!

https://mobil.abus.com/int/on-road/High ... 0-black-SH

[Tompsk]

I have sern Litelok on-line which I think is a braded steel hoop and lighter than a U lock. They do a gold and silver secure version in different lengths. I've no experience (or connection) with them, haven't seen one in the flesh either. From reviews the gold level lock is stiffer than the silver. I think they are around £75.

[drossall]

There's a rule of thumb that says that all bikes weigh the same when you count the locks. Either you buy a cheap, heavy bike that's OK with a light lock, or you buy a quality, lightweight bike and have to lug around a ton of lock.

Sorry.

[cycle tramp]

Wife and I just bought a couple of electric folders and we are going to need to lash them together with something substantial, however I don't want to lug around an A class chain or spend about £150 buying one.
Does anyone know a lightweight steel bond that wouldn't cut with a pair of bolt croppers, flexible enough to roll up and put in rack bag please?
Thanks, Bogs.

I'm sorry, as far as I am aware such a lock which is light, resistant to bolt cropped and cheap does not exist (as yet)

[Tompsk]

As has been mentioned for many cycle components:

Light, cheap, strong - pick 2 of these and the one remaining is the thing it won't be.

[nirakaro]

Wife and I just bought a couple of electric folders and we are going to need to lash them together with something substantial, however I don't want to lug around an A class chain or spend about £150 buying one.
Does anyone know a lightweight steel bond that wouldn't cut with a pair of bolt croppers, flexible enough to roll up and put in rack bag please?
Thanks, Bogs.

I'm sorry, as far as I am aware such a lock which is light, resistant to bolt cropped and cheap does not exist (as yet)

I fear the laws of physics mean that it never will exist.

[Bogawski]

Thanks for the replies, I am going to check out the Litelock which looks quite compact and bit unusual.

[cycle tramp]

Wife and I just bought a couple of electric folders and we are going to need to lash them together with something substantial, however I don't want to lug around an A class chain or spend about £150 buying one.
Does anyone know a lightweight steel bond that wouldn't cut with a pair of bolt croppers, flexible enough to roll up and put in rack bag please?
Thanks, Bogs.

I'm sorry, as far as I am aware such a lock which is light, resistant to bolt cropped and cheap does not exist (as yet)

I fear the laws of physics mean that it never will exist.

Well, the usual tools of the theft trade are a bottle jack, grinder, sledgehammer and bolt cutters.... a flexible lockable cable will make the bottle jack useless, you could pad out the cable with anti ballistic material (like chainsaw proof trousers) which will gum up the works of the grinder... but that would still leave the cables themselves open to damage by bolt cutters - when I was using my bike to get to my night classes, I used three different types of lock - d lock on the frame to the stand, a thick armoured cable for the rear wheel and further cable on the front wheel locking it to the stand, through my front pannier rack.

[Mick F]

As I suggested, use an alarm lock.
They screech like heck when so much as disturbed and cannot be silenced except for the key.

Mine is deafening but hardly ever use it as I rarely let a bike out of my sight.

[Jamesh]

I think parking your bike in the right place helps alot.

I would only park my bike in a place with lots of traffic and preferably CCTV.

Also if it looks flash that will encourage thieves painting with primer helps disguise a quality bike.


I've parked up my carbon bike whilst lejog with frame, bag bar bag etc with only a cheap cable lock and I think people think twice about walking off with a bike that is obviously someone's mode of transport / holiday means.


Cheers James

[RickH]

We've a couple of the original Liteloks (& a pair of Abus Bordo Granit X folding locks). The Liteloks seem well made but have not, as far as I know, been theft tested. Having 2 the same means you can combine them into a single loop if necessary.

The Liteloks are definitely lighter than the Bordos (around 1kg each compared to around 1.5kg for a Bordo), but I do prefer the compactness of the Bordos as they come with a case that can fix to a set of bottle bosses (or use the included straps).

I think Litelok do a wearable version, as well as several other variants these days.

[chris_suffolk]

Where are you looking to leave it, and for how long. I've an expensive bike, but it only ever gets left for a few minutes outside a cafe or shop while I pop in to buy something. On that basis I use a lightweight cable, which would cut easily, but work on the risk that it's only there a very short time, so oppotunistic theives will be rare. Especially in out of the way cafe stops and the like.

[[XAP]Bob]

As I suggested, use an alarm lock.
They screech like heck when so much as disturbed and cannot be silenced except for the key.

Mine is deafening but hardly ever use it as I rarely let a bike out of my sight.

Quite often a well placed palm with quiet them significantly.

Certainly LPL has picked several of them without setting off the alarm, and I can imagine they'd be much louder than the angle grinder you're cutting the chain with, then just dump the lock on the ground or into a drain/bin/postbox/???