Ebike Security

[Stradaman]

Just wondering what types/brands of locks you guys and girls use to secure your Ebikes.

I live in a moderately low crime area but will be doing a lot of late evening riding and I want to do the best I can to protect my investment without carrying too much additional weight.

Been looking about and the Abus granite Xplus 540 seems like the best of the U locks for my needs. Just need an additional lock to secure the front wheel as its quick release. Rope locks are an option but seem like they'd be too easy to cut. So maybe another smaller U lock or a folding lock?

Do I have to be concerned about securing the battery? I'm assuming ill get a key to remove it but Unlike some bikes mines not integrated into the frame so stands out like a sore thumb.

any suggestions welcome.

 

[larroya]

I'm using two Abus Granit x-plus 540 u-locks

 

[Stradaman]

I'm using two Abus Granit x-plus 540 u-locks

Cant go wrong with that combo. Was considering that myself.

How do you carry them?

 

[E-Wheels]

I'm using two Abus Granit x-plus 540 u-locks

Ditto

 

[larroya]

Cant go wrong with that combo. Was considering that myself.

How do you carry them?

Rear pannier bag or backpack, bit heavy but only for shopping or city trips and also using see sense rear light, it has app so you get msg if your bike move. Happy enough

 

[Eagle]

Stradaman,

You should find this video useful, where £11,000 of bike locks are destroyed:

The summary of different lock types in different price categories begins at 12:13.

The best overall lock was unsurprisingly an Abus one, the Abus Granit 59 Extreme D-Lock:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000OYHNU2/ref=asc_df_B000OYHNU256187349/?tag=googshopuk-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B000OYHNU2&linkCode=df0&hvadid=232020729251&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8485871226515147696&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007152&hvtargid=pla-510839739727&th=1&psc=1

How secure is your bike lock?

Abus Granit X Plus 540 review:

http://thebestbikelock.com/best-u-lock/abus-granit-x-plus-540-review/

You should assume that your bike will be stolen or damaged and also purchase some suitable cycle insurance cover.

You could always buy one of these Yerka bikes instead!
https://yerkabikes.com/eu/en/

 

[Stradaman]

@Eagle thanks for the info. Looks like I’ve made the right decision with the Abus just need something suitable for the front wheel

That bike looks interesting...good idea in theroy but its leaves the thief with too much leverage making it vulnerable to hammer attacks etc

Saying that anyone who do manages to crack it wont have much bike left!

 

[Giorgosa]

it is not worth carrying two heavy locks. I have one gold secure Kryptonite D-lock and bike insurance (and the Abus Pro Tectic Frame that bike has). Obviously i removed quick release from both wheels.

 

[Dangermouse]

I'm firmly of the opinion that if professional thief wants your bike badly enough then they'll get it. All you can do is put off the opportunists and make sure you're sufficiently well insured.

We have a pair Liteloks which we can use individually or connect together to make one big lock so we can lock both bikes to the bike carrier. They're Sold Secure gold so in theory it should take a while for a thief to get through them, but should the worst happen then that's what the insurance is for. I'm comfortable leaving the bikes locked on the high street for a few hours, but if I'm leaving my bike in a high-risk place such as a railway station then I'll also use my old Sold Secure silver lock as a secondary.

 

[Eagle]

Stradaman,

It is a good idea to protect the wheels against theft.

Abus also do NutFix wheel locks (for quick-release skewers):

https://www.abus.com/uk/Mobile-Security/Bike-Safety-and-Security/Locks/NutFix

The NutFix system uses gravity. Whilst the bike is upright, the skewers are locked and cannot be unscrewed.

Review:

http://thebestbikelock.com/wheel-locks-and-seat-locks/abus-nutfix-wheel-lock-review/

Similar locks are available from Pinhead, Pitlock, Kryptonite and Zefal etc.

 

[DynatechFan]

Kryptonite Evo4 D lock here because I am too tight to get a top spec Abus, which is a lovely thing - and everyone uses Kryptonites round here so they are nicely anonymous

Swapped out all the Qrs (wheels and saddle) also - my SMP saddle is probably worth as much as the bike mind. Don't worry about the battery

So many places have secure bike parking these days its worth seeking out for piece of mind - I did see an interview with some bikes thieves once and the biggest deterent to them was a cover not the lock(s) . . .

 

[kingsknight]

I use a Abus Granit x-plus 540 for the frame and rear wheel, kryptonite messenger for the front wheel and this bicycle alarm / light.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MQ2KL1I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It fits right in the seat and is quite hard to get at. It's a very simple alarm but everyone who has had a look at it who I know has a bike has got one now!

 

[James63]

Onguard Pitbull, and another hefty-ish Kryptonite sold secure gold rated D-lock and a couple of quite sturdy cables. DNA marked, police registered and insured.

The weight of the things doesn't bother me. Probably less than the weight of an arm and that's not a big deal on an e-bike.

The Onguard lock with cable only cost £28(ish) from the internet which seemed reasonable.

I'm not too sure what to do with the battery either. Sometimes I remove it, sometimes not.

I initially had just the Kryptonite D-lock and cable but being something of a nervous Norman, I splashed out on the Onguard to go with it. I feel happy to have paid for a little extra peace of mind. It is a bit of a palaver with keys and cables and whatnot to do all the locking and the unlocking but I am trying to treat it as a little meditative pause in my day and that seems to work

Bristol is a very bike-thiefy city indeed. We are very cctv-ed as well but nevertheless, having had a few bikes nicked before, I am very cautious.

 

[row]

Has anyone used this? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077P6NN23/?coliid=I17CKHOSFW2I8V&colid=1FL2KIC06G1GO&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Benjahmin]

I use a Lidl version that is sans alarm. Use it as a cafe lock. Very practically it sits in a frame on bottle mounts, so it's always there. Seems to be good solid stuff, reassuringly heavy, links open out long enough to go round lampposts etc, unlike any D lock I've tried. Metal is plastic covered so softer on frame paint. Of course would not stand up to battery grinder but one would hope that the alarm would alert passing citizens to skullduggery. However I feel that hope may be a forlorn one

 

[Steve Dyson]

i only have one visible bike lock, just a cheap one but i have built an arduino GPS tracker for the bike that powers up and sends me a text message when my bike is powered up and tracks the journey.

this should be sufficient to find it if it ever goes missing...

 

[al.b]

If your insured the insurance company will insist on sold secure locks. Mine is a kryptonite also. But the underwriters absolutely insist on locking it to an immovable object but as people have said its a deterrent not an absolute

 

[Stradaman]

Some interesting lock combinations here. I decided to get an Abus Cobra cable to go with the Abus d lock which means i can secure the frame and back wheel and im going to remove QR from the front wheel and replace with hexlox or something similar. The lock/unlock process is a bit of a pain but i can live with it

I also purchased a fake gps tracking sticker from Amazon which I've put on the battery [emoji1787]

 

[Paul Wrighton]

Do I have to be concerned about securing the battery? I'm assuming ill get a key to remove it but Unlike some bikes mines not integrated into the frame so stands out like a sore thumb.

No one has addressed this... I suspect all insurance will insist you remove the battery, and that in itself will probably deter all bike thieves from bothering.

But it's a complete pain to carry your battery around! I would mention despite there being a key to lock the battery to frame these are always carrying disclaimers that they are not theft proofing locks. I can vouch for this with my Bosch gen.1 system frame fit, where I recently made the accidental discovery that one good yank can dislodge my brand new £500 battery from the frame despite the lock! I'm in a quandary as to what to do and for time being will refit the old battery if going to any higher risk destination....

Anyone have better ideas for battery security? Are there any products out there? I'm aware of alarms, but I'm after something that keeps the battery in situ securely...