Great locks for your e-bike or e-scooter
Locks are the first line of defense against thieves aiming to commit grand theft micro—that is, stealing your personal electric vehicle (PEV). In this article, we offer some common sense advice on what to consider when buying a lock, and provide a short list of locks that are generally considered good options at different price tiers for securing your bicycle or PEV.
Cable Locks are Next to Useless
If you’re a new rider, it can be tempting to grab a $15 lock off the shelf at nearby retail store so you can move on and focus on accessorizing your sweet new ride. But it would be an understatement to say that this would be a huge mistake based on the data we have on bicycle theft in the United States.
Based on data compiled from the FBI, 529 Garage, and the The Best Bike Lock, a whopping 71% of reported bicycle thefts were either not locked up (38%), or locked up with only a cable lock (33%)! Of course, readers who are well versed in statistics might say that these statistics could proportionately reflect the lock up practices in the population of data samples—in other words, 33% of riders could use cable locks, meaning that the percentage of reported thefts with bikes secured with cable locks is not disproportionately high.
Even still, it’s widely known that almost every cable lock out there can be quickly and silently cut with a cheap pair of bolt cutters. Unless you’re going to invest $170 in buying Litelok’s Core Plus, don’t bother with cable locks.
Cheap U-Locks and Chain Locks Aren’t Much Better
If cable locks are the problem, then surely any chain lock or U-lock will be better—right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Not all chain locks, folding locks, and U-locks offer equal security against attacks from thieves. For starters, thinner chain locks (e.g., 6mm chains) can also be cut with bolt cutters. You don’t have to look too hard on Reddit to find examples of chain locks being easily defeated by bolt cutters.
To make matters worse, portable, battery-powered angle grinders are becoming more affordable and widely available. The increased availability of portable angle grinders is one explanation for the catalytic converter theft epidemic sweeping across the US. You can pick up a battery-powered angle grinder for only $50 at Harbor Freight, which can handily defeat most locks on the market in a matter of seconds. These angle grinders will cut through that $20 Master Lock U-Lock from Target like a hot knife through butter.
Redditor u/Demotay conducted an interesting self study on bike theft data in Chicago and discovered an alarming, but unsurprising trend: the percentage of thefts of bikes secured with U-locks has almost quadrupled since 2017. This is clear evidence of the cat-and-mouse game going on with thieves—namely, that the proliferation of cheap, portable power tools is redefining locks that were previously considered “good enough” to now be only slightly better than cable locks.
What Locks Should I Consider, Then?
You’ve been convinced not to pick up any old lock from your nearby retail store. That already makes you more informed than the average rider—congrats! What locks should you consider, then?
We’ve compiled a short list of locks—separated based on their cost—that we consider to be “good enough” against a typical thief looking for an easy opportunity to steal your ride. However, it’s important to note that any lock can be defeated with a combination of the right amount of time, tools, skills, or effort. Even though about 3/4 of all bike thefts happen to bikes locked with a cable lock or no lock at all, a good lock is not a substitute for theft protection, if you can get it.
“any lock can be defeated with enough time, tools, skills, and effort...[thus] a good lock is not a substitute for theft protection”
All of the locks on our list are rated Sold Secure Pedal Gold or better, with the top three being rated Sold Secure Power Diamond, meaning they're rated against angle-grinder resistance.
There are several locks that can withstand bolt cutters, but most locks attacked with angle-grinders will be defeated. Even angle-grinder resistant locks can be defeated with several blades and a bit of extra time. If your favorite lock isn't on this list, don't fret—there are many locks that meet the standard for at least bolt cutter resistance (check out Sold Secure Pedal Gold rated locks or better).
We’ve separated locks based on price ranges and not based on their effectiveness, although if we had to to rank the top 3 locks, they are unsurprisingly the three priciest locks on this list. We provide locks at different pricing tiers because we recognize that you’re more likely to invest more money in a better lock if you have a more expensive PEV.
$50-$100: Onguard Pitbull series, Onguard Mastiff series, Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 1090 Chain lock, Kryptonite New York Standard U-Lock, Kryptonite Evolution Standard U-Lock
$100-$150: Kryptonite Fuhgettaboutit U-Lock, Kryptonite New York series U-Lock, Abus Granite X-Plus Series U-locks
$150-$200: Litelok X1
$200-$300: Litelok X3, Hiplok D1000
(None of these are affiliate links, by the way. Just trying to be helpful!)
Things to Note
Chain Locks are Naturally Resistant to Angle Grinder Attacks
Chain locks thicker than 10mm, like the Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 1090 chain lock are actually a great value because chains can be quite hard to cut with an angle-grinder in real-world conditions. A very taught chain (e.g., both ends held firmly in place with vice grips) is much easier to cut through than a freely dangling chain, as a loose chain tends to move when it comes into contact with a spinning angle grinder disc.
The Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 1090 is also recommended by the Lockpicking Lawyer (YouTube’s foremost lock picking expert) specifically because it's good enough for the value, not because it's unpickable or uncuttable. The LPL can pick any lock on this list, but then again, not every thief has his skillset.
Angle Grinder-resistant Locks can be Worth the Higher Price Tag
If your scooter is very valuable (monetarily or emotionally) or you're in an area where angle grinders are frequently used to commit crimes, there are really only three options you should consider. The Litelok X1 at $180, which is angle grinder-resistant for several blades, and is probably the best value for the protection lock on the market (also has a wait time due to high demand), the Litelok X3 at $300, which has better angle-grinder resistance and better lock-picking resistance, and the Hiplok D1000 at $300, which offers comparable angle grinder resistance as the X3 but is a little shorter as a U-Lock.
Even though these locks technically can be cut, these locks force thieves to consider whether it’s worth it spending 5-10 minutes slowly cutting through these locks in public—all the while making sparks, very loud noises, and drawing attention to themselves. It’s likely that there are other vehicles to steal nearby with easier-to-cut locks, and most thieves are looking to make a quick buck at minimal risk to themselves. If your lock puts up a fight, chances are the thief will give up and find something else to steal.
If Any Lock can be Defeated by a Determined Thief, How Else Can I Protect Myself?
While some people casually remark that a high quality lock or tracker is “basically insurance,” the cold hard truth is that once a thief cuts through your lock and steals your ride, you’ll almost certainly never see it again. And if you have an e-scooter or an e-bike with a motor that can output more than 750W of power, traditional insurance companies won’t insure your vehicle (we know that renters/homeowners insurance may cover theft under some circumstances—which we’ll discuss in a future article!).
That’s why we created StableCare—a theft protection membership designed for e-scooters, performance e-bikes, and other emerging PEV categories. If your lock is cut and a thief steals your vehicle, StableCare theft protection can ensure that you aren’t out the money—allowing you to ride and park, worry-free. Get an instant quote on our website if you’re looking to get theft protection today.
