Angle Grinder Resistant Bike Lock

Cycling Weekly

Portable angle grinders are increasingly becoming the tool of choice for bicycle thieves and, sadly, there are very few compact bike locks that can withstand sustained attack from a 'grinder blade.

Transcript

00:00I don't know about you but one of the major deterrents from using my bike for commuting

00:03is fear of having it stolen. It's a horrible feeling returning to your bike to find that

00:08it's no longer where you left it. When we talk about bike locks we very often have to caveat

00:13what we say with the fact that most of them are deterrents. Though quality bike locks are

00:19generally rated by independent companies sold secure, it's usually bronze, silver or gold.

00:24Gold rated locks are very very robust but they are rated upon how long it took to get through

00:30the lock and what tools were required. The most robust tools, example being angle grinders,

00:36will usually get through really any lock. That was why I was extremely excited to get a press

00:41release from Hiplock about its new D1000 lock. Launched via a Kickstarter today,

00:47this lock is reportedly angle grinder resistant. I was even more excited about this because I also

00:53have an angle grinder. Of course there are angle grinders and angle grinders. They do come with

00:58different ratings. This one isn't the biggest of the bunch, however it's still a pretty burly tool

01:04and you have to be quite a determined thief to be traveling around with one of these in your

01:08backpack. What is it that makes this lock apparently resistant to this? According to Hiplock,

01:16it's used a material called ferrosafe which is a graphene composite that Hiplock says is

01:21resistant to angle grinders because of its physical and chemical properties. In terms of

01:26actually how to lock this lock, it uses a lock end key. Also a rubber coating on top which serves to

01:33protect your bike if you're going to mount this lock directly to it. Of course it does way more

01:38than a standard lock. This one comes in at 1942 grams. In order to provide a comparison, Hiplock

01:45also sent its D-lock. This one weighs in at 1001 grams so it is significantly lighter and is silver

01:53rated by sold secure. It is still a pretty hench lock. It would take a pretty determined thief to

01:59get through it but it's not angle grinder proof as per the vast majority of locks on the market.

02:05The Hiplock D1000 is diamond rated by sold secure. Diamond is a rating that's usually attributed to

02:12caravans or cylinder locks so it is a pretty hench option. Now angle grinders are pretty

02:19significant power tools so I've roped in the Stig to give me a hand here.

02:42So there you have it. We did eventually get through this lock. However we had a plug-in

03:07angle grinder. Most thieves are probably not going to have access to a plug socket. We had

03:12the benefit of a vice which made the whole process quite a lot easier. Took us well over 20 minutes

03:18and we went through one, two, three, four, five cutting discs. We also had plumes of smoke which

03:24wasn't really all that pleasant. Would definitely draw public attention. So would you trust this

03:29lock with your pride and joy or would you rather have something lighter weight that's easier to

03:34carry but not so robust? Let us know in the comments and if you enjoyed this video please

03:39do hit subscribe.

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