Few among us do not have a tale of a stolen bike: you leave work with your helmet fastened or come out of a shop after picking up some milk, and your bike has disappeared.
Tens of thousands of people reported a bike theft to police in England and Wales in 2024, so having the right lock is crucial to protect your two-wheeler. But just as everyone has their own preferred bike, choosing the right lock, from ultra-secure bolts to lightweight devices, is highly personal. Riders need to consider where they live, how attractive their bike is to thieves (they often look for more elaborate city and racing bikes), and how long they leave it unaccompanied. Only then is it possible to start pinning down what is needed.
The Metropolitan police urges people to use two locks instead of one, locking both the frame and the wheels to the stand and taking anything removable – lights, baskets and even the saddle – with you. Also, bear in mind that you may have to carry a lock around for some time, so weight is key.
The Sold Secure rating system, owned by the Master Locksmiths Association, judges the performance of any lock. It ranks locks from bronze (the most basic level) to silver (which aims to prevent the more determined attacker), gold (to stop dedicated attacks) and diamond (halting the most serious, including angle grinder, attacks).
Carl Ellis, who founded thebestbikelock.com after having one too many bikes stolen, doesn’t recommend getting bronze-rated locks because he says they do not provide enough protection in most cases. So spend as much as you can afford. He says you can get a lock at a medium security level for about £30, with more secure locks usually costing about £40.
If you have cycle insurance, ensure you are buying a lock approved by your insurer, says Richard Cantle, founder of Stolen Ride, a cyclist-run site that aims to tackle the issues around bike theft.
Here are our experts’ picks of the best bike locks.
At a glance
The best bike locks for 2025
Best affordable lock
Halfords 23cm D Lock
£30 at Halfords
Carl Ellis’s pick is the Halfords 23cm D Lock, which has a gold rating, is practically sized and has a mount included to attach to the frame of the bike. The only drawback is that there is no cable to protect the wheel.
If you want this extra piece of security, try the OnGuard Pitbull DT 8005, which Ellis says is practically sized – big enough to go around the frame and one wheel of most bikes – and gives the extra layer of security.
Best super-secure lock
Hiplok DX1000
£299 at Hiplok
£279 at Balfe’s Bikes
Angle-grinder-resistant bike locks are the security device of choice for some riders, and it’s not hard to understand why. “[Angle grinders] can make cutting standard locks very quick,” says Richard Cantle.
“There are only a handful of these specific locks in this new area of the market, from well-known companies such as Hiplok, Litelok, and Squire. It’s worth pointing out that Sold Secure doesn’t have a specific rating for these locks yet to show their angle grinder credentials; they fall under the diamond rating category that also includes non-angle-grinder-resistant bike locks.”
The most accessible of the high-end locks, says Ellis, is the Litelok X1, which has a diamond certification. But he picks the Hiplok DX1000 as the most angle-grinder-resistant lock. It comes with a lifetime warranty and is fortified with a graphene composite material that makes it much more difficult to cut with an angle grinder.
Best for city cyclists
Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7
£39.43 at Amazon
£39.43 at Halfords
London and other major cities have some of the highest rates of bike theft in the UK. Hackney sat at number one on that undesirable chart in 2024, followed closely by Hammersmith and Fulham, and Cardiff, while Bristol wasn’t far off the top.
The city cyclist can first look at getting a U-lock, also called a D-lock, which offers the “best price to security ratio”, says Ellis. “They are usually the easiest to use, and since cities are full of bike racks, you shouldn’t struggle to find somewhere to lock your bike, even with a mini U-lock.”
Sam Crabtree, a buyer at Halfords, says a good option for city cyclists who need something light on their commute is the gold-rated Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7. “It has a sliding dust cover as well as a higher security disc-style cylinder that is pick and drill resistant,” he says. “Kryptonite locks offer anti-theft protection cover [on bikes] up to a value of £1,500.
“The KryptoFlex cable that comes with the Mini-7 extends its versatility. The cable allows users to secure additional parts of the bike, like the front wheel, or to lock the bike to larger or awkwardly shaped objects that the U-lock alone wouldn’t fit around. While the cable itself isn’t as secure as the U-lock, it’s a good deterrent for opportunistic thieves and adds an extra layer of protection.”
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Best combination lock
Kryptonite KryptoLok Combo
£47.25 at Decathlon
£51.99 at Freewheel
The attraction of a combination lock is that you don’t have to remember a key. But they aren’t as safe as some of those with a key. “Thieves can crack the code through trial and error,” says Crabtree. This would, of course, take the time to go through all of the possible combinations, which would be in the thousands.
There are fewer combination locks with high Sold Secure ratings, says Ellis. Of those that are available, he says the Kryptonite KryptoLok Combo comes with a gold rating and a mount for the frame of your bike.
“The mount is simple to install and holds the lock firmly in place,” he says. “It’s just a good all-round lock that doesn’t require keys. You can also register your combination with Kryptonite in case you forget it.
Best chain lock
Kryptonite KryptoLok Series 2
£89.99 at Cyclelane
£80.99 at Leisure Lakes Bikes
Even though chain locks can offer high levels of security, they’re often too heavy for daily use, says Ellis.
Where chain locks come into their own is when bikes are locked at home. Admiral says that 40% of claims on its policies for stolen bikes are for those taken from sheds and garages, and another 25% are taken from inside homes themselves.
Ellis recommends the gold-rated Kryptonite KryptoLok Series 2 chains, which come in four sizes. They also come with the option of a combination lock or a key and are a reasonable weight
Best lightweight lock
Foldylock Mini
From £76.98 at Amazon
Cyclists looking for a light lock face a problem – typically, security and heaviness go hand and hand.
“Chains and U-locks tend to be the most secure, however, you pay for this security in weight,” says Crabtree. “Whereas cable and folding locks are typically more transportable but tend to offer lower security.”
The silver-rated Foldylock Mini weighs just under 1kg, folding down to a compact and easy-to-carry package, says Ellis. It is the smallest and lightest silver-rated folding lock available, he says, and the folding mechanism is smoother than the competition.
“Because that compact shape is so close to your frame, the lock tends to be kept very firmly in place, even on bumpy rides. In contrast, D-locks are always bigger and can sometimes be less stable in their frame mounts,” he says. “The other advantage of folding locks is that they can be shaped around your bike and whatever you’re trying to lock it to.”
Bikes: a guide to security
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Learn to lock up your bike properly. Keep the lock as far from the ground as possible – thieves may use the ground for leverage – and ensure it goes around both the frame and a wheel.
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Write down your frame number in case your bike is stolen.
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Register your bike with schemes such as Immobilise or the BikeRegister Database, which help identify stolen property to the police.
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Take pictures of your bike, including any distinctive features.
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Get a lock that is the tightest possible fit – not too big that it is slack, but also not so small that it does not lock the bike properly.
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Lock your bike wherever it is – at home or in the street.
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When locking it at home, make sure that the doors and windows are locked and the bike is out of sight.
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Ensure your bike is covered under your home insurance policy.
