The best lock to protect your bike. – By Scott Elder – Slate Magazine
Key style aside, most bikes are stolen because they’re not locked at all (“I’ll just be in Starbucks for a minute …”), or because the locks are used incorrectly. But plenty of properly locked bikes still get nabbed. To find out which locks work best, I pitted nine locks against each other from Kryptonite, OnGuard, and Master Lock: five U-locks, two woven steel cable locks, and two heavy-duty chain locks.
Thanks – glad to see that locks are evolving. I had two bikes locked with Kryptonite U-locks to a second floor apartment landing. The more expensive of the two bikes was quietly spirited away. This must have been near the beginning of the Kryptonite pen-cap reformation. Strangely the thieves also took two pairs of canvas shoes that were also outside my front door. If someone was desperate enough to steal used shoes maybe they needed the bike more than I did.
I use two of the locks mentioned: the Kryptonite New York Chain With EV Disc Lock 3-feet 3-inch Chain, which I wear around my waist when riding, and the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock, which I keep in my backpack. Using these two, locks, I have parked my bike in some amazingly rough neighborhoods, and haven’t had a single problem (even overnight, once) No affiliation with Kryptonite, but I gotta say these are amazing.