Top 5 compared
The best bike locks
Make the bike a harder target at the station rack, the office or a quick stop at the store.
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The top 5 at a glance
A bike lock doesn’t have to be unbreakable, just slower to beat than the one on the next bike. U-locks and folding locks are solid steel and slow to cut, and most ride on a frame bracket; chains and cables reach around a tree or a second bike, but cut quickly, so they suit short stops somewhere busy, or the wheels alongside a stronger lock.
Makers rate their locks on different scales, and only some carry an independent rating such as Sold Secure, so what a lock is made of says most. Whichever kind, it goes through the frame and the rear wheel and around something solid, and a combination lock arrives set to a default code to change before the first ride.
What matters
- Enough reach for the frame, a wheel and the rack or post.
- A sleeve or coating that keeps the lock off the paint.
- A cover over the keyhole or the dials, against rain and grit.
- A key number to register, so a lost key can be replaced.
#1GRIFEMA 47 in Bike Chain Lock with 2 Keys
$10–$20
At 47 in it’s long enough to loop around a tree or a railing, or through two bikes at once outside the café. The chain sits in a fabric sleeve that won’t scratch the frame, and a cover keeps rain and grit out of the keyhole.
What owners say: Solidly made and simple to use, by owners’ accounts, and one says it simply doesn’t budge. The sleeve gets credit for keeping the paint unscratched.
A closer look: A 7mm chain can be cut, so keep it for short stops in busy places, or use it at home as a second lock through the wheels. Wrapped around the seat post it’s easy to carry at about 28 oz.
- Wraps a tree or railing
- Nylon sleeve protects the paint
- Dust cover over the keyhole
- Hardened steel links
- 2 keys
Best for: Locking bikes together
- Type
- Chain, key
- Thickness
- 7mm chain
- Size or length
- 47 in
- Weight
- 1.75 lb
- Frame bracket
- No
#2Sportneer 17mm U-Lock with 5ft Cable and Bracket
$20–$30
A U-lock, a looped steel cable and a frame bracket in one box: a first lock for a student or a new commuter, with a silicone coating that keeps it from scratching the paint.
What owners say: The cable gives enough reach for both wheels and the frame, and owners rate it as strong. The U itself is smaller than most: handy in a bike bag, some say, but too tight for a few chunky e-bike frames.
A closer look: Put the U around the frame and back wheel and loop the cable through the front, so both wheels and the frame are held. It has no independent security rating, so it’s best for daytime stops somewhere busy, such as a campus rack, rather than overnight downtown.
- Silicone coating saves the paint
- 2 keys
Best for: Students and new commuters
- Type
- U-lock + 5ft cable
- Thickness
- 17mm shackle
- Size or length
- 7.8 × 5 in outside
- Weight
- 1.6 lb (lock)
- Frame bracket
- Yes
#3Seatylock Foldylock Compact Folding Bike Lock (33.5 in)
$75–$100
Hardened steel links that fold into a short block on the frame, then open into a 33.5 in loop, enough for a frame and a rack or a lamppost. It’s rated Sold Secure Silver and won a European product design award in 2020.
What owners say: Easier to use than a U-lock, owners find, and it folds up compact, with a mount that can go on the water-bottle bolts. Weight and price divide them: some think both are fine, others find it heavy and pricey.
A closer look: The mount bolts onto the bottle-cage holes, so it rides on the frame without straps, and the lock clicks in and out of it. Fold it the same way each time and it slides into the holder without a fight; a drop of oil in the keyhole now and then keeps it turning smoothly in winter.
- Rated Sold Secure Silver
- Folds into a compact block
- Mounts on bottle-cage holes
- Oil the keyhole in winter
- 3-year warranty
Best for: Carrying a lock without a bag
- Type
- Folding lock
- Thickness
- –
- Size or length
- 33.5 in loop
- Weight
- 2.2 lb
- Frame bracket
- Yes
#4Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard U-Lock with 4 ft Cable
$75–$100
A 12.7mm hardened-steel U-lock with a double deadbolt, rated Sold Secure Silver, with a 4 ft looped cable for the front wheel and a frame bracket. Kryptonite made its name in 1972, when a bike locked to a signpost in New York’s Greenwich Village for 30 days was stripped of every loose part, but the lock held.
What owners say: Security is the big draw, with one owner trusting it in high-risk parts of town. Others are less sold: a few had it fail quickly or found the key hard to engage, and some think it costs too much.
A closer look: The 4 × 9 in inside gives enough reach for a thick post or a rack and the frame together. Use the U on the frame and rear wheel with the cable threaded through the front wheel and back onto the shackle, and register the key number with Kryptonite so a lost key can be replaced.
- Rated Sold Secure Silver
- Double deadbolt
- Hardened steel shackle
- Register keys for replacements
Best for: City commuting
- Type
- U-lock + 4 ft cable
- Thickness
- 12.7mm shackle
- Size or length
- 4 × 9 in inside
- Weight
- 3.65 lb with cable
- Frame bracket
- Yes
#5Sportneer 5-Digit Combination Chain Lock
$10–$20
Nothing to carry but the code: five resettable dials on a 6mm manganese steel chain, in a soft sleeve that keeps the chain off the paint, with a little cap that keeps rain and grit out of the dials. Sportneer sells it in 3.2, 3.6 and 4 ft lengths, and even the shortest locks two bikes together.
What owners say: The five-digit code is simple to set, and people like its sharp look and find it a good value. Toughness splits them: plenty find it sturdy, while some had one give out within months or think it would cut easily, and the length is right for some and too short for others.
Heads up: It arrives set to 00000, so set your own code before the first ride and note it somewhere safe.
A closer look: The lock head is about 1.3 in across, so check it passes between the spokes and frame before relying on threading it through a wheel; if not, wrap the chain around the frame and the post instead. Like any thin chain it’s for short stops somewhere busy, such as the school rack or the library.
- Code can be reset
- 100,000 combinations
- Dust cap over the dials
- Fabric sleeve protects the frame
- Manganese steel chain
Best for: Riders who’d rather not carry a key
- Type
- Chain, 5-digit code
- Thickness
- 6mm chain
- Size or length
- 3.2 to 4 ft
- Weight
- –
- Frame bracket
- No
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1GRIFEMA chain | #2Sportneer U-lock | #3Seatylock Foldylock | #4Kryptolok Standard | #5Sportneer combination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget U-lock | Best folding lock | Best combination lock | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Price | $10–$20 | $20–$30 | $75–$100 | $75–$100 | $10–$20 |
| Type | Chain, key | U-lock + 5ft cable | Folding lock | U-lock + 4 ft cable | Chain, 5-digit code |
| Thickness | 7mm chain | 17mm shackle | – | 12.7mm shackle | 6mm chain |
| Size or length | 47 in | 7.8 × 5 in outside | 33.5 in loop | 4 × 9 in inside | 3.2 to 4 ft |
| Weight | 1.75 lb | 1.6 lb (lock) | 2.2 lb | 3.65 lb with cable | – |
| Frame bracket | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Best for | Locking bikes together | Students and new commuters | Carrying a lock without a bag | City commuting | Riders who’d rather not carry a key |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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