Recommendation for a compact bike lock please

D13exile

Never needed a bike lock before on my spins as I always had a mate with me and one of us would mind the bikes while the other got the coffee/sausage roll/cake at the petrol station we stopped off at. However he's now working 24/7 and not available for coming out with me on a cycle and I feel uneasy about leaving three grand worth of bike sitting alone outside a shop if I fancy a quick, and what could be a verrrrry expensive coffee if it got nicked.

So would anyone have a recommendation for a small, compact and lightweight bike lock (that I could fit in a jersey pocket) that would protect the bike for a minute or two while I nip in for a takeaway coffee and a snack? Doesn't have to be bullet proof and really only a deterrent to stop someone quickly legging it with the bike. Thanks

El Vino

https://www.hiplok.com/product-category/security-ties/

I use one of these, not much more than a heavy duty ziptie with a metal core, I try to keep the bike in sight while I'm in the shop but seems ok so far

Fighting Tao

I’ve often wheeled the bike into a shop. No one ever said anything to me and if they did I’d take my business elsewhere.

Welshkev

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/03/best-pocket-locks-reviewed-and-cafe-bike-security/

tomasrojo

IThe Hiplok z-lok combo, mentioned in that link and by El Vino, is pretty light, though not very secure. Can't be defeated without tools, but fairly simple tools can beat it. I've been using it to secure the saddle of my Brompton for a few months, and as a lock I leave on the bike at all times, just in case. I loop it through the saddle rails to carry it. The Brompton doesn't give you many options for carrying locks without brackets and the like impeding the fold if you're not bringing luggage or a basket,so it's a good choice for a back-up lock you can leave on the bike.

Actually, I'm using two z-loks to secure the saddle, but the non-combo one I just leave on the bike threaded through the saddle rails at all time. I find the non-combo one a pain to unlock compared to the combo.

D13exile

Thanks lads. I've ordered one of the hip-locks from Chain Reaction Cycles along with other bits and bobs. It looks like it fits the bill nicely for me as it'll only be required to secure the bike for the time it takes me to get a coffee and a snack at a garage, plus it appears to be compact and light enough to carry in a jersey pocket.

Thanks again for the recommendations and advice

Thirdfox

Too late for OP but maybe for anyone else looking this was reviewed higher than the z-loks mentioned in the thread (but a lot pricer too):

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/biking/bike-lock/otto-designworks-ottolock-cinch

Thirdfox

Ouch...maybe not:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ah3RA0Alo - 2 seconds to cut the ottolock (I can't imagine the z-lok would fare any worse than 2 seconds and you're paying 80 euro for the privilege )

punisher5112

Kryptonite locks another good lock...

Thirdfox

El Vino wrote: »

https://www.hiplok.com/product-category/security-ties/

I use one of these, not much more than a heavy duty ziptie with a metal core, I try to keep the bike in sight while I'm in the shop but seems ok so far

As seen in that ottolock video I guess a tinsnip cutter will cut through the zlok in 2 seconds too - for 20 euro I guess you have the advantage of preventing someone just cycling away with it but as one reviewer noted often insurance companies will not compensate for theft if the bike isn't secured to a fixed object and the z lok seems like it'd be too short to wrap around a post?

Thirdfox

I am trying to find a similar lock myself too - on the basis that I guess all these locks give 2 seconds protection against a tinsnip cutter I think the following factors matter the most:
1. weight
2. ease of use (combo lock vs key)
3. cost (not paying 80 euro for a lock that is cut in 2 seconds )

Aliexpress turned up these (probably gives the same protection as a z lok but seems long enough to wrap around a post at least):

73g 7 euro - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32810668703.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.19.85d359b5z82spN&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.13338.128125.0&scm_id=1007.13338.128125.0&scm-url=1007.13338.128125.0&pvid=1862e719-91b0-437c-aa18-4c06e6f4b256

110g 10 euro - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32805161152.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.40.85d359b5z82spN&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.13338.128125.0&scm_id=1007.13338.128125.0&scm-url=1007.13338.128125.0&pvid=1862e719-91b0-437c-aa18-4c06e6f4b256

(no idea of weight but I suspect very light) 2 euro : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33003929764.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.4.85d359b5z82spN&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.13338.128125.0&scm_id=1007.13338.128125.0&scm-url=1007.13338.128125.0&pvid=1862e719-91b0-437c-aa18-4c06e6f4b256

I think I'll go with the 7 euro option - small and cheap and long enough for fixing.

endacl

Also, give your shifters a flick or ten before you leave the bike. If somebody does nab it, they might just faceplant before getting away.

tomasrojo

Thirdfox wrote: »

the z lok seems like it'd be too short to wrap around a post?

The z-lok combo is definitely long enough to lock the frame to a sign post. The other z-lok type I think is long enough too, though it's a little shorter. I think the combo might even manage to include a wheel as well as the frame and the post -- just about.

cdaly_

I keep a Kryptonite Mini Messenger on the bike at all times. Handy for nipping into Lidl for my lunch on the morning commute or into the country shop/petrol station for a mid-ride coffee. I add a Kryptonite New York for city centre parking.

rubadub

Fighting Tao wrote: »

I’ve often wheeled the bike into a shop.

I have taken the front wheel off a few times and walked in carrying it. I think it is better than a cheap lock as those going around with actual tools to nick bikes will want a quick getaway on the actual bike, and a full intact bike to sell on.

tomasrojo

Yeah, that's both lightweight and a proper lock. Weight over ten times what the z-lok combo weighs, but actually need at least medium-size bolt cutters, I think, to defeat that.

punisher5112

Angle grinder isn't uncommonly used either....

2 locks minimum especially around city centre.

tomasrojo

City centre = two locks, I agree with that, for sure.

From what I've heard (which is more USA and UK reports, to be fair) angle grinders aren't used that often. And, apart from the people who swap front wheels so they can ride off on a bike locked by just the front wheel, thieves do just want an intact, working bike -- something they can cycle away on and then sell on without any extra work (that is, they don't want to saw through rear wheels, as in the perennial Sheldon Brown locking debate). There are some thieves who use vans and angle grinders, but they're not that common, and there doesn't seem to be that much cyclists themselves can do about them, since it's basically organised crime.

But the OP just wanted a lock for spins that was light and would stop someone from just jumping on the bike and cycling off straight away.