Introduction
As climate change accelerates, more and more people are abandoning their cars and turning to bikes for their commute or other journeys. This is great news, but it also comes with its own problems: bike thefts are on the rise, and that is particularly a problem in urban areas such as major cities across Australia. If you are worried about your bike being stolen, then you are going to want to get your hands on a decent bike lock to help keep it safe from theft.
Even the strongest bike lock in the world is not completely infallible, but having a good lock for your bike is the single best thing you can do to discourage theft. Not all bike locks are the same, though, so finding the best lock for your needs can take a bit of effort. We have done some research, however, so the article below might just save you a bit of trouble when it comes to finding the strongest bike locks to protect your bike with.
Why are Bike Locks Important?
If you do not have a bike lock, you will need somewhere safe to store your bike. That is fine for keeping it in your house or garden when you are not using it, but it can be a bit of a problem when you need to take your bicycle elsewhere. Given that bikes are used for transport, not being able to safely store them at the other end of a journey can be a major problem!
A bike lock lets you attach your bike to something stable and firmly fixed to the ground, like a fence, railing, or post of some sort. This means that thieves can’t simply pick your bike up and take it away. Of course, a really determined thief will still be able to cut through most locks, but even a cheap and simple lock will discourage the vast majority of potential bike thieves.
The Best Bike Locks
There are several great brands of bike locks available at the moment, but picking the best is difficult. This is because there are so many different ways to measure “best.” Do you want the strongest bike lock in the world? The best value for money? What about the size? If you are going to be cycling around with the lock hanging off the back of your bike, weight is an important consideration too.
As a general rule, the best bike lock brands in Australia in 2022 that you should keep an eye out for are Kryptonite, ABUS, and Pragmasis. All of these are excellent brands, providing a high level of security and good value for money. The strongest of these, although not the lightest or the cheapest, is the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini bike lock, which might just be the strongest bike lock out there.
The Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini Bike Lock
It is hard to find a bike lock that comes close to the strength of the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini, a powerful little bike lock made from a solid, weighty mass of 2kg of solid steel. This is a powerful steel shackle, designed to be impossible for thieves to cut through even with a large set of bolt cutters. The only way anyone will be getting through this is with an angle grinder, which is louder and bulkier than most thieves want to be dealing with.
Designed in the US as a solution to a crime wave of bike thefts, the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini is more than strong enough to see off most prospective bike thieves in Australia. It is also much cheaper than you might expect, coming in significantly under the price point of many much lower quality bike locks from other brands.
What Is So Special about Kryptonite Locks?
If you ask any expert on bicycle security about the best brands of bike locks, Kryptonite is likely to come in very near the top of the list. This brand has a great reputation across the scene, and its design consistently protects against any modern advances or new techniques and tools used by skilled bike thieves.
Kryptonite offers an Anti-Theft Protection guarantee, reassuring customers that they have made a safe, sensible choice in buying Kryptonite locks. This means that if there is confirmation that your bike was stolen while you were using a Kryptonite lock, the company will give you a full compensation claim. This guarantee was introduced alongside the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini lock all the way back in 1994, and the company continues to pride itself on its reliability.
Kryptonite locks are designed to be easy to use. Their keys are durable and ergonomic, meaning that they are not going to snap off in the lock, and the lock itself comes with a plastic keyhole cover to prevent dirt from clogging up the mechanism.
How Much Should I Spend on a Bike Lock?
There is no real answer to this question, as it is all a matter of personal preference, and the range of prices for locks is a broad one. In general, though, around 5% of the price of your bike is a pretty good ballpark figure. Anything more than that is probably not worth the money, while very cheap bike locks are often a little too easy for thieves to cut through when attempting to steal your bike.
Conclusion
Bike locks are an essential part of keeping your bicycle safe. There is no accessory more important than a bike lock, and making sure you buy the best possible lock is a great way to keep your bike as safe as possible. Above, we have discussed one of the best locks available, the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini, but this is not the only good bike lock out there. There are many other good brands and models of bike locks available, and if Kryptonite locks are outside your budget or simply unavailable in your area, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a different bike lock instead.
The important thing is that you ensure you are not left without a lock at any point; leaving your bike unlocked is just asking to get it stolen!
