Enlarge image
bicycle (icon image)
Photo: Irina Shatilova / iStockphoto / Getty Images
Many people who have had a bicycle stolen know the question: Would this have happened with a different lock?
Quite conceivable - there are considerable differences between different models.
This is suggested by a study by Stiftung Warentest.
With the wide range of bicycle locks on offer, the decision is not easy.
Although manufacturers indicate on scales how secure the respective lock should be, these assessments are hardly comparable.
"Some security scales have 15 levels, others 10, others only 6," says the analysis.
"So what it says, the 'safe option' is neither standardized nor comprehensible."
24 locks tested
For the study, 24 bicycle locks from the major suppliers Abus, Axa, Kryptonite and Trelock were analyzed in more detail in the laboratory - a chain, U-lock and folding lock each, which according to the company's own statements were assigned to the medium or high protection class.
Twelve U-locks, folding locks and chain locks in the medium security class competed with twelve models with a high level of protection.
Some strong underdogs showed up – with which money can be saved.
The result: locks that are sold with high security promises are particularly difficult to pick.
And that regardless of their mechanical nature.
Stiftung Warentest awarded the chain lock Keeper from Kryptonite the test winner – with a weight of 1.3 kilograms and a price of 58 euros.
Although the provider only sells it as a lock with a medium level of protection, it performs better than its direct competitor.
The lock with the higher security level, New York Fahgettaboudit Chain from the same brand, was the best in this test in terms of security.
However, it is expensive at 170 euros and comparatively heavy at 2.6 kilograms.
"Among the four U-locks and six folding locks with the quality rating Good, there are also light and cheaper models in the medium security class, which protect a bike just as badly as their bulky siblings," reports Stiftung Warentest.
However, according to the evaluation, a lock in the middle price range does not necessarily guarantee a high level of security.
"Three mid-range models were opened so quickly by our lock picks that they hardly protect against bicycle theft," the statement says.
The chain locks Trelock BC 380 belong to it, the Axa Clinch+ and the folding lock Abus Bordo Lite.
They leave the test with the grade »insufficient«.
Three more locks would have provided only adequate protection.
However, three locks are defective because they contained problematic substances, it is said.
Accordingly, naphthalene could be detected in the cover of the Abus chain locks: a substance that is suspected of being carcinogenic.
The casing of the Axa Newton Pro 190 padlock contains more phthalate plasticizers than are permitted in the European Union.
an
