Which Lock For My Ebike?

[mikebike77]

My new ebike will arrive shortly. I found out that without a renter's policy, no insurance company in my area will insure the bike itself, so the only way I can get insurance is by buying a Kryptonite lock and signing up for their protection plan. Right now, I'm probably going to go with the 712 chain lock, 6' long. Looking at the weight, I know it's not going to easy to use, but U-locks are too limiting; sometimes the only thing to wrap the lock around is a tree. Fyi, live in Chicago, my typical trips are for shopping; the longest the bike sits is when I park it at the mass transit station. I'd welcome any suggestions, and other options for theft insurance.

 

[Unicorn]

...live in Chicago, my typical trips are for shopping; the longest the bike sits is when I park it at the mass transit station...

Does the station have clam-shell pull-down bike storage? If so, use them and buy a padlock that is difficult to grab with bold cutters.

If not, a pair of Altor APEX Ti locks are long enough to secure the frame and wheels to something immovable. Great locks, hard to cut; they are even pretty. Add a pair of Ottolock Hexband cinch locks, and you are as safe as any lock can make you. The Hexband locks are great for fast in and outs and easy to carry. They can even be used to lock some batteries to the bike. Get an opaque bike cover and motion alarm; it can't hurt. Good luck.

Stay safe.

 

[mikebike77]

Okay; thanks for the tips!

 

[Smaug]

It sounds like you're in Chicago suburbs rather than Chicago, if you can only find a tree to lock to.

Read the fine print on Kryptonite's protection plan. It's written so that they will not have to pay unless you do everything JUST SO.

If you don't want the bike to get stolen in the first place, you may want to also invest in a decent U-lock, like a LiteLok. They have ceramic embedded in them so an angle grinder can't get through without multiple cutoff wheels. Even a Kryptonite U-lock can easily be cut with an portable angle grinder. If I were locking up all day to commute to the city, I would have a LiteLok X1 and a noose chain and then a brake disc lock & alarm. (these are cheap)

 

[Unicorn]

The things I don't like about u-locks are how heavy they are and that they are too short to protect the frame and both wheels simultaneously.

Stay safe.