Getting the Bike Ready - Padlock

Continuing with the theme of things that could go wrong when enjoying a bikepacking adventure, your bike being stolen is one of those things that could very well end your adventure and cost you a lot of money too, not just in replacing the bike. If you've booked your accommodation in advance, even if you were to get the bike back by some massive stroke of luck, you may find yourself behind schedule and failing to get to the right accommodation on the right day.

So a good padlock is worth investing in.

Choosing which padlock to buy is not so easy. I read various reviews and studied the results of tests carried out and the specification of each product. I learned that there's a useful security testing standard which is branded as Sold Secure. Bike locks are graded at Sold Secure Bronze, Silver or Gold. Gold is of course the most secure. Generally though, the more secure a lock, the heavier it is too and some of them are very heavy indeed.

To browse products at the three different grades, use the links at this page on the Sold Secure web site. 

Having weighed up the pros and cons, I went for an Abus 420/170HB230. Abus seem to have a great product range and reputation.

It's not light at 1100g .... but nowhere near as some other products whose weight is in the 2kg - 3kg range. Carrying the lock is a little problematic too. It comes with a frame mounting kit, but the lock is large and I couldn't get it to fit whilst retaining my two bottle cages. So, I either strap it to my pannier rack or put it in my Ortlieb Rack Pack.

Hopefully it will never be put to the test!