Review: Hiplok D Bike Lock

Review: Review: Hiplok D Bike Lock

A worthy investment for your new best friend, Strong and super portable! 8/10

Locks are a funny thing aren’t they? You use them everyday and the only time that you notice they have or haven’t worked is if you can see signs of tampering. Well that’s not strictly true now I think. If a would-be thief looks at your bike with an eye to pilfering it yet they choose not to because it’s locked, well then its surely done its job.

And that I guess is the tricky part about bike locks, the mere fact that you use one is probably more important that which one you actually use.

If someone wants to steal your bike, well there’s a strong chance that they will, and almost nothing you do will stop them. Witness cyclists being followed home, sheds being broken into, house burgled etc etc A motivated thief will take your bike!

More important really is to protect against the opportunist thief, the toe-rag who will half-hinch an unlocked bike quicker than you can say ne’er-do-well!

So that brings me to the review of the D, the new solution brought to you by Hiplok (those folk that brought the lock that could go around your hips).

It’s a sensibly heavy lock, rocking in around the 1kg mark – including in its weight is an integral securing clip for portability.Hiplok-D1-Li-314x314

Now this clip is canny, allowing the lock to be attached to bag straps, belt loops etc. It sounds simple, and maybe I’ve missed it before, but it works really well and I can’t believe no-ones already doing it?

The lock itself is a jolly sturdy number, coming with a Silver Sold-Secure rating, and should do a cracking job at locking your pride and joy. Possibly its biggest downside, is that it’s not hugely wide – this may or may not be an issue depending on how wide your bike’s tubes are – but if you are a chunky carbon-tubed owner (chunky tubes, not waist that is) then might be worth taking your bike along to the shop to double check it will fit.

It features a 13mm hardened steel shackle, and hardened steel body casing,  all with a tough nylon outer shell. Enough to deter all but the most serious of miscreants!

I would like to have seen some form of reflectivity on the lock, facing away from the clip, as that seems to be the part that cars will see – but it’s cheap enough to buy and attach yourself so it’s not exactly a deal breaker!

It comes with 3 keys, sufficiently different in design so they won’t get confused with anything else in the house. Handily the locking slot comes with a rubber bung to stop it getting filled with gank (on the downside, it’s a little cumbersome when wearing gloves to open!)

 

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