Gear Recommendation: The angle grinder resistant Litelok X1 to keep your pricey bike safe! FYI the Litelok X1 Moto is literally the exact same lock but has a different name to indicate it works for motorcycles too.
Angle grinder resistant bike locks are here! I am so excited to share about the new step change in U-lock security with the Litelok X1 and similar angle grinder resistant bike locks. The hardened steel U-locks that came before (courtesy of Kryptonite in the 1970s) successfully resisted bolt cutters, but couldn’t resist an angle grinder for more than a minute. Now, not only has the time required to cut these new U-locks gone up more than 4x, but a thief would also need extra hardware discs and potentially even an extra battery to make it through the required cuts to remove one of these bike locks.
Most importantly, the Litelok X1 comes with an affordable price considering the extra security it provides, making this a reasonable purchase. While you can get an even stronger angle grinder resistant lock, the added price and added weight make the others less practical. If you do want to go stronger, I’d recommend the Litelok X3 or the Hiplock D1000.
This is the next level of bike security for people who want to ride around with more valuable bikes and use them for transportation around a high theft city. Although you could always do it before, the risk was certainly there, and locks like the Litelok X1 remove a lot of that risk. E-bikes, fancy road bikes, cargo bikes, and even a sentimental bike are now at less risk of being stolen. Fear no longer! Worry no more! Sketchy back alleys be damned!
While there are other angle grinder resistant locks out now, the Litelok X1 is the clear winner. At 3.7 pounds it’s 1.5 pounds heavier than my current U-locks recommended, but still significantly lighter than chain locks, the famous New York Lock (now entirely obsolete), and the competing angle grinder resistant locks. I still think the Seatylock Mason is a good choice if you have a less expensive bike or live in a lower theft area because of the weight savings. Don’t forget to lock all of your bike components too!
The only downside to this U-lock revolution is that your U-lock is no longer the weakest link in the system. This means you need to be a bit more careful when deciding what object to lock your bike to, since that could potentially be easier to cut than the Litelok X1! I presume that thieves won’t even try to cut a Litelok X1 and will instead try to cut what the lock is attached to or move on. This is great news, and let’s make sure our cities are installing secure bike parking that’s just as tough as the Litelok X1 to cut through.
The Litelok X1 Will Keep Your Bike Safe
I fell in love at angle grinder resistant, but it seems even the personality is good! Now that’s a keeper.
- Angle grinder resistant, destroying discs that try to cut it (🔥)
- Balance of price, weight, and security level
- Double locking shackle (table stakes, lock has to be cut twice to be defeated)
- Convenient and unobtrusive key weather cover (silicone self-sealing kinda like a vibrator charger actually…)
- Sexy looking reflective strips all over it, enhancing safety in the dark if your lock is mounted 🎆
- Soft coating that won’t damage your frame
- A secure mount sold separately that keeps your lock safely on the bike with NO RATTLING! I am loving how quiet this lock is while riding.
What more could you want? A little lighter yeah, but we always want that…
Oh, and since this lock has such a big locking area you can invite a friend to join in on the bike locking fun! Biking is always better with friends, and the Litelok X1 can easily lock 2 bikes with a single lock (assuming you have all your components and wheels locked separately).
Of course usually this extra space will go unused, so I do hope Litelok makes a slightly smaller (and thereby lighter) U-lock for the single bikes.
The Tactical Mount to Hold Your Litelok on your Bicycle
When you have a big, heavy, U-lock like the Litelok X1 it’s important to have a good way to carry it around. Fortunately, Litelok sells a quality Tactical Mount that holds it well. I was a bit confused with how to use it at first, thinking I had to push the lock straight together in the mount, but once I saw their video with how you lock it perpendicular and then snap it into place it becomes much easier and works like a charm!
You need to lock the Litelok into the mount, which is different than usual but works surprisingly well.
The Twist n Go mount is an older version of the mount that doesn’t work quite as well. I’ve tried it out and the lock can sometimes rattle and fall a little loose, so it’s not recommended. The benefit of the Twist n Go mount is that you can put a locked Litelok X1 on it, whereas with the Tactical Mount you need to put it through and lock as you mount it. While it seems more complex it actually goes quite smoothly.
If you wanna go simpler, try out some universal U-lock mounts like the U Hold+ or the HULD IT to strap the Litelok to your frame minimally. The sizes linked should work for the Litelok X1.
If you want to hold it on your pants/belt, Litelok sells a Restrap Lock Holster for that too.
Lock Your Bike to Secure Objects!
Once you have an angle grinder resistant U-lock like the Litelok X1, you may start locking up your expensive bike outside that you were previously scared to let out of your sight. This is great! But before you lock with reckless abandon, take a moment to make sure the object you’re locking to is as secure as your lock. Bike racks are the best, parking meters are good, signposts can be ok, wood is terrible. Some bike racks can be loose if old, so check that it doesn’t move before locking, and report a broken bike rack to 311 or the necessary owners!
Things to note if locking to signposts:
- Is the signpost high enough that 2 guys can break the sign off the top and lift your bike up and over the post? Probably unlikely, but good to know it’s possible so you can properly gauge the risk related to the value of your bicycle.
- Is the signpost a breakaway sign post holes in it? Those holes are there specifically to weaken the sign and allow it to break off if a car runs into it, so it’s potentially a weak point.
Bike racks specifically designed for locking bikes are usually designed well enough, but here are things to look out for when locking to bike racks:
- Would your lock slide off the rack if the rack is somehow removed from the ground? A well designed bike rack will have a bar in the middle or large edges on the ends to prevent a lock from being slid off if it’s somehow removed. This means a thief would have to drag the bike rack along with the bike.
- Is it an artsy bike rack that looks cool but might be made with a weaker material than a standard bike rack?
- Are the ground connection points secure?
Now, for a quick bike locking tip. When locking your bike, you can lock it in a way that makes sure the bike cannot be ridden until the lock is defeated. A simple counterexample is locking the top tube. If you lock just the top tube, the lock can hang from it and someone can still ride it away if they’re able to cut the object you locked it to. Instead, lock one of the down tubes or the rear wheel in the frame triangle. Then the lock will clearly get in the way when riding, and another reason for a thief to go elsewhere.
Even though these are mostly rare situations, it’s still a good idea to have some bicycle insurance whenever you’re locking your bike outside. Did you know you can insure your bicycle on our home/renters insurance policy? I use Lemonade insurance to cover one of my bicycles for about $3.50 a month extra. You’ll want to get “scheduled personal property” coverage, or “extra coverage” as Lemonade calls it. This allows you to claim your bicycle easily with a $0 deductible, and it’s still covered even if your bike is stolen out on the street. Chances are your standard home or renters insurance has a deductible that’s above the value of your bike, and that won’t help you at all. Check out quotes below.
What about Lock Picking?
Another concern about having an angle grinder resistant U-lock that is that it may be easier to pick or defeat the locking mechanism instead of brute force cutting of the metal. Lockpicking is generally not a concern for the best U-locks on the market, and the Litelok X1 has a locking mechanism that is as strong as the other best U-locks. I can already tell by the key that it looks even more complex that my other U-locks.
Eventually, we may see the Lock Picking Lawyer pick it, but he can pick any lock, including all the popular U-locks you see outside all the time. If you see the Lock Picking Lawyer pick something, it doesn’t mean anyone else can repeat his feat, especially in the same timeframe. It’s rare for bike thieves to also be proficient lock pickers.
Sold Secure Diamond Ratings
The Litelok X1 is rated diamond for both the Powered Cycle & Pedal Cycle categories.
Sold Secure is a 3rd party company that tests most locks. This helps to understand the true security of a lock outside of marketing claims. With these new angle grinder resistant locks, a new category of Powered Cycle Diamond locks has been created. This is essentially the list of angle grinder resistant locks. Unfortunately, Sold Secure seems to use the terms Pedal Cycle and Powered Cycle to indicate the value of what you’re locking, assuming Powered Cycles are more expensive than Pedal Cycles, which isn’t always the case. Hence, of course you can use a Powered Cycle Diamond lock on a push pedal bike to make it more secure!
The Pedal Cycle Diamond locks list is a bit confusing, since it consists of classic hardened steel locks like the Seatylock that I recommend right next to the angle grinder resistant locks like the Litelok X1 & the Hiplok D1000. the Pedal Cycle Diamond standard is just a minimum standard, so it shows any lock that is stronger than the requirement, and I believe companies send their locks in for testing in the category they want it to be rated for.
Sustainability of the Litelok X1
Sweetening the deal even more for the Litelok company, it seems they’re trying to create these locks in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. They’ve bragged a bit about their eco-friendly rubber and eco packaging. The packaging was quite nice and easy to open, containing no plastic. They also produce the lock locally in their solar powered factory in the UK.
Business Perspective
It’s super interesting to look at these new angle grinder resistant locks through the lens of capitalism and how all the bike lock companies fit into this ecosystem. These innovations that are causing this disruption are being done by newer companies and not the tried and true Kryptonite and Abus companies that own most of the bike lock market share. This is often how innovation works, and this is a clear example of how the big pocketed companies failed to innovate and will now be left behind if they don’t catch up fast. Right now we have the Litelok X1 as the best angle grinder resistant U-lock along with the Hiplok, but Abus already has something to compete and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kryptonite is working on something. With this competition we may have something even better coming next!
Lock Your Bike and Ride On!
Just in time for the e-bike revolution we’ll have locks that will keep our bikes safe. And maybe once people can’t steal bikes anymore, more people will ride, and maybe we’ll end up in a culture where bike theft isn’t as prevalent anyway.
Check out the Litelok X1 and write a comment with any thoughts!
