Method
How we research bike locks
We research locks from Sold Secure grades and manufacturer specs. We have not cut these locks open. If a sentence would only be true because we attacked a lock, we leave it out. Every claim on a review page should point to a spec sheet, a Sold Secure grade, or the manufacturer’s own notes.
What we use
- The product record: the Amazon listing we reviewed, name, brand, and the published specs — weight, locking area, shackle or chain size, keys, frame clip, cable.
- Manufacturer notes, including whether a cable in the box is part of the Sold Secure approval.
- Sold Secure’s public grades for ordinary bikes and, where we have it, e-bikes — confirm on their approved product search before you buy.
- How UK cycle insurance typically names Gold and Diamond. We do not keep a live list of approved models — insurers change those lists.
Each review opens with a verdict explaining who the lock suits and when another option is clearer. Then come who this suits, less suitable if, the main body, what works well, what to watch for, one thing we’d change, the numbers, alternatives from the same set of locks, and common questions. Every review links up to how to choose a bike lock and across to other reviews.
We started with locks UK riders often search for: Sold Secure Gold and Diamond D-locks, a Gold folding lock, and New York chains for reach at home. That is why there are thirteen full reviews rather than a catalogue of every cable lock on Amazon. Thirteen is the full set for now.
When a listing photo and the Sold Secure record disagree — for example a kit that looks fully graded when only the D-lock is approved — we follow the grade and the manufacturer’s notes rather than the photo.
Weights and locking areas come from the listing or manufacturer sheet we recorded. If two listings disagree, we say which source we used instead of inventing a middle number.
How to check a grade
Grades on Lock Desk come from Sold Secure’s public record and from manufacturer notes. Before you buy, confirm the model on Sold Secure’s approved product search. Pedal-cycle rating bands are explained on their pedal cycle ratings page. This site does not invent Sold Secure product URLs.
What we will not claim
- We have not taken a grinder or bolt cropper to these locks. Advertised cut-times are the manufacturer’s, not ours.
- We do not invent a weight, locking area, or grade. If a figure is missing, we leave it blank.
- We do not print live prices. They change on Amazon.
- We do not copy Amazon customer reviews or star ratings onto these pages.
- Scene photos (streets, stands, unbranded locks) are for context. We do not use Amazon listing photos.
- We do not keep a live insurer approved-lock list. Those lists change, and we are not selling you a policy.
Amazon
Amazon Associate links may earn Lock Desk a commission. Disclosure
Lock Desk is not Amazon. Outbound buttons say See on Amazon. Prices and stock are Amazon’s on the day you click.
How to use these reviews
A lot of bike-lock writing either copies the manufacturer’s headline or pretends to be a lab. This site states the grade, the weight, whether the lock will close, and who should look elsewhere.
A verdict here is our reading of those facts, not a hands-on security test. Use it to match Sold Secure grade, fit, and carry to your bike. Then read your policy, and measure the stand.
You should be able to see what stands behind a verdict. These pages are meant to help a UK rider match grade, fit, and carry using facts we can point to. Start with how to choose, then the reviews or the best of table.
Common questions
Have you cut these locks open?
No. Lock Desk is based on Sold Secure grades and manufacturer specs. Advertised cut-times are marketing claims from the brand, not tests we have run.
Why only thirteen reviews?
We would rather publish thirteen pages with the same facts on record — Sold Secure grade, weight, locking area or length, and whether it clips on — than stretch into a long catalogue we have not researched. Names we have not recorded that way do not get a review.
Do Amazon links change the verdict?
No. Some links go to Amazon.co.uk and may earn Lock Desk a small commission. Buttons say See on Amazon. Prices and stock are Amazon’s on the day you click. See Disclosure.
If you have not measured the stand yet, read how to choose a bike lock first. Full reviews are under bike lock reviews. Who we are is on About.