A D-lock is the lock you carry on the bike, and a chain is for extra reach at home. The Evolution Mini-7 is a 1.61kg Sold Secure Gold D-lock with a frame clip. The New York 1410 is a 4.9kg chain for a garden, a ground anchor or a post a compact D-lock can’t close around. A cable lock isn’t treated as a Sold Secure main lock; use it as a secondary tether for a wheel or accessory.
A D-lock and a chain do different jobs. The Mini-7 is the lock you take on the bike. The New York 1410 is a 4.9kg chain for when a Mini can’t reach the only solid object. Using both is common. Commuting with the chain isn’t.
The Mini-7 is for carrying on a commute.
The 1410 is for extra reach at home.
Side by side
| Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7 | Kryptonite New York 1410 chain | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | ||
| Sold Secure (ordinary bikes) | Gold | Diamond |
| Sold Secure (e-bikes) | Not listed | Gold |
| Maker says it resists grinders | No | No |
| Size and weight | ||
| Type | D-lock | Chain |
| Shackle | 13 mm | — |
| Chain thickness | — | 14 mm |
| Locking area | 83 × 178 mm | — |
| Locking length | — | 100 cm |
| Weight | 1.61kg | 4.9kg |
| In the box | ||
| Frame mount | Yes | No |
| Cable included | Yes | No |
| Keys | 3 | 3 |
A D-lock is for a tight stand. A chain is for extra reach. That’s the main difference, and it’s why these two aren’t rivals.
The Evolution Mini-7 is what you take on the bike: 1.61kg, a frame clip, Sold Secure Gold. You’ll carry it. You won’t carry 4.9kg twice a day, and you shouldn’t plan as if you will.
The New York 1410 is 100 cm of 14 mm chain, Sold Secure Diamond for ordinary bikes and Gold for e-bikes, for a home, a garden, a ground anchor, or a post a compact D-lock can’t close around. Leave it where the bike is stored. Use it through the frame, to something that doesn’t move.
Careful riders use both and only carry the D-lock. If the compact lock won’t close on the only stand at work, neither of these is the answer for that stand — see the ABUS 540. If you need Diamond on the bike and length at home, pair the Litelok X1 with the chain.
Still choosing a daily lock? Best lock for commuting names the Mini-7 and the X1. The best of table puts both next to the home chain so the weight difference is obvious. If 100 cm of chain won’t reach, the New York 1415 is the 150 cm version at 6.92kg.
Weighing up cable and folding locks too? See bike lock types explained, or when a cable lock is enough.
Read the reviews
Are D-locks better than chains?
Not as a class, no. We’d carry a D-lock to the station and leave the chain at home. The Mini-7 is 1.61 kg and Gold, with a frame mount, so it’s the one you’ll actually take. The 1410 is 4.9 kg, and it’s the one with the reach when a D-lock won’t close. Grade, and whether you’ll use it, matter more than the shape.
Common questions
What is the difference between a bike cable lock, a chain lock and a D-lock?
A cable lock is light and easy to carry, but it isn’t treated as a Sold Secure main lock — it’s a secondary tether for a wheel or accessory. A D-lock is a rigid shackle for a stand you’ve measured; the Evolution Mini-7 is the commute example (1.61 kg, Gold, frame mount). A chain adds flexible length for an awkward post or a home anchor; the New York 1410 here is the 4.9 kg home example, not a daily carry.
Can I commute with the 1410?
Not really, no. At 4.9kg the 1410 is a lot to lug to work and back every day. We’d keep the chain at home for the extra reach, and take a D-lock on the bike for the commute.
Does looping the chain twice change the grade?
No. It can take up slack, which is useful. It doesn’t change the Sold Secure grade, and it doesn’t turn a lamp-post into an approved anchor.
Should I own both?
If you lock up at home or on a terrace as well as at the station, yes. The D-lock covers the commute. The chain covers the awkward post. That’s the setup most people can keep using.
How do folding locks compare to D-locks?
On the grade, not on a story about thieves. The folding lock in this set is the Bordo 6500K: Sold Secure Gold, 120 cm and 2.47kg, with an SH bracket. We’d take it when a Mini won’t close and you still want the lock on the bike. A D-lock like the Evolution Mini-7 is also Gold, at 1.61kg, and it’s the one we’d carry when a rigid shackle already closes on your stand.
Is a chain safer than a D-lock?
Not as a class. Grade, thickness, and whether you use it all matter more than the shape. A Gold D-lock on the bike beats a Gold chain left in the shed. A chain wins when you need reach.
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