Litelok X1: Angle grinder resistance for peace of mind

The Litelok X1 was launched amid much social media and YouTube hype, with videos of angle grinders failing to chop into it. Brand: Litelok Product: X1 …

By stwhannah

Get the full story here:

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/litelok-x1-review/

WTF is Barronium?

Presumably named after Professor Neil Barron https://www.litelok.com/pages/our-story

They do look impressive, this Bennetts video shows quite a bit of resistance to a mains grinder and more than one disc needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUwjh8J4uec . Given how cheap and available battery grinders are, it’s good that there’s locks being designed to resist them a bit better.

I’ve thankfully only had one bike (attempted to be) stolen, they managed to bend the frame trying to twist the U-lock off and ended up taking the bars, stem and anything else that could be unbolted easily.

Presumably, you’d need to think carefully about what you lock your bike to … if an angle grinder can’t get through the lock easily, a scumbag may grind through the fence railing you have locked it to instead.

a scumbag may grind through the fence railing you have locked it to instead

I remember a story from about 20 years ago about a guy who locked his bike to a fence only to come back and find the fence and bike both gone.

Presumably, you’d need to think carefully about what you lock your bike to … if an angle grinder can’t get through the lock easily, a scumbag may grind through the fence railing you have locked it to instead.

happened to Darren Franks yesterday

Carousel9132

@dirtyrider that sucks 🙁

I would love to see the industry pressure the insurance world into some ‘proper’ insurance. We can leave our cars on the street and people can steal them and we don’t get told we left it in the wrong place, or didn’t tie it to the right sort of fixing with the right sort of lock etc. It’s about time we could use bikes with as much confidence as cars (or even motorbikes).

Presumably, you’d need to think carefully about what you lock your bike to … if an angle grinder can’t get through the lock easily, a scumbag may grind through the fence railing you have locked it to instead.

 

yer friend lost his carbon road bike from a station. D lock still there, and just some carbon dust all around – they just cut through the frame…. suppose worth it for part alone

happened to Darren Franks yesterday

Carousel9132

 

there has been recent cases in London were Sheffeld stands were being precut and the cut covered up with reflective / other tapes… to enable future theft.

 

I would love to see the industry pressure the insurance world into some ‘proper’ insurance. We can leave our cars on the street and people can steal them and we don’t get told we left it in the wrong place, or didn’t tie it to the right sort of fixing with the right sort of lock etc. It’s about time we could use bikes with as much confidence as cars (or even motorbikes).

 

has to be be more (lots more) ‘proper’ parking car park style with controls etc.

 

This one benefit of a Brompton is that you can always take it in with you.

 

This one benefit of a Brompton is that you can always take it in with you.

I’m pretty sure you can’t take it with you is one of the universally accepted truths.

This one benefit of a Brompton is that you can always take it in with you.
I’m pretty sure you can’t take it with you is one of the universally accepted truths.

Hence why you should spend all the money you have on a Brompton.

This does need addressing if we are serious about getting people out of cars and onto bikes. I can’t see myself locking up £3k of e-bike to a rusty railing whilst I go to a meeting. A lot of offices etc don’t have any decent facilities. We’ve just built a bike shed in work, open fronted with security lighting and electric charger points and the Sheffield type stands are just bolted to the floor with the 13mm bolt heads exposed. Even if I didn’t have a spanner I bet I could push the stand over if I needed to and pull the bolts out.

Hopefully this lock will stand up to better independent testing than their Litelock.

Yer the thought of looking up say a Tern GSD somewhere out on the street would be too much.

hardtailonly
Full Member

Presumably, you’d need to think carefully about what you lock your bike to … if an angle grinder can’t get through the lock easily, a scumbag may grind through the fence railing you have locked it to instead.

This is already the case, if your lock isn’t complete crap it’s already going to be tougher than the frame, or most things that you can lock it to. There’s a bit of to-and-fro since some attacks are so dependent on size- like, a thicker fence/post is just going to be too big to boltcutter while a lot of locks are easy to boltcutter (like, ironically, locking a bike to a tree is really effective, because even though trees aren’t strong, pretty much none of the tools you use to break a bike lock can effectively cut a tree of any size. But lots of metal fences and street furniture are really easy to break with the exact same tools you already have if you’re going bike-stealing.

rootes1
Full Member

there has been recent cases in London were Sheffeld stands were being precut and the cut covered up with reflective / other tapes… to enable future theft.

We had this at my old work, I have to admit my reaction was a grudging “good job there, well done thieves”. They’d even used a bit of hi-viz hazard tape to cover the cut.

By the way, there are MUCH cheaper ‘diamond’ rated locks around (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-LK322-Shackle14-Diamond-Security/dp/B09Q6FPNZ3/ref=sr_1_10_mod_primary_new?crid=2OGG0R4Z75W6D&keywords=platinum+bike+lock+14mm&qid=1695201047&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=platinum+bike+lock+14m%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-10).

Does it really matter how resistant they are, as long as the rating matches what your insurance company requires?

Does it really matter how resistant they are,

Yes if you don’t want your bike nicked. My good lock has saved my bike 3 times

tmays
Full Member

By the way, there are MUCH cheaper ‘diamond’ rated locks around

Yah but Diamond is as valuable as any other sold secure rating- might be useful for insurance purposes, useless for actually rating security purposes. What is your lock for, actually stopping your stuff getting nicked or just for helping the payout after?

Does anyone make a lock that comes with more than one shackle of different lengths? It would be a bit more versatile and cheaper than buying 2 complete locks.

darlobiker – yes, Pragmasis.

WTF is Barronium?

I had a bike stolen years back. My friend and I had locked both our bikes together, using two kryptonite locks, to a sheffield stand. Turns out these were the locks you could open with a biro….. Still miss my DDG Shooter!