Spiral lock guide

Around 300,000 bicycles are stolen every year in Germany. However, these statistics include only the cases covered by the police. The unreported number of thefts is likely to be much higher. One main reason for the high number of thefts are not or not sufficiently secured two-wheelers. If you turn off your bike without a lock, for example, just to jump into the pharmacy or the supermarket, you are almost inviting thieves to take your bike with them. It already offers an easy to transport and quick to install Spiral Lock a basic protection that deters many bicycle thieves.

Flexible and space-saving

The Spiral Lock (Or: spiral cable lock) bears his name because of its distinctive shape. It consists of a metal cable encased in plastic to protect the paint, which has the shape of a spiral. The actual lock sits at both ends of the cable. This can either be locked by key or opened via a numerical code. One of the great advantages of a spiral lock is its flexibility. If the cable is stretched while using the bicycle lock, it will automatically return to its original spiral shape. As a result, no annoying rolling is necessary after use and that Spiral Lock requires comparatively little space. Even locks with very long cables of 150 centimeters and more can be easily transported to the frame of the bicycle and used as needed.

Inexpensive basic protection

Spiral locks are to be understood as basic protection, since they are for professional thieves and gangs with appropriate Toolnot a serious hurdle. On occasional thieves, who take a bike in passing, but they may seem very daunting. If a Spiral Lock depends significantly on the value of the two-wheeler as well as on the place where the bicycle is parked. A cheap one Spiral Lock is more recommended for everyday bicycles, where a theft does not tear a big hole in your purse. For expensive mountain bikes, e-bikes and Road bikeswith high three-digit or four-digit prices, a lock with a higher level of protection should rather be selected.

Select the right spiral lock

If you have opted for a coiled cable lock, you can choose between different cable lengths. How long the cable should be, depends on which objects the bicycle is preferably attached. Serves Bicycle standas a regular place for the bicycle, a short cable with a length of 70 to 100 centimeters is sufficient. If you like to place your bike on a thick tree and want to pull the cable around it, you reach for a lock with a length of 100 centimeters and above. In addition, many spiral locks have additional security features that increase the level of protection and make thieves‘ lives more difficult. Of particular note here are the impact protection and the ice spray protection. The impact protection is to prevent the spiral lock by a targeted impact with the hammeropen on the lock cylinder. Another popular way to crack a lock is to spray ice spray into the lock and bypass the safety mechanism. Fortunately, many locks of known manufacturers such as ABUS or Trelock are equipped against the two methods mentioned. When purchasing, however, the security features should be explicitly respected once again.

Key or number combination?

Whether a spiral lock with key or combination of numbers is optimal, depends on the use of the bicycle. If several users have access to the two-wheeler, one is combination lockrecommended, because in this way the combination can be easily passed on. This is also possible in the absence, for example, when another person needs the bike, but you yourself are not at home and can hand over the key. Locks with keys are suitable if only one or two users (two keys are usually included) have access to the bike.