Most lock conversations start in the wrong place. People want to know which lock is unbreakable, and the honest answer is that none of them are. What a lock actually buys you is time and tools: how long a thief has to stand there working on your bike, and how much equipment they have to be carrying to bother in the first place. Every decision below is really a decision about how much of each you want, and how much weight and hassle you will accept to get it.
Ebikes make the question harder than it is on a regular bike, for three reasons. They are worth more, so they attract more attention. They are heavier, so you feel every extra pound of lock. And their frames are crowded with batteries, wide tubes, and racks, which changes both what you can lock around and where the lock can ride while you pedal.
Here is how we would actually choose between the four locks we stock.
The four lock styles and what each one is for
U-lock (shackle lock)
The default for a reason. A rigid steel shackle gives a thief almost nothing to grab with a lever or a bolt cutter, and it is the most security per dollar of anything here. The catch is reach: a fixed shackle only fits around what it fits around. If the rack at your grocery store is a fat post or a wide loop, you may not be able to get the lock around both it and your frame.
Ours is the UKASE MAX, with an 11mm hardened crossbar and a dual-bolt mechanism that locks both sides of the shackle, so a thief cannot defeat it by cutting once. At $29.99 it is the least expensive lock we sell and the one we recommend most often.
U-lock plus cable
Same lock, with a 4-foot cable added to reach your wheels or a second bike. Be clear-eyed about what the cable is: it is a convenience item, not a security item. A cable is cut in seconds with hand tools. Its job is to make wheel theft annoying enough that someone moves on to the bike next to yours, not to stop a determined thief.
The UKASE MAX with cable is $39.99. If you run quick-release wheels or regularly lock two bikes together, the extra $10 is worth it. If neither is true, buy the plain U-lock.
Chain lock
A chain is the flexible option that does not compromise much on toughness. Four feet of hardened links will reach around almost anything, and unlike a cable, an 8mm hardened chain genuinely resists bolt cutters. The price you pay is weight and bulk. A chain does not clip neatly to a frame, so it lives in a pannier or over your shoulder.
The ChainKASE X-TREME is $49.99 with a titanium-enforced hexagonal hardened-steel chain and a cover that keeps it from chewing up your paint. This is the lock for someone whose bike sits somewhere for hours at a time.
Folding lock
The middle ground, and the newest addition to our lineup. Folding locks are jointed steel plates or links that collapse into a block small enough to carry on the frame, then open out into a long loop. You get most of a chain's reach at a fraction of a chain's bulk, at the cost of having more joints than a U-lock has.
The Link Lock is $59.99, folds into a molded case, opens to 34 inches, and weighs 2 lbs. It is the most expensive lock we sell, so buy it for the reason it exists: you need to get around things a 9-inch shackle will not reach, and you are not willing to carry a chain to do it.
Side by side
| UKASE MAX U-Lock | UKASE MAX + Cable | ChainKASE X-TREME | Link Lock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | $39.99 | $49.99 | $59.99 |
| Style | U-lock | U-lock + cable | Chain | Folding |
| Reach | 4.53" x 9.06" shackle | Same, plus 4' cable | 4 ft | 34" extended |
| Core hardware | 11mm hardened crossbar, dual-bolt | 11mm crossbar + 10mm cable | 8mm hardened hex chain | Reinforced stainless links, ABS coated |
| Cylinder | Z-Key BumpBlok | Z-Key BumpBlok | Z-Key BumpBlok | Keyed (type not published) |
| Keys included | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| How it carries | Quick-release frame bracket | Quick-release frame bracket | Bag or shoulder | Case on bottle bosses, or 24" straps |
| Weight | — | — | — | 2 lbs |
Weights marked — are not published by the manufacturer. We would rather leave a cell blank than guess at a number you might buy on.
How to choose: three questions, in order
1. Where does the bike sit, and for how long?
This matters more than anything else. A bike locked outside a coffee shop for fifteen minutes in a small town is a different problem from a bike locked at a train station all day in a city with an organized theft trade. Short, attended, low-traffic stops are well covered by the U-lock. Long, unattended stops in a place where bikes actually disappear call for the chain, or for two locks.
2. What are you locking to?
Go look at the rack you use most and picture the lock around both it and your frame. A standard skinny staple rack takes a U-lock fine. Fat posts, wide loops, thick railings, and the awkward improvised anchors you find in parking garages are where a 9-inch shackle runs out of room and reach starts to matter. That is the decision point between the U-lock and the Link Lock or chain, and it is worth thirty seconds of actual observation rather than a guess.
3. How are you carrying it?
The best lock is the one you have with you. If a lock is annoying enough to carry that you start leaving it at home for quick trips, it has stopped protecting your bike. The U-locks clip to the frame with a bracket, the Link Lock rides in its case, and the chain needs a bag. Be honest with yourself about which of those you will actually do every ride.
The ebike problem nobody mentions: where the lock rides
Frame-mount brackets and lock cases almost always bolt to your frame's bottle bosses, and on ebikes that assumption breaks constantly. Plenty of ebikes ship with no bottle bosses at all. Many that have them have exactly one set, already occupied by a water bottle cage. Nobody tells you this before the lock shows up and you discover there is nowhere to put it.
Three ways out:
- Use the straps. The Link Lock includes 24-inch mounting straps specifically for frames without bosses. This is what most ebike riders will end up doing.
- Move the bottle, keep the bosses for the lock. Our strap-mount ABC Cage wraps any tube up to 7 1/2 inches and does not need bosses, and the handlebar cage moves your drink up front entirely.
- Put the lock in a bag. If you already run a rack bag or panniers, this is the simplest answer and the reason a chain is more practical for some riders than the spec sheet suggests.
Technique matters more than which lock you buy
A well-used cheap lock beats a badly-used expensive one. The habits that actually matter:
- Lock the frame first. A lock through the front wheel alone gets you a stolen bike and a kept wheel. Get the rear triangle and the rack together whenever you can.
- Fill the empty space. Slack inside a U-lock is where a lever goes. Pull the bike close to the rack so the shackle is packed with frame and rack, not air.
- Check what you are locking to. Sign posts that lift out of the ground, chain-link fences, and small trees are not anchors. Give the rack a shove before you trust it.
- Keep the lock off the ground. Concrete gives a thief something to hammer the lock against. Lock high on the frame if you can.
- On a fat-tire ebike, go through the rim, not just the tire. A tire can be deflated or cut. The rim and the rear triangle are what you want inside the loop.
- Take the battery with you. On a lot of ebikes the removable pack is the single most valuable and most stolen component, and it walks off in a backpack without anyone touching your lock. If you are carrying it around, a flame-resistant battery bag is the right way to do it.
About security ratings
You will see locks elsewhere advertised with Sold Secure gold or ART ratings, which are independent lab tests of how long a lock resists attack. BiKASE does not publish a Sold Secure or ART rating for any of the four locks above, so we are not going to assign them a tier. Judge these on the construction listed in the table and on how you plan to use them. If a certified rating is a hard requirement for your insurance or your peace of mind, buy a lock that carries one.
It is also worth saying plainly: nothing in this price range stops a battery-powered angle grinder. Grinder-resistant locks exist, they cost several times what these do, and they are heavy. For most riders in most places, that is the wrong trade. Know where the ceiling is and park accordingly.
Why two locks beat one expensive lock
If you are already thinking about spending $60 on a lock, consider spending it on two different kinds instead. A U-lock and a folding lock, or a U-lock and a chain, force a thief to be carrying two different tools and to spend time on each. That combination stops more attempts than either lock alone, and it gives you the option of grabbing only the light one for a quick errand.
The practical version for most people: run the UKASE MAX as your everyday lock, and add the Link Lock or the ChainKASE X-TREME for the days the bike is parked longer or somewhere you would rather not leave it.
Ebike lock FAQ
Which lock should I buy if I only buy one?
The UKASE MAX U-lock, unless the racks you actually use are too wide or too thick for a 9-inch shackle. It is the cheapest lock we sell and the most security per dollar. Go look at your rack before you spend more.
Is a folding lock as secure as a U-lock?
Broadly, folding locks sit between cable locks and heavy chains, and a good U-lock is harder to defeat than a comparable folding lock because it has no joints. You buy a folding lock for reach and packability, not because it is the tougher lock.
How long does an ebike lock need to be?
Long enough for your frame plus whatever you lock to, and no longer. Extra length is extra weight and extra slack for a lever. Measure the post or rack you use most and work from that.
Do I need to lock my wheels too?
If your wheels are quick-release, yes, or swap to bolt-on skewers. If they are already bolted on, a thief needs tools and time, and most will not bother. The cable version of the UKASE MAX is the easy answer if you want the coverage.
Can I lock my ebike outside overnight?
We would not, and no lock in this guide changes that answer. Overnight street parking is where determined, tooled-up theft happens. If you have no choice, use two locks of different types, park somewhere lit and visible, and take the battery and any quick-release accessories inside with you.
Are combination locks or keyed locks better?
Keyed, generally. Combination mechanisms are more often the weak point in a lock at this price, and every lock in our lineup is keyed for that reason. Keep a spare key somewhere other than the bag on your bike.
Will a lock scratch my ebike frame?
It can, which is why the chain ships with a protective cover and the U-locks have a rubber coating. Where a lock rides on the frame while you pedal is worth a look too, since vibration over a season does more cosmetic damage than any single lockup.
The bottom line
Start with the U-lock unless the places you park rule it out. Add reach with the Link Lock if you need to get around things a shackle will not fit, or with the chain if you park long and do not mind the weight. Add the cable only if you run quick-release wheels. And whichever you buy, lock the frame to something solid, fill the empty space, and take the battery with you.
You can see all four side by side in our Ebike Locks collection.