Cycle thieves beware; An angle grinder resistant lock is coming

A new design of D-lock that appears impervious to attack by cordless angle grinders is soon to be launched by British firm Hiplok.

Using a revolutionary new material called Ferosafe, the D1000 is claimed to be resistant to cutting or drilling attack methods, including angle grinders.

Ferosafe is a graphene-reinforced composite material specifically designed to disintegrate angle grinder cutting wheels. The lock is so robust that it has earned a Sold Secure Diamond rating, but it will cost an eye-watering £250 when it goes on sale later this year. In the meantime we’ve been revisiting some of our own attempts to thwart cycle thieves.

The most effective locks tend to be heavy and expensive, but this idea is altogether smaller, lighter and cheaper.

Bike theft countermeasures: Booby trap your water bottle

Using little more than a standard water bottle, a retractable lanyard and a smoke grenade of the sort used in military reenactments it is possible to build a simple and effective booby trap to dissuade bicycle thieves. The EG18 smoke grenades cost about £5 each and produce a 30-second burst of thick acrid smoke. Watch our short video on how we assembled our own anti-theft smoke grenade booby trap.

Don’t want to shell out £250 for a lock or rely on crazy contraptions? You can rely on cycle insurance from the ETA

Whatever bike theft countermeasures you put in place, don’t be without a good cycle insurance policy. With ETA cycle insurance, however old the bike, if it’s stolen you get enough to buy a new model. On top of a host of benefits, every cycle insurance policy you buy from us helps support the work of the ETA Trust, our charity campaigning for a cleaner, safer transport future. No wonder The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.