Kryptonite New York 3000 U lock

The Kryptonite New York 3000 isn't top of the range but is plenty tough enough to repel most criminals and is a good choice for everyday use where bike security is a necessity.

The New York features a 16mm hardened steel shackle and a disc-style cylinder with three keys supplied. The shackle locks at both ends into the base, and the lock mounts onto your bike with a metal sleeve on the shackle which slots into a resin bracket. The lock stayed put well over rough roads, and the LED key is a nice, if increasingly common, touch.

So to testing. We attacked our New York with our standard armoury: 3ft persuader, big bolt croppers, hammer, cold chisel, screwdriver and hacksaw but even before the five minutes had elapsed it was pretty obvious I wasn't going to be stealing anything: the full force of my (substantial) weight on the persuader barely elicitied a noticeable bend in the shackle. Attacks with the hammer, cold chisel and screwdriver did some cosmetic damage but the cylinder mechanism is well protected. The hacksaw might as well have been made out of cheese for all the damage it did. Nothing short of some quality power tools would make a dent in this lock.

All in all the performance was up there with the best U-locks we've tried. At £80 it's not cheap but you can have it for substantially less online, and you're certainly paying for a high level of security. The accepted wisdom is that you should spend 10-15% of the cost of your bike on a lock, so if your steed is worth over £500 then this is definitely one to consider.

Verdict

No arguing with the quality, and good value if you search online