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review
Locks
Hiplok Z Lok Combo Hiplok Z Lok Combo Hiplok Z Lok Combo

Hiplok Z Lok Combo

7
by David Arthur @davearthur
UPDATED Sat, Oct 13, 2018 00:41

First Published Oct 12, 2018

10
£19.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Okay for briefly locking your bike outside the shop or cafe but nothing longer
Weight: 
69g
Contact: 
www.hiplok.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Essentially a tough cable tie, the Hiplok Z Lok Combo isn't something you would trust your pride and joy to for a couple of hours outside the office, but for a quick dash into a shop or securing your helmet to the bike it's a useful detterent; it's small, light and relatively cheap.

  • Pros: Okay for popping into shops or cafe, no key to lose, lightweight
  • Cons: Could be longer, won't deter a determined thief

Security is understandably an issue for cyclists. There's a very real risk that even with the most expensive and hefty lock your bike will be gone when you get back. Even popping into the shops to grab a sourdough loaf on the way home from the club run (yes, that's me) is too risky no matter the value of your bike. Or how good the sourdough loaf.

This sort of 'just leaving it for five minutes' is where I feel the Hiplok Z Lok Combo is suitable. It's adequate to deter the casual thief from making off with your bike and gives a little more peace of mind that your flat white (me again) won't cost you a bike.

It has an 8mm reinforced steel core wrapped in a plastic outer, which protects your bike from scratches. You thread the tie through the open mechanism and use the three-digit combination to secure it.

hiplok_z_lok_combo_-_lock.jpg

Another use is for audax and touring rides, where popping into cafes for cake or a brevet card stamp is part and parcel of long-distance cycling. The Z Lok Combo doesn't take up much space or weigh much, and it's useful to secure your bike to a lamppost or railings. (I also like to leave the bike in plain sight for extra reassurance.)

> Beginner's guide to bike security

The two issues I have with it, other than that a determined thief with the right tools could likely break through in a matter of minutes, is that it's a little too short to always reach around whatever solid object you want to lock your bike to.

hiplok_z_lok_combo.jpg

The other issue is what to do with it when it's not in use. It'll just about fit in a jersey pocket but not if you've already filled those, so you'll need a bag on your bike – which you'll probably have if you're doing an audax or on a bikepacking adventure.

For locking your bike outside a cafe or shop it's reasonably effective but it's no substitute for a bigger main lock for longer periods of leaving your bike unattended.

Verdict

Okay for briefly locking your bike outside the shop or cafe but nothing longer

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Hiplok Z Lok Combo

Size tested: 43cm locking diameter

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Hiplok says, "Introducing the Hiplok Z LOK COMBO – an innovative step forward in security. The Z LOK COMBO is super lightweight, with an adjustable zip like tie design as the original Z LOK, but with added benefits of a larger locking circumference and resetable-3 digit combination mechanism. The lock is available in 3 colour ways to match your bike and stand out of the crowd. With endless uses, the Z LOK COMBO will come in many uses, from luggage to securing, your back wheel, don't go without this handy tool."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

It's more expensive than the company's own Hiplok Z-Lok Cable Tie Lock but the combination means you'll never lose the key, provided you can remember the three digits of course!

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Kept my bike secure for short visits to the cafe and shop, but I wouldn't trust it for hours on its own.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Light and easy to use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Could be longer.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

You can get the much more secure Abus Ultra for the same price but it's heavy to lug around all the time.

Did you enjoy using the product? Maybe

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a reasonably cheap and easy to use lock for short visits to shops and cafes; it won't hold up against serious attacks by determined thieves, but that's not what it's designed for.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

Hiplok Z Lok Combo 2018
Hiplok Z Lok Combo
Hiplok 2018
Hiplok
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

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