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review
Locks
OnGuard Mastiff chainOnGuard Mastiff chain

OnGuard Mastiff chain

8
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Sep 22, 2009

0
£49.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Good quality, solid chain that's a good choice for the shed
Weight: 
2,700g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk
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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The Mastiff chain lock is a 110cm chain of 10mm hardened links connected to an integral lock that uses a similar barrel to Onguard's other offerings. The chain is covered with a woven nylon sleeve and it's long enough to chain up to four bikes together if you're creative, which is a definite benefit over a U lock for garage use. There's no mount, of course, so it's only one to consider around town if you regularly cycle with a bag. or you can wear it holster style if you're a hipster.

We went after the Mastiff with our standard thieves' armoury – 30" bolt croppers, persuader, hacksaw, cold chisel and hammer – and the chain survived the allotted five minutes with fairly minimal damage. The chain links were much too hard for the hacksaw and no amount of twisting would pop the lock. We did get a bit of joy with the bolt croppers, but it would have taken a long time to snip the chain, especially since you'd have to do both sides of a link. The dust cover on the barrel got snapped off, but the lock was still fully functional despite the abuse.

Verdict

Overall the performance was very good, and if you're looking to lock a bunch of bikes together in the shed then there's a 160cm version too

road.cc test report

Make and model: OnGuard Mastiff chain

Size tested: n/a

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, for static applications

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, for the shed or garage

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 190cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: Schwinn Moab, urbanised with 700cs  My best bike is: Trek 1.5 with upgrades

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Onguard
Mastiff
Cycle security
chain
Bike security
Bicycle security
Bicycle chain
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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