Knog have built up a bit of a reputation of making funky yet practical bike equipment – be it their blinder lights or their Strongman high-security U-locks, the Melbourne-based company is determined to share its Aussie flare with colder climes, and so far they’ve made a pretty good impression on these shores.
Bike locks come in all shapes and sizes these days and Knog have been leading the way. Having said that, the Knog Party Coil bike lock is fairly conventional to look at – a standard cable lock like the ones that have been available for a few decades.
Where’s the party?
As you can tell by the name the Party Frank offers a bit more, through the bright colours it’s available in, such as turquoise, lime, titanium, sky blue or rose, aka bright pink.
The cable itself is strong – with a fibre core, a braided steel cable coated in scratchless PVC, providing durability, and a silicone overmoulded lock housing with one out of one thousand key designs provided.
What’s good about cable locks?
Manufacturers of cable locks have always promoted them for their practicality – they’re compact and can be carried wrapped around your bike frame; and they’re flexible, and can be used when locking your bike to lampposts, fences or traditional bike locks.
The cover of the locks means that they won’t end up scratching your frame. A problem that is sometimes faced when using chain locks.
Aren’t cable locks ridiculously easy to break?
Historically, cable locks do have a bit of a reputation as being easy targets. Although the easiest are cable locks with a code lock, even cable locks could be easily and quickly cut through by bike thieves who knew what they were doing. The packaging for the Knog Party Frank proudly tells us that the lock has a rating of three for security – but rather unhelpfully doesn’t tell us what the maximum score is – It could be three out of three (doubtful) or three out of ten. Who knows?
I’m probably being harsh by associating the Knog locks with the cable locks of years gone by. The description of a fibre core, braided steel cable is certainly reassuring, and the company has a good reputation, particularly for its Strongman U-locks.
Combine with a D or U lock
None the less, I would never leave my bike locked with a cable lock on its own, whether in London or a suburban town. But it’s so important to have good bike locks and confidence in your security measures, and the Knog Party Coil would make a very good secondary lock. But if you use it on your own, I would say you’re asking for trouble.
It looks good – but that’s not enough
Ultimately, a lock looking good just isn’t enough. It needs to be sturdy, reliable and deter thieves. The Knog Party Coil bike lock goes some way to securing your bike, but should never be used in isolation.
Good points:
- Comes with three keys (Great for those of us who love to lose things)
- Made of strong, braided steel cable
Bad points:
- Cable locks offer minimum security
- Packaging is unclear on security rating
The Knog Party Frank Bike Lock is available from Amazon from £15.29.
£15 also seem quite cheap for a bike lock. Isn’t the rule of thumb that you should spend about 10% of the value of a bike on security? I suppose if used in combination with a good D-lock the Knog could be useful, but I’d be very wary of using it on its own.
It wouldn’t stop a seasoned bike thief at all. One squeeze of cable cutters and it’s goodbye bike. I can see it’s use when securing your bike on a train by locking it to seat/carriage etc.. To stop the quick removal at a train stop and you weren’t looking. Other than that these flimsy devices are next to useless.
Shame on you Andreas. You don’t even have the excuse of not knowing better as you’ve done some excellent articles on bike security.
I wouldn’t even use this piece of garbage to secure my saddle. The average crackhead will go through this with their teeth in 2 minutes.
I’m not sure what your issue is Big Softy – the review clearly states the warnings of just using cable locks and says if you use this lock on its own then “you’re asking for trouble.” If the review had bigged up this lock then fine, but it clearly says only use in conjunction with a d-lock.
Hey Big Softy – hopefully the article makes it clear enough that this isn’t a bike lock to be used on its own. Its merely a backup lock to complement your main d-lock.
Andreas did mention several times that this lock is not enough on its own in London.
So, ANDREAS, did you ever have a bike stolen? That screaming pink thingy must be visible from 100 metres away, so yer scummy bike thief will spot it, and skulk along the street for a closer look at your OTHER (main) D-lock……I use two locks myself, but wouldn’t want to draw attention to them. I prefer anonymous black.
P.R.
So, BIG SOFTY, what do you actually use to secure your saddle with?
P.R.
This lock is a waste of time. The locking-it-on-a-train idea is the only use I can think of for it.
I’ve been to Australia a few times for work and as a cyclist I’m always looking at bikes. Going by how people locks their bikes here theft isn’t a big problem, therefore it seems that Knog have done very little research about their target market before flogging it in the UK.
I’ve never really thought my of their lights as the angle of the seat post dictates the direction the light is pointing in.
Coming from Australia, bike theft is not really a problem like it is in London. In fact there are comparatively very few cyclists there mainly because a lot of the cites ( Sydney particularly) are quite hilly as well being very spread out and lastly but not least the car drivers are very aggressive, all the cyclists i knew had been hit by cars and I no longer dared to cycle there. I commute everyday by bike in London and love it.
That said I have a Brompton and rarely if ever need to lock it up but when I do the cable locks are what I use and are OK for securing your bike where you can see it while having a coffee or something, and if I had been able to get a brightly colored one I would have preferred that to the black one I have.
Fern,
“Coming from Australia, bike theft is not really a problem like it is in London. In fact there are comparatively very few cyclists there”
Is it not because of the enforced wearing of helmets that has reduced the number of cyclists?
Anyway – this lock seems overpriced for what it is. I bought one of these recently for £3.60 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0018704XM/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 solely for locking my front wheel. Could have bought 4 of them for the price of this lurid tat.
If I was a chav any bike with a pink lock would be well deserving of being kicked “just for a laugh”.
> cable locks do have a bit of a reputation as being easy targets
It’s not a reputation, it’s a fact. They’re a joke and shouldn’t be sold in bicycle stores.
Even most D/U locks aren’t strong enough. Hence the Bicycle Gold standard:
http://www.soldsecure.com/search?grading=303
“Is it not because of the enforced wearing of helmets that has reduced the number of cyclists?”
In Australia the riding of bicycles is not or perhaps was not really approved of because they are perceived as slowing down the traffic so I think the helmet law was very easy to pass. It was not entirely unbelievable that they could have been banned from the roads altogether.
Yes enforcing helmets is silly and it could have easily happened here but I think less likely now with the Borris Bikes. I think everyone is aware that casual street cycle hire wont work with helmets. I do wear a helmet most of the time but sometimes I don’t want to mess up my hair.
Pink knog lock in London.your havin a tin bath.
This is not your standard lock
Cutting Resistance: The TECHNOLOGY used on the FIBRE-CORE CABLES makes the Knog sausage locks five times stronger than the competition. Offering superior resilience and flexibility compared with locks using standard braided steel cable cores. The unique combination of materials crush before cutting, making bolt cutter attacks more frustrating for smash-and-grab thieves.
Phil, Read knog marketing literature much??