Cycle security

Linked-plate locks are becoming increasing popular as they pack down small and can offer decent protection. The FS455 from Trelock is far from being awful but doesn't offer the same protection as a similarly-priced U-lock.

The FS455 comes with a plastic cage to mount to your bike frame, and does pack down small: 19x7x4cm is the folded size. It's not particularly light at 1138g, so we had high hopes that the six hardened steel linkage plates would stand up to some serious abuse.

Master Lock's Street Cuff is basically a pair of handcuffs for your bike. One end goes round the frame and the other round a Sheffield stand, railing or other bit of street furniture. There's a hefty rotating linkage joining the two cuffs together and the whole thing is made from hardened laminated steel.

Magnum's CCL3 Coil Cable is a pretty standard 10mm cable unit that offers the kind of protection you might expect: not that much, really. At £15 you shouldn't expect miracles and you won't find any here; it's fine for securing your pub bike to the railings for a swift half but that's about the limit of its powers.

Measuring just 21x12cm, the Abus Granit Futura Mini is small enough to fit in the pocket of your jeans and strong enough to beat most thieves. It's light, too, and under 700g, and not too pricey either.

Zefal’s Lock n’ roll security skewers are something of a missed opportunity to produce an imaginative and inexpensive deterrent to opportunist thieves when locking in the street, outside the café’ and other situations where bikes are left unattended for shorter periods. Standard quick releases in my experience invite unwelcome attention from the light fingered who may snatch a skewer should the bike, wheels and seat post be locked to an immobile object.