Kryptoflex 1018 Combo Cable 180cm x 10mm (3C)

The Kryptonite KryptoFlex 1018 Combo Cable is the lock you actually take with you. It is 180 cm of 10 mm braided steel cable with a four-digit combination head built in, so there is no key to lose on a ride, and at 0.57 kg it coils into a pannier or a frame bag without a second thought. Set your own number, loop it round a rack and the frame, and push the lock post home until it clicks.

How secure it actually is

Kryptonite rate the KryptoFlex 1018 at 1 out of 10 on their own security scale, and they class cable locks as deterrent security. That makes this lock right for a quick stop where the bike stays in view: a coffee at a café on a Sunday ride, a pie stop at a country bakery, the bike racked outside the general store while you grab supplies. It keeps an opportunist from riding off with the bike. For a bike left all day in a city bike rack, pair it with a U-lock, which holds the frame while the cable covers the wheels.

Weight against security

At 0.57 kg the 1018 is light enough to live in the bag on every ride, and a lock that comes along every time protects more often than a heavy one left at home. The braided steel is built for increased cut resistance and sits under a protective vinyl cover, so bare steel is not rubbing on your frame as it coils around it.

What it locks to

The 180 cm length is the point of this lock. It reaches from the frame around a thick post, a verandah upright or a tree, and there is enough left over to thread through the rear wheel or link a second bike at the campground. Loop it around something anchored, pass it through the frame, and catch the rear wheel too wherever it will reach.

Keys and mounting

There is no key at all. The integrated four-digit combination has indexed number dials, so each digit clicks into place and setting your number is straightforward. Easy-Click locking means the post seats with an audible click when it is locked. To change the number, open the lock, turn the reset wheel a quarter turn clockwise, dial in the new combination and turn the wheel back. Register the combination under Kryptonite's Combo Safe program and Kryptonite can tell you the number if you ever forget it.

Looking after it

Lubricate the lock head a few times a year with a silicone, graphite or Teflon based lubricant, then let it drain before use. Do not use WD-40 in the mechanism: it is a solvent, and it strips out the lubricant the dials rely on. After a wet or salty ride, a wipe down and a dry keeps the dials turning freely.