• Kryptonite New York Noose
• £74.95
• Madison

We mentioned Kryptonite’s New York Noose when we looked at the company’s Stronghold ground anchor – they’re vaguely intended to go together, although there’s nothing stopping you using one without the other. The New York Noose is a development of Kryptonite’s heavy-duty New York chain lock. When it comes to hefty locks most people think of D-locks, but there are a few advantages to a chain like this.

First, it’s compact – you can coil it up and it doesn’t take up much space. It’s pretty heavy, though. Second, the small links are harder to lever apart than the large shackle of a D-lock because you can’t get anything sufficiently sturdy in there. Third, it’s versatile – you don’t have to arrange things quite so carefully to get the bike, lock and solid fixture all lined up right.

The problem has been that you need quite a length of chain to reach anywhere useful, but the Noose cunningly halves the length by having a cinch loop at one end. So you just pass the chain through your frame, feed it through itself and lock the tail to something solid with the supplied EV disc lock. The chain’s 70cm long which is fine for one bike and two at a pinch if your anchor’s in a sensible place.

The lock itself is a stout bit of kit, being essentially a mini D-lock. It was originally designed as a disc lock for motorbikes but acts here as a ridiculously strong padlock. The chain’s made up of trapezoidal heat-treated boron manganese steel for extra hardness – it’d take a long time to cut through it with anything short of a very noisy and bulky power tool. There’s a nylon sleeve to protect your paintwork.

It’s an ideal lock for the garage, but if you often leave your bike in dubious locations it’s worth carrying around if you’re taking a pack anyway. Heavy and expensive, but a lot cheaper than a new bike…

Positives: Probably the toughest lock out there

Negatives: Heavy, expensive

Verdict: If you need a really stout lock, take a look at this. Ideal for garage security and, if you don’t mind a bit of heft in your pack, great for around town.