Litelok X1 bike lock review (tested to destruction)

British-made killer of angle grinders

This competition is now closed

By Warren Rossiter

Published: February 19, 2023 at 3:00 pm

Up until now, Litelok has been known for its original lightweight flexible belt-like lock designs, combining tough lock mechanisms with a mesh-like material.

The new X1 follows a much more traditional U-lock design, but the material used is anything but traditional, with claims of high strength and mechanical tool resistance.

Cutting to the chase, the Likelok X1 has proven practically unbreakable with my own angle grinder – earning it five stars, and me planning a trip to my local DIY store to buy a replacement.

The heart of the X1's strength and angle-grinder resistance comes from the material used in the shackle itself.

The core of the shackle is much like any other high-end steel shackle, using hardened fine-grain steel. This material is then encased with a coating that provides protection against angle-grinder discs.

The material, called Barronium, was developed by Litelok founder Neil Barron (see what he did there?) with the input of materials research specialists.

The lock weighs in at 1.6kg/3.5lbs, which is around the same weight as the best bike locks from the likes of Abus, Kryptonite and Squire.

The shackle provides a very useful 101x196mm aperture, generous enough to thread through a wheel and frame for a secure lock position.

The lock comes with a very neatly designed bottle cage mounting bracket, called the Twist & Go.

You offer the lock up to the bracket horizontally then twist and lock the X1 into place. For such a simple design, I was impressed by its secure, stable and rattle-free fitting.

The lock itself is well finished with no rattles and the insert fit between the barrel section and shackle is toleranced tightly.

The toughened lock-barrel mechanism is protected from the elements by a soft-rubber aperture that you push the key through.

It keeps water out and is easier to use than a sliding lock cover, making it quicker to lock and unlock too.

The shackle and body are coated with a plant-based eco-rubber material, which is said to be kind to bike frames and offers a bit of extra protection when it comes to cutting (more on that later).

I like that Litelok includes reflective graphics and strips around the whole shackle, meaning this frame-mounted lock doubles as an extra bit of visbility.

Litelok backs the X1 with a three-year warranty and key-replacement service (when you register your lock).

The X1 is rated to Sold Secure's Diamond rating, which means it resisted five-minute attacks from bolt croppers, a drill, a hacksaw, a lump hammer, crowbars and much more besides.

Simply put, Diamond is the highest rating Sold Secure awards and it's reserved only for the toughest locks around. The X1 also meets the even tougher Sold Secure motorcycle Diamond level.

We aren't going to take Sold Secure's findings for granted though.

Before taking my trusty portable angle grinder (a Makita DGA 504, spinning at up to 8,500rpm with 6 RBF cutting discs) to the X1, I tried out a few other lock-breaking methods.

Using a pry bar to try to twist the shackle and force the lock mechanism to ‘pop’ proved futile.

The shackle is impressively stiff and with a 16mm diameter of metal to bend, I was damaging the ‘stunt’ frame more than the lock itself.

Next, I tried drilling out the lock mechanism with a portable drill. However, the highly rated (European ART4) mechanism sitting within the armoured barrel resisted the HSS drill bit.

The lock barrel sustained some damage, but after five minutes of attack, there was only surface damage to the body. The lock remained operable.

Angle grinders are becoming the most popular tool for ‘professional’ (as opposed to opportunist) thieves interested in both bicycles and motorcycles.

It's one of the toughest tests of a lock and it's where the X1 really excelled. It took me an impressive 17 minutes 20 seconds to cut through one side of the shackle.

This took three cutting discs and what I thought was a fully depleted battery.

However, after I fully recharged the battery, I discovered the angle grinder's motor had been seriously damaged. It now works only intermittently (I wonder if I can bill Litelok for a new angle grinder…).

For context, the best-performing lock against a grinder the last time I had a set of locks in front of me was the Abus Granit Xtreme 59, which took 6 minutes 33 seconds to cut through a single side.

Like any lock, the X1 is at its best when used properly, so how and where you lock your bike is equally important as using a quality lock.

The X1 combines conveniently light weight, a great mount and truly impressive strength, especially against angle grinding.

It's an expensive lock, but what price securing your bike? I wholeheartedly recommend the Litelok X1.

Senior technical editor

Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine's senior technical editor for road and gravel. Having been testing bikes for more than 20 years, Warren has an encyclopedic knowledge of road cycling and has been the mastermind behind our Road Bike of the Year test for more than a decade. He's also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadar's YouTube channel. In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. Over the years, Warren has written about thousands of bikes and tested more than 2,500 – from budget road bikes to five-figure superbikes. He has covered all the major innovations in cycling this century, and reported from launches, trade shows and industry events in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and Africa. While Warren loves fast road bikes and the latest gravel bikes, he also believes electric bikes are the future of transport. You’ll regularly find him commuting on an ebike and he longs for the day when everyone else follows suit. You will find snaps of Warren's daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus).