Neevesey reviews the Oxford Loop Lock, saying "I take this Oxford Loop Lock with me everywhere"

4 out of 5

Oxford Loop Lock 15

from Sportsbike Shop
£17.49 View offer
Published: 15 January 2025

Oxford offer a range of security devices, from lever locks to ground anchors, U-locks, disc locks and chains. They also sell an array of cable locks from simple zip locks to heavy duty armoured cable locks. This 15mm cable lock sits around the middle of the firm’s range and there’ also a cheaper 10mm version.

Expert rating:

4.0
Price: £17.49 (was £24.99)
Tried and tested by Michael Neeves for 18 months

Pros

  • Light, compact and easy to carry in luggage, or on the bike
  • Won’t damage bike’s paintwork
  • Reasonably priced

Cons

  • Not as resilient as a heavier-duty lock and chain
  • We haven’t tested its resistance to attack from bolt croppers, or angle grinders etc.
  • It will only work if you remember to use itIt will only work if you remember to use it
  • Quality
    4.0
  • Ease of use
    5.0
  • Value
    4.0
  • Verdict
    4.0
Weight 1kg
Construction 15mm high tensile steel cable with a 40mm laminated padlock
Number of keys Two
  • High tensile steel, self-coiling cable
  • Available in two sizes
  • Vinyl coated to protect your paintwork

Is the Oxford Loop Lock good quality?

There’s no sense this lock is cheap, cheerful or plasticky. The hardened steel 40mm laminated padlock, which can also double up as a disc lock, is sturdy, smooth and easy to operate and if you keep a note of the key number, you can get a replacement key cut through Oxford if you ever lose the two provided. The padlock and 15mm high tensile steel cable both have robust plastic covers to prevent scratching your bike’s paintwork.

How easy is the Oxford Loop Lock to use?

Weighing around a kilo, it’s light and self-coils into a six-inch loop, which it makes it easy to carry in a rucksack, or my bike’s luggage. It’s also easy to loop around a bike rack to free up space elsewhere. The 15mm high tensile steel cable itself has a protective plastic coating, so it never scratches my bike and unfurls to two meters, so long enough to secure my bike to fences/poles etc for extra security, or to loop through my motorcycle helmet and riding kit.

Oxford Loop Lock attached the the rear of the bike

Is the Oxford Loop Lock good value for money?

Costing just £21.99 it’s great value and you can find them for less if you shop around online.

So what’s the verdict?

I’ll always use the biggest, chunkiest lock I can get my hands on for locking my bike at home in the garage, but when I’m out and about road testing, or touring, I don’t really want to lug something heavy and unwieldly around.

It’s a difficult choice to make. Do you take a lock that weighs as much as small pillion to maximise your parked bike’s safety, or something lighter that makes the journey more enjoyable, but run the risk of making your bike easier to pinch?

I always choose the latter and make sure I take extra portable security, like using an Oxford Alpha XA14 disc lock, parking in covered, security-controlled car parks, or if there’s a gang of us and we have to park outside, lock our bikes together. Even then, it’s a sad fact of life that if someone really wants to take your bike, they’ll do it by hook and most definitely by crook.

Price: £54.94 (was £79.99)
Tried and tested by Richard Newland for five months - "If you want something that looks like you’ve got a wheel clamp attached to your disc, then this probably isn’t for you – but if you want a highly portable tough and noisy disc lock that’s Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold standard certified, then read on."

"The XA14 is certainly compact, but it’s got the minerals to slow a thief down and if the light-fingered scumbag decides to have a good go at removing it, they’ll also have the 110dB siren to contend with while they meddle."

"The lock feels solid and well-made, is attractively bold in bright yellow (black also available), comes with three sturdy keys (and a key code in case you lose them all) that won’t bend in your pocket, and boasts a fat 14mm locking pin to keep it in place. Being small, it’s easy to slip into a tankbag, pannier or rucksack – although it’d be nice it if had its own little pouch to stow away in."

"You get a reminder cord, which I know from bitter experience should always be used, and the alarm battery is a USB rechargeable unit, so you don’t need to buy a box of button batteries with it and can even charge it while riding if you have a power point on your bike. Tidy bit of kit."

Pros

  • Small and easy to carry with you
  • High-security
  • The alarm is loud!

Cons

  • Looks weedy
  • No carry-pouch
  • Quality
    5.0
  • Value
    5.0
Weight 739g
Alarmed? Yes
Construction Forged stainless steel
  • 110dB alarm
  • Sold Secure Gold
  • Compact and portable
  • 14mm locking pin

And of course, the best lock in the world is useless if you don’t use it. I recently discovered the sick feeling of seeing an empty space where my bike should’ve been when it was stolen in Naples. I parked it outside a hotel one afternoon to check-in, with the steering lock on, in broad daylight. By the time I’d dumped my bags in my room and gone straight back out to move it to a car park down the road, it had been stolen. I should’ve used my lock, but I was away from the bike for such a short time I thought it would be ok…

I take this Oxford Loop Lock with me everywhere now. I haven’t tested its resilience to bolt cutters or angle grinders, so this review is more about its convenience, but you’d hope it would slow a potential thief for long enough for them to be disturbed, especially with the additional security of a disc lock.

Expert rating:

4.0
Price: £17.49 (was £24.99)
Tried and tested by Michael Neeves for 18 months

Pros

  • Light, compact and easy to carry in luggage, or on the bike
  • Won’t damage bike’s paintwork
  • Reasonably priced

Cons

  • Not as resilient as a heavier-duty lock and chain
  • We haven’t tested its resistance to attack from bolt croppers, or angle grinders etc.
  • It will only work if you remember to use itIt will only work if you remember to use it
  • Quality
    4.0
  • Ease of use
    5.0
  • Value
    4.0
  • Verdict
    4.0
Weight 1kg
Construction 15mm high tensile steel cable with a 40mm laminated padlock
Number of keys Two
  • High tensile steel, self-coiling cable
  • Available in two sizes
  • Vinyl coated to protect your paintwork

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