ABUS CityChain 1010

The ABUS CityChain 1010 is the more serious sibling of the average ART-2 chain. Where most rivals (including the AXA Newton Pro) hit ART-2 with 5.5 to 6 mm links, the CityChain 1010 steps up with 9 mm links in a square rather than round profile. That sounds like a detail, but in practice the shape matters a lot: bolt cutters bite most efficiently on round links, and on a square profile they slip before they can build up enough pressure. Mechanically this lock sits closer to ART-3 territory than to the ART-2 average. The cylinder is an ABUS X-Plus, the upper tier of the brand's anti-picking hardware. In lockpicking community tests this disc cylinder holds up against anything short of professional forensic tools — picking is simply not a realistic attack path here. The nylon sleeve is thick and firmly stitched and does a good job of damping the jangle when the chain rides along in a pannier. After two Amsterdam winters we see light sleeve wear at the cylinder end, but rarely tears that reach the links.

For insurance this is a comfortable pick. ART-2 is the requirement for most Dutch e-bike policies up to 3,000 euros (Univé, ENRA, Centraal Beheer) and the 9 mm link gives you psychological room to use the lock on pricier bikes covered via separate valuables insurance. Compared to the AXA Newton Pro 100 the CityChain 1010 is clearly mechanically stronger but 700 grams heavier and 15 cm shorter — making it less suitable for cargo bikes or situations where you need to loop around a thick post plus frame. Versus the ABUS Granit CityChain X-Plus 1060 (the pricier ART-3 sibling) you give up an extra kilo and half a millimetre of thickness — for most e-bike commuters, not enough reason to upgrade.

Honest limits: 85 cm is tight for parking at a busy NS rack where you need to weave between two other bikes — keep the 100 or 110 cm variants in mind for that. The 3.6 kg weight means this is not a lock you want in a backpack, especially in the rain. And like all ABUS locks: if you lose your keys a replacement set costs 20 to 35 euros and takes about a week and a half to arrive via the ABUS Code Card — keep that card somewhere safe.