ABUS Bordo Granit 6000 vs Hiplok Gold

The ABUS Bordo 6000 wins this comparison 88 to 76, but it's a lopsided contest: the Hiplok Gold targets a completely different scenario. The Bordo is a folding lock for commuters who mount it to the bike daily; the Hiplok Gold is a wearable chain lock you literally wear around your waist like a belt. The Hiplok Gold has a 10 mm hardened steel chain 85 cm long, weighs 2400 g and carries Sold Secure Gold — not ART, which is a serious issue for Dutch insurers. The ABUS Bordo 6000 with its 5 mm hardened plates, 90 cm effective length, 1100 g weight and ART-2 rating is tuned precisely for the Dutch market. On security the ABUS scores 92 vs 80, on value 85 vs 70. The Hiplok's unique selling point — wearable without a backpack or frame holster — was designed for messengers and fixie riders in London and New York, not Dutch commuters with 300 rainy days a year who want the lock clipped to the frame.

For the niche of bike messengers, style-conscious city riders without backpacks, or travellers heading to the UK where Sold Secure Gold dominates, the Hiplok Gold is a brilliant product. For standard Dutch e-bike or city bike use — where ART-2 is the insurance prerequisite and the Bordo clips to the frame in its included holster — there's no real contest.

For most Dutch cyclists we recommend the ABUS Bordo 6000. The Hiplok Gold is a gorgeous piece of industrial design, but without ART certification it won't satisfy most Dutch insurance policies.