Tested: Milenco Coleraine 9mm chain and Dundrod U-Lock review
By John Milbank
Consumer Editor of Bennetts BikeSocial
25.08.2020
Date reviewed: August 2020 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £100.98 | Weight: 3.32kg | www.milenco.com
The Milenco Coleraine 9mm chain costs £44.99 for the 1.4m length on review here, while the Dundrod U-lock is £55.99, making a total price of £100.98.
While a relatively new name to the motorcycle security market, Milenco is a well-established engineering company that’s been producing chains and locks for some respected big brands for a long time.
Sold separately, this lightweight chain makes for a portable solution, while the U-lock – which has a 14mm shackle – doubles as a disc lock for motorcycles; it might fit some scooters, but check as the discs are usually smaller. Needless to say, the chain should easily fit under a scooter seat, so you’d be best using it as a package.
It would also be possible to carry the chain and lock on a motorcycle with no storage space by using the optional £19.99 Milenco chain lock bag.
The chain is covered with a tough fabric sleeve – rivetted at both ends – to protect your bike’s paintwork, while the lock has a plastic-covered body and a rubber-coated shackle. Note however that the rubber coating is a little too thick for the shackle to pass through this small chain, so you need to trim a little back with a sharp knife.
Trimming a little of the shackle’s rubber coating off allows it to pass through the chain
The chain is tested to Sold Secure Motorscooter Silver, while the lock is tested to Motorcycle Gold and comes with three stainless-steel keys (duplicates of which can be made by Milenco). These keys are of high quality and unlikely to deform like some cheaper brand’s disc-detainer keys.
The key-way in the lock body is protected by a sliding door with a nice, positive latching action that doesn’t fall open on its own.
Lightweight
Relatively low price
Lock doubles as a stand-alone disc lock
As is to be expected, it’s easier to attack than a heavier chain
Size and weight
The Coleraine chain has square links with a typical thickness of 8.2 to 9.0mm. Rolled up, it covers a diameter of about 20cm.
Our 1.4m test sample weighed 2.72kg, which equates to 1.94kg/m. The chain is available in lengths of 1m, 1.4m and 1.8m.
The Dundrod U-lock disc lock weighs 0.6kg, making for a total weight as tested of 3.32kg.
Resistance to attack: chain
A lightweight chain will always be a compromise, so it’s no surprise that this could be defeated with 42” bolt croppers, but it still took some effort.
It was possible to break the Coleraine chain with a sledge-hammer and anvil, but this is an unlikely form of attack that’s easily defeated by simply keeping the chain tight and off the ground.
An angle grinder will of course cut quickly through any chain of this size, but our data proves that using any security on your bike will make it far less likely to be stolen.
Note that while we no longer publish angle grinder cut times, the data is still used to determine the order of performance on our league table.
Resistance to attack: lock
The chain is the more likely point of attack within this package, though I did find it fractionally quicker to cut the Dundrod U-lock disc lock with an angle grinder than the chain because, despite being a hefty 14mm in diameter, only one side of the shackle needs to be cut before it can be rotated more than far enough to release the chain. This is something we’d like to see improved in future versions.
In use as a stand-alone disc lock, the single cut before defeat also makes it slightly more vulnerable, though thieves are happy to cut the disc to remove the lock, so it’s not a major downfall.
The Dundrod U-lock disk-lock could not be defeated using a sledge-hammer with plenty of space and an anvil, and the bolt-croppers could only mark the surface of the shackle.
Picking will be achieved using specialist tools and plenty of skill, but it’s irrelevant in real motorcycle theft.
Product: Milenco Coleraine 9mm chain and Dundrod U-Lock
Size tested: 1.4m
Weight as tested: 3.32kg
Rolled diameter: 20cm
Bolt cropper attack: POOR
Sledge hammer attack: POOR
Angle grinder attack: POOR
Milenco Coleraine 9mm chain and Dundrod U-Lock review: Verdict
Don’t be too put off by the relatively low test scores – this is a lightweight chain and lock that’s intended for use when you’re out and about; at home you should use the thickest and heaviest you can afford, but when travelling, it’s always going to be a compromise over what you can carry.
At this level of security there are cheaper options available, but the Milenco does have the advantage of good-quality stainless-steel keys and a thoroughly corrosion-tested chain and lock; this should last a lifetime and will continue to do its best to deter all but the more determined and equipped thieves.
To see the other chains and locks tested by Bennetts BikeSocial, click here
Find out how and why we did this test
Consumer editor John Milbank explains how you can get the best out of your chain and lock, and how this test was done
