Tested: Abus CityChain 1010 review

Date reviewed: July 2017 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £165.99 | Weight: 2.7kg | www.abus.com

The Abus CityChain 1010 (18899) is a combined chain and lock with a soft, tough fabric cover that’s fully secured at both ends. You can buy it in lengths of 0.85, 1.1, 1.4 and 1.7 meters  – we tested the 1.4m version – and it’s supplied with two keys, one of which has a small LED torch built in.

The sleeve soaks up moisture if used in the rain, so you might want to pop it in a carrier bag if you’re taking it home in your luggage.

The body of the lock has a plastic cover, with a built-in metal gate protecting the keyway from grit and water.

Size and weight

The 1.4m chain and lock weighs just 2.70kg, while the 1.7m version is 3.28kg. When rolled up, it covers a diameter of approximately 20cm.

Resistance to attack: chain

We broke the chain in just 17 seconds using 42” bolt croppers, and in 50 seconds using a sledge hammer (on an anvil with plenty of room to swing); the link’s weld cracked ten seconds before this.

Using an angle-grinder we cut through the chain – which uses 8.5-8.8mm hexagonal links – relatively quickly using our bench-mark mains grinder.

Resistance to attack: padlock

The chain is the weakest point for an angle grinder attack, but we opened the lock mechanism in just 38 seconds with a sledge hammer and anvil, making it the weakest point of the device for this attack.

To understand how best to use your lock, click here.

BIKESOCIAL TEST RESULTS

Product: Abus CityChain 1010

Size tested: 1.4m

Weight as tested: 2.7kg

Rolled diameter: 20cm

Bolt cropper attack: POOR

Sledge hammer attack: POOR

Angle grinder attack: POOR

Conclusion

The weakness of the CityChain 1010’s lock body when attacked with a sledge hammer means it’s very important to keep it off the ground, though we strongly recommend this with all locks. The poor bolt cropper resistance means it’s particularly susceptible to a silent attack, and while it’s not the quickest we’ve tested, the angle grinder chewed through it pretty rapidly.

To see the other chains and locks tested by 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