Milenco Dundrod+ U-lock disc lock review

Date reviewed: August 2020 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £51.99 | www.milenco.com

The Milenco Dundrod+ is the beefier of the company’s two mini-shackle U-locks, working as a standalone disc-lock, or for securing a chain.

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.

The Dundrod+ is tested to Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold standard 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 lock has a rubbery coating on the body and shackle, offering a good level of protection for the paint on your bike’s wheels.

Size and weight

The 16mm shackle is made thicker by the rubber coating, so make sure it fits through the chain you have, if you intend to use it that way – of the Milenco range, it passes through the links on the company’s 12mm and 14mm chains.

At 1.22kg, it’s not too heavy to carry around and it doesn’t take up too much space; you can separate the shackle and body to get it under your bike’s seat if you like.

Note that if you’re popping it into a rucksack, you should always wear a back-protector, and while this lock will fit in a pocket, I’d not recommended it as it could cause injury if you fell on it.

Ease of use

The keyhole is covered by a neat sliding door that clicks positively open and closed to offer some useful protection from the elements, and while disc detainer locks like this require care when inserting the key to ensure it’s all the way in before turning fully, it’s no real problem. If one of the discs is out of line, it can stop the key entering completely, so if it hasn’t seated fully, just give it a little jiggle to get it right in.

The shackle should fit most motorcycle brake discs , but note that most scooters have smaller brake discs than motorcycles, so this might not be suitable.

To see the best disc locks for bikes and scooters, click here.

Resistance to attack

No disc lock will stop a bike being picked up and put into a van – you need to tether it to something to reduce the chances of that happening – but a more common theft method in cities is to use a scooter to push the stolen bike away after snapping the steering lock; a disc lock is a great deterrent to this.

Thieves have been known to cut the brake disc itself to remove a lock, but using any security greatly reduces the chances of your motorcycle or scooter being stolen, as our data shows here.

The 16mm shackle and tough body easily resisted attack with 42” bolt-croppers, while the very noisy and difficult method of a sledge-hammer and anvil only resulted in tearing of the coating and dents in the lock body.

It’s no surprise that an angle grinder will get through this and any lock, but it’s disappointing to discover that only one cut is required to get it off the brake disc or to free a chain that it’s securing as there’s too much free rotation in the locking pins, which allows the shackle to swing open.

Picking will be achieved using specialist tools and plenty of skill, but it’s irrelevant in real motorcycle theft.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle and scooter locks for home and away.

Milenco Dundrod+ U-lock disc lock review: Verdict

The Milenco Dundrod+ is a beefy-looking piece of kit, making it a good deterrent when used as a disc lock, and when securing a chain.

Criminals are sometimes willing to cut the brake disc to remove a lock, but it’s still a shame to see the rotation in the shackle making this a weaker design than many of its competitors; while not an uncommon flaw, it is something that needs to be addressed.

BikeSocial members can save an additional 10% on Milenco security

Big thanks to Piaggio and repair/claims specialist 4th Dimension for supplying parts that allowed us to carry out real-world testing. Both are companies passionate about reducing crime.