We’ve written before about Abus motorcycle locks, and their propensity to keep your ride where you left it. We’re big fans of their small but effective (sounds a little too familiar to me…) wheel locks and security solutions, so we were pumped to get our hands on their big beefy Ionus 1190 chain lock to see what punishment it could take. And nowhere can dish out quite a singular and unique brand of punishment like seedy Venice Beach.
We store a handfull of bikes outdoors at our beach headquarters – the garage is too full of car projects – so security is always top of mind for our bikes. And any security expert will tell you that at least 75% of the battle is preventing an attempt from ever happening by appearing to be secure. You can’t get much more intimidating than the Lou Ferrigno-grade steel chain on the Ionus 1190 wrapped around your wheel.
But it’s not all looks. This chain is a full 11mm thick, comes wrapped in a nylon sleeve to prevent tools easy purchase (and protect your bike’s paint and chrome), and has an integrated locking mechanism harder to crack than Putin’s scowl. It’s tough is what I’m saying… But generally strength comes by paying the price with heavy weight, but not so with the Ionus. Built to be as leightweight as possible, this is a chain you can sling around your waist and ride without cutting off circulation to your favorite bits of yourself.
It will take a bike rustler with a serious angle grinder, a torch, or enough leverage to lift a small garage to get through this Abus motorcycle lock and get to your precious ride. While no security measure is ever 100%, the combination of this chain’s intimidatingly beefy looks and hardcore engineering means we feel safe with the FactoryTwoFour bikes out amongst the hobos and neerdowells of Venice Beach. If it can do that, it can protect you anywhere.