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ABUS crushes lightweight U-Locks with new Granit 640 Plus, Eyes U.S. commuter bike helmet market

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Quite possibly one of the best bike quotes I’ve ever heard is that bikes locks are the prophylactics of the bicycle industry. We all hate using them, but at the end of the day we welcome the protection. Ideally, we’d live in a society where there was no need to lock up your bike, but until that magical day comes along companies like ABUS will continue to put out products that are easy to use and keep our bikes safe.

One of the problems we all face when it comes to locking our bikes, is the added hassle of transporting the locks. Generally, the better the theft protection, the heavier the lock. Clearly, this is an issue if you don’t want to be carrying around anvils in your backpack. The ABUS Granit Plus 640 directly addresses this issue with a lock that is very light, but still offers a 12 out of a total of 15 on the ABUS Security Level rating.

While the Granit 640 plus will protect your ride, ABUS is getting ready to bring in a line of product to the U.S. that will also protect your head…

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (2)

The Granit 640 Plus replaces the Granit 64 which was one of ABUS ‘ best sellers, so why mess with a good thing? Ultimately that decision came down to making a lock that was not only lighter, but stronger as well. Using a wider lock profile and a slightly thicker shackle that measures 12mm instead of 11mm, the protection factor has been bumped up from an 11 to a 12 even though the weight has gone down, thanks to the use of weight optimized alloys and a special hardening technique.

When it comes to the ABUS locking mechanism one huge benefit over their competitors comes from the four locking points on the shackle. Because each side of the shackle has two locking points, you can’t just cut one side of the lock and twist the remaining piece of shackle open. That means that a thief will have to use a grinder to cut through both sides of the lock  in order to steal it since bolt cutters can’t make it through the shackle. Clearly it’s not theft proof, but it buys you time – and that time means hopefully someone will catch the thief in the act, sparing your bike.

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (4) Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (3)

Shipped with two keys, one of which has a built in LED light, the keys use ABUS s’ special Plus cutting profile which has up to 250,000 variations. So chances are pretty high that you won’t find two locks keyed alike.

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (1)

Available in short and long (6″ or 9″ shackle), the short locks will be offered in red and grey soft touch finishes for $99. The Long will come in grey soft touch only and bump up the price to $129 and will include their TexKF bracket for mounting the lock to your frame. Both locks will be shipping in February along with a new ABUS website which will be easier to navigate.

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (9) Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (10)

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (6) Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (5)

OK, we’ve known that ABUS is expanding into helmets for awhile. In fact, they’re already selling in Europe and in Canada, but the U.S. is next. When asked why ABUS is producing helmets (which isn’t exactly a logical step to follow from locks) ABUS ‘ North American Marketing and PR Manager Joan Hanscom equated it to ABUS wanting to be more of a “bike company” than just a lock company. They also see the opportunity to introduce a number of helmets that have more features than just protection as illustrated by their commuter line. Between the Urban-i V.2, the Pedalec, and the Hyban, all three helmets have integrated LED flashers in the rear of the helmet. Pressing on the light itself cycles through the steady and flashing modes, and the location makes it easier for motorists to see the light.

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (7) Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (8)

The Pedalec takes integration a step further and adds a rain fly that stows in the rear of the helmet when not in use. When needed, the cover attaches to two posts at the front of the helmet and looks like it would block most of the rain while still allowing some ventilation.

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (11)

Abus granite 640 urban i v 2 pedalec hyvan helmets (12)

The Hyban is technically their entry level urban helmet, but it should be very popular due to the high impact shell. Commuters often lock their helmets to the bike or throw the helmet in a bag, etc. which can take its toll on a light weight helmet. The ABS shell of the Hyban should hold up to the abuse of the streets better, while still offering plenty of ventilation all without the look of the typical skate helmet. Already available in Canada for over a year, ABUS plans to have a formal launch of the helmets in the U.S. by Interbike later this year.

mobilesecurity.abus.com

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codyish
codyish
9 years ago

This article has been up for nearly 2 hours and nobody has found something to criticize? There must be a disturbance in the BR comments section…

ah
ah
9 years ago

How about giving us the weights of the light-weight locks? Or am I the only one who thinks that would be relevant?

Jack
Jack
9 years ago

Two questions:

What’s the outer width of the shackle?

Weight?

It’s all great it’s lighter, but if it can’t fit the belt loops / pockets made for d-locks on some clothing, it’s not very helpful as harder to transport than a Kryptonite Mini.

Adam2
9 years ago

Love those helmets! Very smart!

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
9 years ago

The built in rain cover and blinky are good ideas. One less thing to carry and one less thing to fall off, since I already lost a tail light last year.

BikeHoarder6
BikeHoarder6
9 years ago

@codyish: “This article has been up for nearly 2 hours and nobody has found something to criticize”?

Here ya go…

Attention ABUS! Love your locks, but when it comes to bike helmets,
PLEASE don’t make the same mistake Teva Footwear did with their shoe lines:
And that is by making a great product with horrible neon colors that I wouldn’t wear
even on Halloween.

TechHead
TechHead
9 years ago

@BikeHoarder6

Cause the last thing anyone wants in a piece of safety gear is well, safety, amIright? 😉

Let’s face it – all helmets look dorky. Might as well be bright and dorky and maybe save your life while they’re at it…

Mike D
9 years ago

Abus locks are the real deal. Love mine, recommend them to everyone over Kryptonite, Masterlock, etc. Eets got zi SHERMAN ENGSHINEERING!!

Dennis
Dennis
9 years ago

Okay so this is old but I got one of these and can answer the questions above:

Weight – 860 grams!!!! Less than 2 pounds! I kid you not.
Lighter than the evo mini with the protection of the fahgeddeaboutit!

It comes in at 1.25 pounds lighter than the evo, a shocking 2.65 pounds lighter than the fahgeddaboutit !!

I bought the 640 Granit Plus Mini, the long shackle one is only 40 grams heavier at 900 grams!

Fit – It fits in the back pocket, outer shackle measures at 11cm so fits anything that any other mini will fit.

By now you probably already learned all that from checking them out in person, but I had to answer because it is like night and day. I’ve seen a fahgeddedaboutit bring a guy’s pants down when he wore it in his back pocket, where it barely fit, it was HILARIOUS, but really, technology means you don’t need a lock that is almost 5 pounds.

I used Krypto for years and years, but I’m ABUS converted 100%

claude
claude
8 years ago

You’re wrong, Abus Granit Plus isn’t lighter than Granit Futura, it’s heavier. Bigger, wider, stronger…what did you think ?
Maybe, you forgot there are 2 sizes for the granit futura…

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