Bike locks come in all shapes, sizes, and security levels, and there are hundreds of options to choose from. All of them have pros and cons in terms of usability, portability, and, most importantly, bike security. Folding locks, in particular, fold small for transport and open up for a large locking area. That same design also makes them vulnerable to prying and cutting attacks, and they typically don’t offer the highest level of security compared to some other lock types.
While there are quite a few U-locks and some burly/heavy chain locks that carry the highest level Sold Secure Diamond rating, the bulk of folding locks are rated Sold Secure Silver or below. For this reason, most folding locks are best for lower-risk situations where the portability and locking area benefits outweigh the chances of bike theft. Recently, however, there are quite a few folding locks that have earned the higher Sold Secure Gold rating (more on this below), including the Seatylock Foldylock Forever.
I’ve been testing the Foldylock Forever this spring and fall, in Reno, Nev. My wife and I have been using electric bikes — with a combined value of ~$4,500 — for everything from grocery runs and other errands to dinner dates and trips to the trailhead for walks and runs. From parking bikes downtown to locking up in front of shopping centers, we’ve been putting this folding lock through its paces to keep our bikes secure and make sure it lives up to the hype.
- MSRP: $135
- Type: Folding
- Sold Secure Rating: Gold
- Mfg. Security Rating: 18/18
- Materials: Rubber coated hardened steel bars
- Weight: Lock: 1632 grams (3.6 lbs), Frame mount: 149 grams
- Dimensions: 90 cm locking perimeter, 6.9 x 20.5 cm folded
Pros
- Smooth key action with defined open/closed positions
- Easy to use and carry
- Mounts to included frame bracket and is super quiet
- Very well-made
- Sold Secure Gold and ART-3 ratings = most secure folding lock on the market
Cons
- Can be cut with angle grinder
- Heavy-ish
Foldylock Forever Details
The Foldylock Forever has a folding design (obviously) that includes six 6.5 mm-thick, rubber-coated hardened steel plates. Those plates are joined by heavy-duty “patented ultra-protected rivets” that are resistant to drilling, sawing, and prying attacks. When unfolded, it has a circumference of 90 cm (35.4 in.), making it easier to fit around multiple bikes or larger objects than most U-Locks. When folded, it is 20.5 cm / 8.1” long, 6.9 cm / 2.7” wide, and 4.7 cm / 1.9” thick. It comes with a mounting bracket to attach to bottle bosses on a bike frame, or to keep it folded up in your bag or backpack. It weighs 3.9 pounds, including the bracket.
The lock itself is keyed, and it has an automotive-grade cylinder that is “butter smooth and ultra secure” and has an auto-closing cover to keep dust, debris, and water out of the mechanism. It comes with three high-security keys. The lock has a three-year warranty, and when you register it, you can also enter the key duplication codes so they are on file if you ever need spares made.
The Foldylock Forever was the first folding lock to earn a Sold Secure Gold rating, meaning that it has been tested to withstand attacks from specialized bike theft tools (excluding angle grinders) for at least five minutes. That means it should stand up to bolt cutters, hand saws, drills, rivet pliers, and pry bars. According to Sold Secure, Gold-rated locks are suitable for use in high-risk areas. On top of that, as far as I know, the Foldylock Forever and Foldylock Elite are the only folding locks to earn a 3-star rating from ART, a Dutch lock testing organization. The ART-3 rating means that it’s also suitable for mopeds and considered higher security than locks that don’t have a comparable rating.
Until Seatylock introduced the new 110 cm Foldylock Elite, which carries the same ratings, the Foldylock Forever was considered the most secure folding lock on the market. It still is; it just shares that designation with its sibling now, too.
Using the Foldylock Forever
I’ve used quite a few different bike locks in my life, and the Foldylock Forever is easily one of the best. I’ve got the bracket mounted to the bottle bosses on my Rad Power Radwagon 5, and the lock just lives in there unless I pull it off to use it with another bike. It fits perfectly in the bracket, is easy to remove and replace, and makes no noise whatsoever when riding. It’s bigger than you might expect in your hand, and it weighs 3.9 pounds, but I’ve stuffed the lock into my messenger bag a few times, and that’s fine, too. That said, if you’re carrying it that way all the time, I would use the bracket to keep it tidy as the plates move around quite freely otherwise.
The folding action of the plates is shockingly smooth, even after six months of use. The pivots have almost zero friction, so it opens and folds back up very easily. Likewise, the key action is as buttery as advertised, which isn’t the case with some of the other locks I’ve tried. Once opened, the 90 cm length makes it relatively easy to lock two bikes together or loop around larger poles and objects than U-locks. The only real limiting factor that I found is that the 8-inch long plates can sometimes be tricky to fit through tight spaces like between your spokes and chainstays or fork legs. If 90 cm isn’t long enough, the Foldylock Elite is essentially the same exact lock in a 110 cm length and costs $10 more
With the smooth action of the pivots and the smooth operation of the locking mechanism itself, the Foldylock Forever is super quick to deploy, lock, and put away. I’ve found it to be way simpler to fit around bikes and fixed objects than the tighter fits and rigid shackles of most U-locks I’ve tried. My biggest concern has honestly been keeping track of the keys, which I am notoriously bad at doing, but that’s true of all keyed locks. Also worth mentioning is that I’d say this lock is best suited for locking your bike to bike stands, poles, and other fixed objects. This isn’t a lock I would use to lock bikes to a rack on my car, as it simply isn’t long enough to loop around a car rack and a frame (or frames).
Bike Security
With a Sold Secure Gold rating, I’m quite confident in the safety of my bike(s) just about everywhere in my town. Still, I would opt for something with a higher rating if the bike thieves in my area were known for using angle grinders to cut locks. I also wouldn’t leave my bike locked up overnight, which is something I avoid doing anyway. Obviously, it’s important to match your bike lock security level with both the risk of theft and the methods thieves use to compromise locks in your area.
For me, the Foldylock Forever suits my needs, but it certainly isn’t infallible. In fact, my former colleague Paul Clauss did some destructive tests on one of these locks a couple years ago, and he was able to compromise it. But, like the testers at Sold Secure found out, he couldn’t cut it with bolt cutters or a hand saw, and a pry bar didn’t work either. As expected, he was able to compromise it with a single cut with an angle grinder (see photo above), but it took 40 seconds, which was longer than other folding locks he was testing at that time. Of course, this lock doesn’t claim to be angle grinder resistant either, but it was good to know it stood up to that form of attack better than lesser options.
Foldylock Forever: My Takeaway
The Foldylock Forever has quickly become my go-to bike lock for the overwhelming majority of my around-town rides. It lives quietly in its mounting bracket on my bike and goes completely unnoticed until I need to lock my bike(s). It seems very well made, and all of the moving parts and the locking mechanism work as well after six months of use as they did when I took it out of the box. It’s easily portable and just as easy to use, and I feel comfortable locking up with it everywhere that I go.
Of course, security needs vary, but if you’re looking for a folding lock, the Foldylock Forever strikes me as the best option. At $135, it’s not cheap, but it’s built to last and seems like a solid investment in bike security. If it aligns with the level of security you need, I’d argue this is the best folding bike lock you can currently buy.
You can learn more about the Foldylock Forever and Seatylock’s other locks on the brand’s website.
