Date reviewed: April 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | RRP: £270 | Weight: 2.25kg | mobil.abus.com
The new Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 is the first angle-grinder-resistant D-lock (or U-lock) from a ‘mainstream’ security brand. While first Hiplok, and then Litelok have been making kit that puts up a serious fight against grinders for a few years, the more household names seem to have been a little slow to the party.
This new lock comes with two keys, as well as a code card should you ever need replacements. There’s also a plastic carrier supplied, which weight 216g and will be of most use to bicycle owners. The lock barrel has a sprung metal gate that keeps dirt and grit from entering the mechanism.
As with other locks of this type, I’d love to see some brighter colours, rather than just black, to dissuade thieves and to remind the user that it’s fitted.
Pros & Cons
- Very good resistance to typical attacks
- Useful capacity within shackle
- Easy to use, rattle-free body
- Would be great to have brighter colours
- Not the class-leader in all angle-grinder attacks
Size and weight
Weighing a measured 2.25kg, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 measures 298mm by 170mm, with the most important measurement – the inside of the shackle – being 104mm wide by 115mm long at its maximum, with a total internal length of 223mm including the tapering section at the top.
This is slightly larger than the Litelok X3 and will go snugly over the front rim and tyre of an R1250GS, Triumph Tiger 800, 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R and Zontes ZT350-T, but it won’t fit over the front wheel of a 2001 Honda VFR800, which has ridges cast into the rim; only the Hiplok DX1000 manages that (and can even go over some rear wheels).
Here you can see the inside of the shackle, after the plastic cover has been cut away.
The metal core of the shackle is approximately 14mm x 14mm, but with the grinder-resistant tungsten carbide material that appears to be applied as a weld to the sides and outer edge, it’s around 19mm x 16mm. This is coated with a solid plastic shell that takes the shackle up to 30mm x 27mm, and creates further interference for the body of an angle-grinder during attack. It’s worth noting however that this bulk means it can’t be passed through the hub of the BMW spoked front wheel.
A more important issue with this lock’s thick shackle is that you may struggle to find a chain that will pass over it (though this can be remedied).
The plastic cover also allows the Abus to have a very tight yet smooth tolerance where the shackle meets the body of the lock, meaning it won’t rattle, but it’s also smooth and easy to lock together, and to open up.
Resistance to attack: lock picking
While some YouTube channels might make lock picking look easy, especially when selling the creators own tools, it’s not a theft method used in typical motorcycle thefts at all.
However, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 has a high security pick-resistant barrel that has also been tested by Sold Secure, which gives this lock the highest Diamond award.
To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.
Resistance to attack: bolt-croppers
Bolt croppers are useless against this (and most D-locks), so is not a viable form of attack.
To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.
Resistance to attack: drill
The barrel of the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 is impressively resistant to a drill attack, holding up to my attempts for plenty of time and still allowing me to use the key until I tried a smaller drill bit and broke it off inside the mechanism.
To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.
Resistance to attack: sledge hammer
Despite a sustained attack with a lump hammer, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 showed no significant signs of damage, only the plastic cover of the body yielding, but – impressively – not shattering.
To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.
Resistance to attack: angle-grinder
Attacking the top of the shackle with an angle-grinder and 1.0mm cuttings discs took a very significant amount of time, and destroyed four discs before I was able to get through it with the fifth. With this cut, the shackle would open enough to pass over most single cast spokes, but it’s impossible to get over the wheel, so would require a second cut.
The body of the lock is well-protected with two strips of cutting disc-resistant material on either side.
I was able to find a way to cut this lock using only two standard discs per cut, but as this method would require a second cut to get the lock off the bike, four discs would still be required, not to mention the fact that it was a very tricky attack to do accurately.
Using a high-quality diamond steel cutting disc, I was able to defeat the lock more quickly and without wearing through the disc. The Abus was notably less resistant to a diamond disc attack than the current best performer, the Hiplok DX1000.
However, it’s important to understand that, while these discs can be a formidable tool in a thief’s kit, they are far from being a universal solution as they’re much slower than abrasive discs on hardened steel. Typical street thefts are rarely carried out by a criminal carrying a variety of different tools, so while diamond discs can have their benefits, they’re significantly let down by very real disadvantages.
To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.
Bennetts BikeSocial test results
Product: Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500
Weight as tested: 2.25kg
Bolt cropper attack: PASS
Sledge hammer attack: PASS
Angle grinder attack: OUTSTANDING
Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 review: Verdict
The Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 is an impressive lock that proved hard to attack, if not the toughest of its competition, being let down relative to the competition by its resistance to a diamond disc attack.
This lock provides an excellent defence against all common forms of attack, and is a good size with a generally well-thought out design. My only reservation is that the thick plastic cover of the shackle makes it impossible for most chains to be slipped over – vital if you’re going to put the lock over the wheel, then also tether to bike to something immovable. While any current chain is going to be easier to attack than this lock, it still stop the bike being lifted away without cutting tools, and is a valuable additional line of defence.
Fortunately though, as long as your chain has an internal size of 20mm or more, that’s enough to go over the first stage of the plastic shield, so it’s possible to trim back from this far enough up the shackle to slide the chain on.
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By trimming the plastic back, I was able to fit this 11mm Pragmasis chain over the shackle of the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500, which allows me to tether the lock to something solid when using this portable noose-end chain.
