Artago 61 ground anchor review | Full destruction test

Date reviewed: December 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £104.99 (RRP) | www.artago.com

The Artago 61 ground anchor on review here is a relatively simple design that’s supplied with four expanding bolts that will hold it securely into a sold concrete floor. It’s been certified to Sold Secure Powered Cycle Gold, which is rather low for something like this as the Gold level does not include testing for angle-grinder attacks, which are of course one of the most common and aggressive theft methods – for that you need to look for Sold Secure’s Diamond level. There’s also a higher level than Sold Secure Powered Cycle Diamond (which itself is more intensive than ‘Bicycle Diamond’): Ground Anchor Diamond, which has more sustained and aggressive test technique than Powered Cycle, though at the time of writing only the TufLuck is certified to it.

It’s perhaps possible that Artago certified this anchor several years ago, before the Diamond level was introduced by Sold Secure, but our independent library of motorcycle security reviews covers the most likely modern attacks and considers the capacity of various sizes of chain that anchors can accommodate…

Pros & Cons

Artago 61 capacity

The Artago 61 measures just over 150mm square and is a fairly compact form, though unlike some anchors it doesn’t fold down so could be a trip hazard. Having said that, any anchor should be positioned as out of the way as possible to make access by a thief difficult, so this really shouldn’t be a problem.

Made of 6mm-thick steel, the Artago 61 is a solidly-built piece of kit, and the arch size of 46mm tall, 50mm wide at the top and 92mm at the bottom means a 19mm chain is the largest I could get in there. The links had to be rotated as I fed the chain in, but if fitted inside your garage you don’t need to worry about leaving the chain in the anchor when not in use. Never leave a chain and lock unused in public as it can be scuppered in such a way that it looks secure, but can be quickly and quietly defeated when your bike’s locked up.

Fitting

It’s of course important that the concrete that the Artago 61 ground anchor is bolted into is structurally sound and solid – it’s not suitable for block paving or slabs, which can be easily lifted. It might be possible to fix the anchor into a wall but this could create an opportunity for the thief to get a crowbar behind the base plate and work it loose.

Unfortunately Artago does not supply a drill bit with the anchor, so you’ll need to source a 16mm masonry bit.

First find a suitable location for the anchor, ensuring you can get your bike into position and still access the chain, while ideally making it as awkward to reach as possible for a thief. Also make sure that the surface is smooth, so there are no dips present that could allow access with prying tools.

After marking the four holes using the anchor as a template, carefully drill them all to 10cm depth then blow the dust out using a length of narrow pipe (also not supplied).

The anchor bolts can then be inserted. They should be a snug fit, so hand-tighten the bolts into the anchor sleeves with the collars in place and tap them in with a hammer.

Remove the bolts, thoroughly clean the floor and place the anchor over the top then all being well you’ll be able to insert the bolts and tighten them down using a 6mm Allen key (which again, is not supplied).

Once the bolts are evenly and securely locked down (I’d recommend using a ratchet set and 6mm hex driver), the ball-bearings can be hammered into the heads of the bolts, then the caps knocked into the top of the anchor’s base plate, making the bolts virtually impossible to remove.

Resistance to attack: lump / sledge hammer

Despite an extremely sustained sledge-hammer attack, the thick steel construction of the Artago 61 means it can’t be cracked or damaged in any significant way. The best a thief could do would be to attack the concrete floor and (very) noisily attempt to remove the anchor.

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

The thick steel and double-wall construction of the Artago 61 makes it very difficult to defeat with an angle-grinder. Using high-quality 1mm-thick cutting discs I eventually gave up attempting to perform the two full cuts required to open this anchor, as it had already taken much longer than any chain and I’d only succeeded in removing the outer plate.

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: Artago 61 ground anchor

Sledge hammer attack: PASS

Angle grinder attack: PASS (VERY GOOD)

To see the other chains and locks tested by Bennetts BikeSocial, click here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through BikeSocial membership.

Artago 61 review: Verdict

Given the Sold Secure Gold certification level and the 19mm chain limit, it seems likely that the Artago 61 is a relatively old design. It’s none the worse for it though as it’s very hard to attack and much slower to cut than any chain.

The problem for this anchor is simply that it can’t accommodate the larger 22mm and 25mm chains that are among the best now on the market, so it’s competing with some devices that can, and at a lower price.

But a ground anchor just needs to be harder to attack than the chain it’s securing, and the Artago does that with ease.

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