Pragmasis Noose-End chain review | 13mm and 16mm destruction test

Date reviewed: December 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: From £72.95 | Weight: 3.1kg/m & 4.4kg/m | securityforbikes.com

Noose-end chains are the best option for portable motorcycle security because they can be shorter than a traditional chain and can be used to tether a bike that has an angle-grinder-resistant D-lock fitted, making for a great theft-resistant set-up.

By passing the end of the chain through the noose on one end, far less length is needed: a standard chain is usable only over half its full length as it has to double back on itself, but a noose chain only needs to use its length to wrap around whatever you’re securing the bike to – the rest is a single length that can be attached to a D-lock, but more on that in a moment.

Note that while it can be shorter, a noose-end chain will still likely work out more expensive than a traditional chain due to the difficulty in joining and hardening the noose link – this has to be fitted before the hardening process, so the chain has to be cut to its length first, reducing the savings that can be made with longer lengths that are cut to size after hardening.

The Pragmasis noose-end chains on review here have 13mm and 16mm-thick links, and are both certified to Sold Secure Powered Cycle Gold. However, this test level doesn’t include an angle-grinder test, so both have also been through Bennetts BikeSocial’s full suite of destruction testing…

Pros & Cons

Size and weight

We’re testing two thicknesses of Pragmasis chain here – the 13mm and the 16mm. They’re also available with standard links throughout, but this review focusses on the versatile noose-end design. Here’s how the two compare based on my own measurements:

These Pragmsasis chains are a long-link design, which saves weight compared to shorter links, though could arguably be slightly easier to hold during an angle-grinder attack.

Something that’s vitally important when buying any noose-end chain is to look at the internal dimensions of the standard end link. The main advantage of these chains is that you can attach them to a D-lock that’s already fixed around your motorcycle’s wheel, then tether the bike to something as well. That way, even if the chain is cut the bike still can’t be pushed away without cutting the D-lock.

In my testing, The Pragmasis 16mm noose-end chain’s end link could fit around a Hiplok DX1000 and Litelok X3 without any modification to the D-lock shackles.

For the 13mm chain, the silicone sleeve of the Hiplok DX1000 needs trimming back a little to fit inside the end-link (which is what I’ve done), but the Litelok X3’s shackle does just fit.

A 1.5m Pragmasis 13mm noose-end chain will roll up to a diameter of about 25cm, while a 1.1m can fit in your hand (just). This means they’re easy to tuck out of the way in your luggage of even under the seat of some bikes.

What length of noose-end chain do you need?

By being shorter, a noose-end chain can be more portable than a traditional one, so you can potentially go a little thicker than you normally would. Personally, I think that the 16mm chain is too heavy to carry, with 13mm about the limit. Note that no chain should ever be carried in a rucksack or around your body – pop it in your bike’s luggage or strap it to the pillion seat. Pragmasis offers a lock carry bag here if you don’t have one.

When buying a traditional chain, which has to wrap around the bike’s wheel and the object you’re locking it to before having both ends linked, I’d recommend at least 1.5m, which weighs about 4.5kg for a 13mm chain. However, a noose-end chain only needs to go around the anchor, then attach to the D-lock’s shackle.

To work out the length you need, consider the largest object you’re likely to tie the bike up to. I’d suggest that’s a lamp-post (though do be careful as this isn’t always legal), which is approximately 45cm in circumference by my measurement.

But then there’s the thickness of the chain around that object – it actually takes 72cm of Pragmasis 13mm noose-end chain to wrap around that lamp post.

So, as a rough rule of thumb, let’s say 1.6 times the circumference of what you’re locking to, then the length you need to reach your bike remembering that you won’t always be able to get it right up close.

Personally, I think 1.1m is the sweet spot, which weighs 3.38kg and is what I now take with me when I need to keep my bike more secure away from home.

This is the same 1.5m length of noose-end chain – look how much further it can reach when the two ends don’t have to be linked

Resistance to attack: bolt-croppers

Both the 13mm and 16mm Pragmasis noose-end chains proved impossible to cut even with all my weight bouncing off the largest 4ft bolt-croppers.

13mm tends to be the limit for most chains, but the marks on the links show the good hardening used in the production of these chains.

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: sledgehammer

A sledge-hammer attack is very unlikely as it’s very noisy and needs a fair bit of skill to get accurate hits, plenty of space and ideally something to use as an anvil.

This kind of attack can be defeated simply by keeping the chain tight and off the ground, though this might not always be possible. Fortunately, even when giving myself ideal conditions and a length of railway track to act as an anvil, I was unable to crack or distort the 13mm or 16mm Pragmasis noose-end chains, which is further testament to the care with which the company has the case- and through-hardening carried out.

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 best chains tread a balance of a hard outer (the case-hardening) to prevent cut attacks, with a slightly more ductile inner core (the through-hardening) to prevent them being too brittle, while still offering good degrees of cut resistance.

The 13mm Pragmasis noose-end chain’s main links can be cut in a relatively short time if the attacker can hold them steady, but this is the compromise that has to be made for a portable chain. Impressively though, it took the same amount of time to cut the 3.1kg/m Pragmasis as it did to get through the 4.92km/m Hiplok XL chain with its shorter 14mm links. Impressive.

The 16mm Pragmasis noose-end chain takes it a significant step further, requiring twice as long to cut as the 13mm. While still not up there with the thickest 22mm and 25mm chains, this was still an impressive result.

In both cases, the noose links were harder to cut than the main links, and specialist diamond-coated metal cutting discs took longer to get through the chains than quality abrasive discs.

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: Pragmasis 13mm noose-end chain

Weight: 3.1kg/m

Bolt cropper attack: PASS

Sledge hammer attack: PASS

Angle grinder attack: PASS (AVERAGE)

Product: Pragmasis 16mm noose-end chain

Weight: 4.4kg/m

Bolt cropper attack: PASS

Sledge hammer attack: PASS

Angle grinder attack: PASS (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.

Pragmasis 13 & 16mm Noose-End Chain: Verdict

Angle-grinder resistant D-locks have changed the face of motorcycle security: good ones are so hard to defeat that they can make it extremely hard for a thief to push a stolen bike away, which is one of the most common theft techniques.

But they can’t stop it being lifted into a van.

By tethering your bike to an anchor, lamp-post, railing etc, the chain will have to be cut first. Granted, it’ll be easier than cutting the best angle-grinder-resistant D-locks, but it’s still a significant extra hassle for a thief that will slow them down a lot and likely make them move onto something else.

The 13mm Pragmasis noose-end chain is now my trusted choice of portable security, combined with the Hiplok DX1000 for the best overall angle-grinder resistance. Depending which bike I’m riding, I also pair it with the excellent, though slightly smaller Litelok X3.

I find the 16mm Pragmasis a bit heavy for portable use, but it may well be an option for some. At home it’s good, but if you don’t need to carry the chain about I’d go for the thickest you can afford and not worry about the length, depending how you plan to use it.

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