The Seatylock Viking Silver is a relatively lightweight, mid-security chain that should be ideal for those that prefer the flexibility, extra locking options and easy portability of a chain lock over a u-lock.
But how secure is it really, is it easy to carry and use, and what are the alternatives if it’s not quite right for you?
I’ve been testing it for that last month or so to find out…
A good quality, medium security bike chain lock that's not too heavy, is easy to use and provides plenty of locking options.
Summary
Seatylock Viking Silver 90 | |
|---|---|
Cell | Cell |
Check price: | |
Chain thickness: | 7 mm |
Weight: | 2.98 lbs (1.35 kg) |
Length: | 35.4" (90 cm) |
Other Security Ratings: |  |
Viking Silver 90 Pros
Viking Silver 90 Cons
How secure is the Seatylock Viking Silver 90?
The Viking Silver chain has a Silver rating from Sold Secure (the clue is in the name!), and is obviously a bike lock for lower risk circumstances.
The Viking Silver has 7 mm chain links
It has 7 mm thick chain links, which means it is susceptible to bolt cutter attack. However, there are ways to minimize this risk with a sensible locking technique, and the truth is when I tried to crop it with my 24” bolt cutters, the Viking Silver actually broke its jaws!
Now, I wouldn’t read too much into this. The jaws were not very well calibrated, and 24” is not massive when it comes to bolt cutters.
The Seatylock Viking Silver broke my bolt cutters!
But this is a lock designed to protect your bike in low risk circumstances from opportunist thieves. And opportunist thieves are not carrying around the best quality tools and are unlikely to have anything bigger than 24” bolt cutters, as such tools are heavy and difficult to conceal.
So the Viking Silver did a great job under these circumstances!
Have no doubt, though: a properly calibrated 30” bolt cutter should be able to cut this chain relatively easily, if a thief can get the bolt cutters in the right position, where they can use the ground for leverage (more on how to avoid this later).
If the chain is too low, it's vulnerable to bolt cutters
In terms of other common methods used by thieves: leverage attacks don’t work against chains, hacksaws are difficult and time-consuming on chains as the links move about, drills are largely ineffective against any half decent lock these days and a thief would need to get the lock on the ground to freeze and smash it with a hammer.
So as long as your locking technique is half decent, the real world threats this lock will face are mainly bolt cutters and angle grinders.
An angle grinder will go through this chain (and most other portable bike locks) in seconds. But if you’re someone who is at risk from an angle grinder attack, then this kind of lock is not intended for you in the first place; you should be looking at one of the new angle grinder resistant bike locks instead.
And as I’ve already mentioned, there are ways to mitigate the risk of a bolt cutter attack with a proper locking technique (more on this later).
There is one security element I don’t like about the Viking Silver, and that is the piece of rubber sheath that covers the end of the lock.
It's possible to pull the sheath back to expose the chain links
In order to crop a chain, a bolt cutter needs direct access to the metal links. However, every decent bike chain lock is covered with in fabric cover, which is largely intended to protect your frame from the scratches, but also prevents direct access to the metal links.
So in order to crop a chain, a thief needs to first get past that cover. And this usually means they have to cut through it with a knife or other tools. Which slows them down and makes stealing your bike more difficult.
There is a weak point, however: the end of the chain that fastens into the locking mechanism, must be uncovered. And the transition from the covered chain to the naked chain has to be handled well.
On some locks, such as the Kryptonite Kryptolok Series 2 there is a hard piece of plastic molded around the chain and also fused onto the cover. This makes accessing the naked chain very difficult: a thief still has to cut through the plastic or the cover.
The molded plastic on Kryptonite chains provides extra security
But on the Viking chains, there is just a soft piece of rubber that is neither attached to the chain nor to the cover. And by simply pulling the sheath in one direction or the other, a thief has immediate access to the chain links.
This could be improved.
Having said that, proper locking techniques can reduce the risk of such easy access to the links, and if you lock your bike carefully, the Viking Silver will provide more than sufficient security for low risk circumstances.
Is the Seatylock Viking Silver 90 easy to carry?
Like most chain locks, the Seatylock Viking Silver doesn’t come with a frame mount, so you will have to improvise how you carry it while cycling.
Generally, I like to wrap chain locks around my seat post. This is usually the easiest and most effective way to carry a chain lock around. However, the longer the chain, the more difficult it becomes.
The Seatylock Viking Silver 90 wraps neatly around my seat post
I’ve been testing the smallest, 35.4” (90 cm) Viking Silver, and it's relatively easy to get it around my seat post. If I just wrapped it around and around, it was a bit long, so I tied it in a knot around the post first, and then wrapped it, to get a nice tight fit.
Riding around like this, I didn’t notice it was there, and it was well away from any components that it might otherwise interfere with.
The Viking Silver 90 slips leaves lots of room in my saddlebag
If there’s no room on your seat post, then you can put it in a bag or a pannier or lock it to your luggage rack.
The official weight of the Viking Silver 90 is 2.98 lb (1.35 kg). I make it lighter!
The 35.4” (90 cm) Viking Silver weighs 2.98 lb (1.35 kg), which is about the same as 3.5 cans of Coke. This is very light for a chain lock, but there are much lighter bike locks available that offer the same level of security.
The Viking Silver 90 weighs around the same as 3.5 cans of Coke!
Indeed, u-locks are generally significantly lighter than chain locks. For example, the Kryptonite Keeper New-U Standard, is also Sold Secure Silver, has more or less the same locking circumference but weighs just 0.93 kg (2.05 lb), which is the same as 2.5 cans of Coke.
So if you’re looking for the lightest locks, then chain locks like the Viking Silver, are not the best choice.
But as I’ve already mentioned, the Viking Silver is pretty lightweight for a chain lock, so it’s very easy to carry around. And chain locks do offer certain usability advantages…
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Is the Seatylock Viking Silver 90 easy to use?
Measuring 35.4” (90 cm), the Viking Silver is long enough to provide plenty of locking opportunities. However, be aware that the locking circumference isn’t that much bigger than a standard size u-lock….
The Viking Silver 90 provides more internal locking space than a standard size u-lock
However, the advantage of a chain is its flexibility, which means that you’ll be able to lock your bike in places and in ways that wouldn’t be possible with a u-lock. This is especially useful for chunkier bikes.
For my bike, in my city (which is full of Sheffield bike stands), I don’t really need 90 cm of chain. In fact, it can be a bit of a disadvantage, as your main priority with a chain should be keeping it as far from the floor as possible.
Close to the ground it's vulnerable to a bolt cutter attack
This is for security. If the chain is too close to the ground, a thief may be able to cut it with a pair of bolt cutters by using the floor for leverage. If the chain is further from the ground, this is very difficult, if not impossible.
High up but drooping down = vulnerable to a bolt cutter attack
So always fasten the chain as high up around the bike as you can, keeping it as tightly wrapped around the frame and one wheel as possible.
We can do better than this!
How easy this is depends on the length of the chain. A longer chain can droop down! This is why, for my circumstances, I prefer a shorter lock like the 21.5" (55 cm) Kryptonite Kryptolok or Evolution. These make it easier to keep the chain far from the ground.
However, you can still manage it with the 90 cm Viking Silver, by wrapping it around extra parts of the frame. And trust me: it’s worth the extra effort, as it does make your bike much more secure.
Wrapping it as tight and high as possible is best!
And the extra length of the 90 cm Viking Silver can actually come in really handy if you’re securing a bigger bike, two bikes or locking your bike to something thicker like a lamppost.
You won't be able to use a u-lock on a lamppost like this!
So in this way, the Viking Silver is a very adaptable bike lock.
One particularly innovative feature of the Viking Silver that I haven’t seen on any other bike locks is the magnetic fastening system. This is really useful when you're reaching around, trying to connect the two ends of the lock in a tricky position, as the chain will automatically click into the mechanism.
You get 3 keys with all Seatylock locks
Like all Seatylock bike locks, you get 3 keys with the Viking Silver, plus a code for ordering more should you need them. I really like the Seatylock’s slider keys; they’re a lot easier to use than the Kryptonite system, which often suffer from annoying misaligned discs.
The keyhole cover is plastic rather than metal
I would prefer it if the keyhole cover was metal (rather than plastic) like the ones on Abus locks, as metal is more durable, but don’t forget the Seatylocks are generally much cheaper than Abus locks!
Conclusion: Is the Seatylock Viking Silver 90 worth it?
Chain locks are nearly always more expensive than u-locks with similar security levels. You can check the price of the Seatylock Viking here [Amazon]. But I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to get a Sold Secure Silver u-lock cheaper.
A good medium level security choice !
So you need to really value the benefits of a chain lock over a u-lock to make the extra expense worth it.
So what are these benefits?
For many people, wrapping a chain around their seat post or even rolling it up and throwing it in a bag is much more preferable than dealing with unreliable and ugly frame mounts and bulky u-locks.
Chains will also give you loads more locking options than u-locks and are particularly suitable to chunky bikes, multiple bikes and unusual locking scenarios.
They’re also immune to leverage attacks, which are one of the most common methods that opportunist thieves use to defeat u-locks. So if you're following the locking advice I provide here, you are sometimes safer with a chain!
I would say that the Viking Silver is a well-made, mid-security chain that is perfect for low risk circumstances, and scenarios where u-locks may not be the best option.
However, if you’re not convinced, check out my guide to choosing the best bike lock or browse these alternatives…
Alternatives to the Seatylock Viking Silver 90
Looking for something more secure?
The Kryptonite Kryptolok Series 2 has 9 mm chain links and Sold Secure Gold rating, so is significantly more secure than the Viking Silver.
It’s also available in my preferred 21.5" (55 cm) length, which (I think) is ideal for city bikes and regular bike stands. But if you need something longer, it’s also available in three other lengths up to 60.0" (150 cm).
I also prefer the way the Kryptonite handles the fabric cover to naked chain transition at the end of the lock (as discussed above).
Be aware that the Gold rated Kryptonite will be much heaver than the Seatylock though. And if you just wished there was a more secure version of the Viking Silver, fear not, there is a Viking Gold [Amazon] as well!
Looking for something lighter?
If you like the Viking Silver but are unimpressed by the relatively heavy (3.5 cans of Coke) weight, then how about the Litelok Go Flexi-O 85?
It has more or less the same locking circumference as the Viking Silver, but because it’s an advanced cable, rather than a chain, it’s much lighter (2.5 cans of Coke). And it keeps the same Sold Secure Silver rating too.
You can even wear it around your waist like a belt rather than attach it to your bike, in order to carry it around!
So what’s the catch? Well, it’s usually twice as expensive (check the price here [Amazon])!
But if you are looking for a really lightweight, easy to carry, flexible bike lock with a generous locking circumference, and you're prepared to pay a bit extra, then this could be a great alternative to the Viking Silver!
Seatylock Viking Silver 90 Specs
Seatylock Viking Silver 90 | |
|---|---|
Cell | Cell |
Check price: | |
Chain thickness: | 7 mm |
Weight: | 2.98 lbs (1.35 kg) |
Length: | 35.4" (90 cm) |
Other Security Ratings: | |
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