High Security Chains: Pragmasis Protector and Squire

The Ultimate Security Chains
Mobile and Bicycle Security
Magazine Awards
Chain Lengths and Weights
Security Approvals
Link Dimensions
Important Advice - How to Use a Chain
How to Fit the Lock to the Chain
How to Choose the Right Length of Chain

Cycling Plus awards 10/10 for the Protector range of chains! (Cycling Plus June 2008)
What Mountain Bike Magazine Awards our Protector Chains 5/5 in Mammoth Lock Test: "The toughest chain on test, and at a very reasonable price." (Protector 13mm chain with Squire SS50CS lock, WhatMTB November 2009, p92)

The Protector 16mm and 19mm chains are both guaranteed impossible to bolt crop by hand. A ground anchor/chain/lock combination is only as good as its weakest link (if you will forgive the pun!) and there are many inferior chains on the market. Be wary of chains that are described as "resistant" to bolt cropping. The wait is over! The Protector 16mm chain and the recently launched Protector 19mm chains are available now in a wide range of lengths.

We also offer the Protector 13mm and 11mm chains for situations where the largest chains are too big, too bulky, or simply unnecessary. We offer a wide range and many money-saving Package Deals that combine a chain with a lock and (optionally) an anchor.

This page provides details on: the chain lengths available; link dimensions; how to choose the correct length; and how to fit the padlock to the chain.

Protector 19mm and 16mm - The Ultimate Security Chains for the Most Demanding Applications

These high grade Protector 16mm and 19mm chains really are impossible to bolt-crop by hand. The thieves use Irwin Record 42" bolt croppers as their tool of choice. They are expensive, but of course they don't always buy them... The Protector 16mm and 19mm chains are impossible to crop even with this powerful tool. Indeed, if you keep trying to crop one of these chains, it is likely to be the jaws of the bolt croppers that break! If you are considering a chain from another manufacturer, ask if they will guarantee it as impossible to crop with Irwin Record 42" bolt croppers. 

The Protector 19mm chain is way too big for the 42" bolt cropper jaws to get even the slightest grip and it is so chunky that Squire don't make a (suitable) padlock big enough! We machine the 'throat' of the SS65CS padlock, just slightly, so that it will fit onto the chain. Don't worry: Both Squire and Sold Secure have confirmed that this minor modification has no impact whatsoever on the security level of the padlock! The machined surface is also painted to protect from the weather.

We are pleased that Squire have also launched a good quality 16mm chain - the "Ex-Caliber" and we are happy to offer that as an alternative with the confidence and backing of the Squire name.

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Mobile and Bicycle Security

Mobile security has different priorities as it is often impractical to carry heavy locks/chains. Remember that over 80% of bike thefts occur from the home so security at home should generally be the top priority.

However, there are situations where the 16mm or 19mm chains and the locks that go with them are simply too bulky or too heavy. This is why we also supply Protector 13mm and 11mm long link chains. These are not as secure as the larger chains but they are by far the best of the rest. They are easier to handle and you can use a lighter-weight lock (we recommend the Squire SS50CS and offer this and many other combinations as Package Deals with extra discounted prices).

Bicycle security is also generally better handled with the 13mm and 11mm chains. The 16mm and larger chains will not always fit through the spokes of bicycle wheels and it is easy to damage a carbon fibre frame with the heavy SS65CS padlock. The lighter chains and smaller SS50CS and M50D padlocks are generally better suited for bicycles and various medium-value items.

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Magazine Awards

Cycling Plus awards 10/10 Best Buy for the Protector range of chains! (Cycling Plus June 2008)

What Mountain Bike Magazine Awards our Protector Chains 5/5 in Mammoth Lock Test: The Protector 13mm with the Squire SS50CS lock was the top-rated lock/chain on test, and the only one to resist hand and power tool attacks for the entire duration of the test. "This chain is awesome: the jaws of our croppers bent and blunted while the links showed almost no marking at all" "The toughest chain on test, and at a very reasonable price." The Protector 11mm chain with M50D lock was described as "Made of the same tough stuff, this is the best chain you can buy for under £50." (WhatMTB November 2009, p92)

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Chain Lengths and Weights

Normal stock lengths are 1.2m, 1.5m, 2.0m and 2.5m for the Protector 16mm and 19mm chains (with the option of custom-cut lengths anywhere from 0.7m up to 6.0m!), and 0.8m, 1.0m, 1.2m, 1.5m, 2.0m & 3.0m for the Protector 13mm and 11mm chains, this time with custom lengths available up to 10m! The Squire Ex-Caliber has the same link dimensions as the Protector 16mm and is available in 1.5m, 2.0m and 2.5m lengths. The 16mm and 19mm chains are quite weighty - they are a fantastic deterrent to even professional thieves, but not suitable for all applications as a result of their size. The picture below gives you an idea of the size and thickness of the links of the Protector 11mm, 13mm, 16mm and 19mm chains, compared with a 50p coin. The 11mm chain is at the bottom right; 13mm bottom left; 16mm top left, and the 19mm is at the top right of the photo.

The following table shows example weights for a variety of chain lengths (other lengths are available):

All of these Protector chains are a 'long link' design, offering more freedom with lengths and allowing arbitrary link interlocking to lock up smaller objects.

Note: The Squire Ex-Caliber 16mm chain is only available with a Squire SS65CS lock. Please refer to the appropriate Package Deals section for pricing.

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Security Approvals

Sold Secure is an independent British security testing and approvals organisation that awards Gold standard to the highest security products, with Silver and Bronze for lower grade products. Motorcycle Gold is a higher rating than Bicycle Gold; Caravan Gold is a higher rating than Motorcycle Gold. The Protector chains have been granted the approval ratings shown below.

Sold Secure Chain Ratings: The Sold Secure test regime has been updated to take account of the higher ratings achieved by the 16mm chains so many previously Motorcycle Gold-rated products have not achieved that level when re-tested. Be wary of chains that were granted Motorcycle Gold status prior to 2008 - a recent re-test is the only way to be confident of the grading relative to the current standard. We recommend that you use the best chain that is practical and affordable for your situation, bearing in mind the type of attack that is common for the items that you are protecting. Any application where boltcropping is a common form of attack should use a 16mm chain as a minimum. Feel free to contact us if you need advice.

Customer Comment: "Guys at our work had to move all our bikes to a new compound and they cut everyone's chains in order to do that. Everyone's except my Protector 13mm, that is, where they obviously decided it was easier to cut the Sheffield stand it was attached to instead!"

The Motorcycle Gold test on the Protector 13mm chain (July 2009) resulted in a brand new set of Irwin Record 42" bolt croppers having their straps being bent such that the jaws no longer line up and the jaws themselves were also wrecked. This was a very determined attack but the chain did fail in the end. We are unable to crop the 13mm chain as it needs someone with a lot more weight to do it. However, even the very best 13mm chains are marginal at the new Motorcycle Gold standard as that test is performed by big guys. Whether thieves are all big enough, regularly so determined and frequently wrecking 'their' croppers is another matter, but we still recommend that you use a minimum of a 16mm chain if you are protecting any item where that type of attack is common. Much better to have security that gives you confidence rather than something where the thief may well get lucky.

Thatcham is another independent test organisation that is used by some vendors. We respect Thatcham gradings on alarms, immobilisers and similar devices. We do not regard them anywhere near as good as Sold Secure for physical attack testing, such as is appropriate on locks & chains. Some organisations have commercial reasons for using Thatcham (such as a higher profile in other countries), whereas some revert to Thatcham when a product is unable to achieve Sold Secure certification.

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Link Dimensions and Design

The Protector 19mm chain is a long-link design with the following link dimensions (nominal): 138 x 63mm outside; 100 x 25mm inside, throughout its length (an elongated end link is not required). It is constructed from 19mm diameter bar and all but the end links are surrounded with a protective fabric sleeve (to protect your bike/other valuables; not to protect the chain!). The sleeve is usually a blue colour.

The Protector 16mm chain is a long-link design with the following link dimensions (nominal): 132 x 56mm outside; 100 x 24mm inside, throughout its length (an elongated end link is not required). It is constructed from 16mm diameter bar and is again fitted with a protective fabric sleeve, usually a bronze or blue colour.

The Protector 13mm long link chain has the link dimensions (nominal): 106 x 48mm outside; 80 x 22mm inside. It is constructed from 13mm diameter bar and this time has a fabric sleeve that is usually red. Note: This chain replaces the previous Protector 13mm short-link chain.

The Protector 11mm long link chain has the link dimensions (nominal): 85 x 40mm outside; 63 x 18mm inside. It is constructed from 11mm diameter bar and usually has a grey fabric sleeve. Note: This chain replaces the previous Protector 10mm short-link chain. The material is thicker, a higher grade of boron steel, but the long link design means it is lighter than the previous 10mm chain!

The Squire Ex-Caliber 16mm chain is another long-link design with link dimensions (nominal): 132 x 58mm outside; 100 x 26mm inside, throughout its length (an elongated end link is not required). It is constructed from 16mm diameter bar and all but the end links are surrounded with a protective black fabric sleeve that is attached with red heatshrink at each end. Note that this is the updated Ex-Caliber specification that does not use a laser-cut end plate so it is lighter in weight and easier to use than the earlier design.

Chain lengths overall are also nominal and subject to manufacturing tolerance as well as being potentially up to a link over- or under-length, relative to the descriptive length assigned. This is because a whole number of links will invariably not be an exact number of metres or half-metres overall, for example. If you are particularly tight in terms of the precise length of a chain, please contact us and we will happily give more precise dimensions.

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Important Advice - How to Use a Chain

It is important with any chain and lock to keep it off the ground. This is more important with long link chains as the longer sides of the links can be more vulnerable to hammer attacks. The solution: Simply keep them off the floor to make attacks like that impossible! Whatever the chain and whatever the lock, you should always keep them off the floor to get the maximum attack resistance.

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How to Fit the Lock to the Chain

All good quality security chains follow the principle of passing the link at one end of the chain through the link at the other end of the chain, and fixing the lock to the bit that pokes through. I.e. the lock goes on a single link. The photo to the right shows this technique - the end links of the chain are interlocked and the padlock is fitted.

The Protector 19mm, 16mm, 13mm, 11mm and Squire Ex-Caliber 16mm chains all use long links throughout their length and this helps to reduce weight while giving more versatility (see below). Any chain designs that don't interlock at all force you to put two links through the lock and this makes the combination much more vulnerable as it typically requires you to use an open shackle padlock or one that has a long and potentially exposed shackle (see * below for an exception to this). Open shackle padlocks have an unprotected shackle and the shackle is invariably the thinnest component of all. There is no point in having a ground anchor with a 20mm shackle and a chain with a 19mm or 16mm link if you have to use an unprotected 10 or 12mm shackle on the padlock - the thief will attack the obvious weakest point.

The end link of the Protector 16/13/11mm long link chains can also be looped through any intermediate link along the length of the chain. You will need to cut a slit through the sleeve if you wish to do this but it gives the major advantage of being able to lock the chain tight against the item you are protecting, helping you to keep it off the floor. All of this makes it much harder to attack. (Note: This intermediate link interlocking trick will not work with the Protector 19mm chain - that chain will only allow the end links to be interlocked.)

Indeed, the Protector 16mm chains can be interlocked such that you can join literally any number of chains and secure them all with a single lock - the "through, across, through" sequence can be repeated indefinitely. A single closed shackle lock can thus be used to lock multiple chains with maximum security and reduced cost. The cost benefit of this approach does have the restriction that all chains must meet at a single point (like a figure of '8') , whereas multiple keyed alike locks allow you more flexibility in where the chains are positioned and routed.

The Protector 13mm and 11mm chains are more compact and therefore easier to route through narrow spaces and may be more suited to fragile items (e.g. racing bicycles). They can also be used with lighter padlocks, again reducing the risk of damage to a carbon fibre bicycle frame if you were to drop it!

The Protector 19mm chain can be locked with a modified SS65CS lock (the standard SS65CS lock is too small to accept it!). We offer this modified SS65CS lock for sale with these chains.

The Protector 16mm chain can be locked with the SS65CS or Untouchable locks.

The Protector 13mm chain can be locked with the SS50CS or M50D or ASWL2 locks. Since the ASWL2 warehouse lock is able to accept two links of the Protector 13mm chain, we recommend that when the 13mm chain is locked with the ASWL2 lock, the shackle should be passed through both end links of the chain to give protection to the shackle.

The Protector 11mm chain can be locked with the SS50CS or M50D padlocks.

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How to Choose the Right Length of Chain

It is a shame that manufacturers of bikes, quads, etc, do not make life easy when you want to keep these items safe. It is also surprising how long a chain needs to be in order to secure what you want!

We recommend that you put your item to be secured & ground anchor/Shed Shackle/Maxi Shackle in a trial position and then loop a piece of rope through and measure the length. Bear in mind that chains are quite bulky and it is often impossible to pass them through the frame of a sports-style motorbike or off-road motorbike, but you must instead go through the swingarm/wheel and/or over the saddle. A chain and lock should ideally be held off the ground for best security (a lock that is on the ground can be hit with a sledgehammer whereas it will move out of the way if it moves feely in mid-air). Remember also that a chain looped over the saddle may seem ideal but component thieves may push the bike over on its side and drag it clear of the chain if it becomes loose - they don't mind damaging part of the bike if they get most of it quickly and easily! Conversely, if you can position the bike and ground anchor such that they obscure the chain and the lock, you can make them very difficult to attack. The Torc anchor folds so it makes it easier for you and a tougher target for the thief! The Shed Shackle and Maxi Shackle are usually fitted such that chains and locks are well clear of the ground - again, this makes it easier for you and tougher for the thief!

Large faired motorbikes may need a figure-of-8 arrangement with a 2.0m chain around the bike and a shorter chain to loop down to the ground anchor with a single lock locking them together. The Protector 16mm design allows you to join two or more chains with a single lock and you can get the chain tight against the bike by passing the end of the chain through an intermediate link (after cutting a slit in the sleeve). It is important that you are sure you are looping the chain through a structural part of the bike - the frame if at all possible - and not through something that can be removed or broken off easily. The frame is much better than the wheel - wheels can be removed!

Off-road motorbikes are frequently targets for thieves and they can be awkward to secure because they often have no opportunity to go through the frame, and the saddle & rear of the bike are so compact that removing the rear wheel would allow the chain to be slipped off. Removing the rear wheel is a quiet thing for a thief to do and it barely takes a minute; compressing the suspension is also easy and that could make the chain go slack. Those bikes that have a gap through the frame or swingarm are much easier and can be secured with a single chain. If your bike has no structural path for the chain like that, we recommend that you look for narrow parts of the bike that are still structural. The headstock area behind the handlebars is sometimes the best with a figure-of-8 approach - a short chain tight around the bike headstock and a long chain looping down to the ground anchor, with a single padlock locking them together. Off-road bikes vary a lot so you need to do some homework to get the best combination. Our Anti-Pinch Pin may give a useful opportunity to lock the heart of the bike.

Quad bikes/ATVs are usually easier to secure than 2-wheel motorbikes but, again, you have to be careful that you really are looping the chain through something structural and not removable. E.g. the rear axle looks appealing but it's no good if the thief can slip off the chain simply by removing a wheel! Suspension wishbones etc are attached with a couple of bolts that can be easily removed. Most quads do have frames with structural members that are suitable but you have to look for them, and ideally loop the chain through several of them.

Bicycles can often be locked with a single short chain as you can easily loop it through the centre of the frame, above the bottom bracket. However, beware that many high-end modern frames are so strong that they can be sawn through, a chain slipped off, and the bicycle then ridden away! The frame may then be worthless but the components can still be very valuable. The best approach is usually to loop the chain through the centre of the frame and the chainstay area (if possible), and through the wheels too if there is sufficient space between the spokes. This can result in the chain not being so short after all but the cost of the chain is usually a very small fraction of the cost of a performance bike! Beware that the Protector 16mm chains are often too bulky to fit between the spokes on bicycle wheels and the SS65CS padlock could easily damage a bicycle frame if it was dropped. The Protector 11mm and 13mm chains with the lighter SS50CS/M50D padlocks are generally more suitable for securing bicycles.

Summary: Use a piece of rope to help you find the length of chain, or chains, that you require. Remember the trick of cutting a slit in the fabric sleeve of a Protector 16/13/11mm chain in order to lock an intermediate link and thus get the chain really close - if you order a longer chain you can always make it behave like a shorter chain with this technique and you get flexibility with positioning the bikes - you don't want it so precise that you have to spend ages repositioning things to get the lock on! If it's so difficult for you that you don't bother one night, that could be the night the thief gets lucky. The figure-of-8 approach often helps with awkward shapes and can keep the chain and lock off the ground and harder to attack (but this will only work with the Protector 16mm chains). If you have major security worries, the Protector 19mm chain is the ultimate! It's bulky and heavy, but it is the most secure of all!

If you are securing bicycles in a wooden shed, the Shed Shackle may allow you to use a shorter chain whilst still keeping everything off the floor. The Shed Shackle is usually positioned around cross-bar height for bicycles so you can use a short chain or U-lock if you only want to lock the frame (and maybe the rear wheel). A longer chain will allow you to lock the frame and both wheels. Something like a 2.0m/6' chain will often be sufficient for 2 bicycles and all 4 wheels. Please refer to the Shed Shackle detail page for more information about its use.

A bit of time spent now will result in much better security and a much harder time for the thief.

Feel free to contact us for advice.

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