Mark V reviews: Knog’s Frankie Goes To Lunch
Bike thieves are like the rain: if you never plan for the exposure, you’ll eventually get hosed. Which isn’t to say that you should wear an oilskin jacket like a North Sea ship captain every time you step out. Here in the continual winter drizzle of the Northwest, typically people just wear a reasonably water-resistant jacket, leave the umbrella at home, but if you found yourself in Japan during a sweltering June, you’d ditch that jacket and keep the umbrella handy as the monsoons can be torrential. The point is to use whatever is best for the situation.
Frankly, a seven-pound bike lock, like a sailor’s storm jacket, may be the most capable option, but is it always the best choice for you? Knog’s newly updated Frankie is a silicone-coated cable lock that offers mid-level security with heavy-duty convenience. It’s highly flexible and lightweight, making it versatile for locking your bike up and compact for tucking away when you ride. The loosely braided cable (slightly burlier than the Party Frank, Frankie’s predecessor) is designed to be deceptively difficult to cut with bolt-cutters, the jaws of which tend to gnaw and gnash rather than cut cleanly through. Again, this isn’t a lock that can shield your bike from a nuclear bomb. This is the lock that is so convenient that you’ll never put yourself in the situation where you’re thinking, “I didn’t bring a lock with me, but I’ll probably be okay if I lean my bike here for just a moment.”
The silicone coating is a nice touch, kind to your bike’s paint job (even if you haven’t been). The Frankie lock even comes with one of those plastic stretchy coil things (like what my gf uses for her hair) to keep the co-moulded key ready around your wrist, messenger-style. It’s also available as a combination lock.
This is my lock of choice when I make a lunch run to Essential Bakery, just four blocks from the shop. They’ve got this turkey, pork belly, & smoked mozzarella sandwich that’s aces. Two sandwiches and the Frankie fit in the handlebar bag.
The Frankie lock is available in black, red, pink, lime, indigo, and turquoise. It comes with 2 colour-matched keys. MSRP: $26.95
