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OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock

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OnGuard Bulldog Mini U-Lock

$29.95

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Product Description,
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The OnGuard Bulldog Mini is tough yet weighs under 2 pounds.

Lock uses the legendary M-Cylinder™ mechanism for theft deterrence
Anti-drill and pick-proof guts make this a super-secure package
Dual Steel Bar™ locking mechanism delivers up to 10 tons of pull strength
Features a massive 13mm (1/2 inch) hardened-steel shackle for strength
Ballistic plastic holds up to the most aggressive trashing and thrashing
Lock is tough but gentle on your bike's finish; plastic, rubber or vinyl is used where lock might contact bike

Imported.

Item 751293

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OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock

3.9

(based on 10 reviews)

78%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Durable (7)
Easy to use (7)
Lightweight (6)
Ultra strong (5)
Versatile (3)

Cons

Best Uses

City bikes (8)
Mountain bikes (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid cyclist (7), Casual/ recreational (3)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 10 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Oct

2007

(21 of 21 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good Value Mini U-Lock

By The President

from Denver, CO

About Me Avid Cyclist, Casual/ Recreational, Competitive Cyclist, Triathlete

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Ultra Strong

Cons

Best Uses

City Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

This is a good mini U-lock at an affordable price. Not as technically theft proof as the more expensive Kryptonite, the advantage of this mini U is it prevents the most common tactics of thieves. Larger u-locks are susceptible to being broken with a car jack. The mini is too small to fit a car jack inbetween the bars. Also, the double locking barrel makes it harder to freeze and break with Liquid Nitrogen, and the lock is also not susceptible to infamous Bic Pen lock picking. If you don't want your bike stolen, use one of these. It is hard to get the front wheel and the frame attached to an object with this lock, but that's part of what makes it secure, so if you have fancy quick release wheels, use something else.

Jan

2009

(17 of 19 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Survived a Half Year NYC messenger work

By Nick 301

from NY, NY

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Rusts
Sticks when wetsnowy

Best Uses

City Bikes
Supplement lock

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

When used as a supplement for my heavy-duty 4ft, 25lb chain lock, the Mini gave me a feeling of added security in the most theft-prone parts of New York city over a half-year of bike messenger work in Manhattan. On my track bike, I could just squeeze the rear-wheel, seat-tube, and a street-sign into the U for a very quick run inside (5-mins or less) and a thief could only fit maybe a piece of re-bar inside the U to try and twist the lock off. This meant that even in places like Chinatown, Alphabet city, and Brooklyn I could save time and energy of using my heavy chain lock for very quick drops. When you lock you bike up 50 times a day, it makes a difference. I often slap my Mini onto my top-tube and around a sign even when I am using the chain, and when the chain has to reach around a big light post and the front wheel, I slap the Mini onto the back wheel.

The cosmetics of this lock (anything not steel) wears off in a week or so of heavy use, but the simple shape makes electrical-taping easy to avoid scratching your paint or freezing your fingers in the winter. Even the vinyl on the shackle of my lock is still somewhat intact.

Despite AT LEAST two attempts by NYC thieves to bust through this chunk of steel, it's held up and been a great tool in my lock-kit. Just don't let it be your ONLY lock unless you are in a more tame place, such as Boston or Philly or Chicago.

Jan

2010

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great lock - survived a car jack attempt

By benmang

from San Francisco, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

Pros

Durable
Lightweight
Ultra Strong

Cons

Best Uses

City Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

I had this lock for about a year and a half in San Francisco. I keep my bike locked up in the garage of my apt complex, and one morning found some type of jury-rigged jack device stuck in the lock, left by someone trying to pry it open. It appears that the handle used to crank the device had sheared off before the lock even began to deform. After loosening the jack with the help of some pliers, I was able to remove the lock, and it was almost unscathed.

Aside from that, it was relatively inexpensive and fits in my back pocket but isn't so small as to make finding a place to lock it difficult.

Jul

2009

(4 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

disappointing - buy a kryptonite

By spychic

from alexandria va

About Me Competitive Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Hard to Carry
Hard to Use

Best Uses

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

while it's appealing in it's compactness, it's unusable as it's designed for mountain or aggressive bikers. before ever installing it, one of the yellow plastic ends cracked off. i super glued it back onto the lock, but is still is cracked. you can't ratchet it where the lock hangs out of the way of pedaling or the rear tire and/or where it won't scratch the paint. the pin that connects it to the holder is so loose it allows the lock to move about and make all kind of noise. it got so loose it swung over the rear tire and began to rub, so much that part of the plastic coating is gone. when i went to lock it up, the same loose pin got stuck inside the lock holder. it's unacceptable for a [$] lock to be this useless. buy a kryptonite instead.

Jun

2008

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

good lock for the price

By eug or

from eugene, or

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Key is large and square

Best Uses

City Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

Decent lock for the money (on sale). My only complaint is the top of the key is large, square and very pokey. Not for pocket use. My husband has a Kryponite with a much better key design (small oval). I only use this lock in the daytime on my fixed gear. I probably would not use it in a high crime area or at night.

May

2010

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Lock - terrible lock holder

By mlsfo

from Oakland, CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Ultra Strong

Cons

Best Uses

City Bikes
Mountain Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

This is a great lock. Small, lightweight, hard to pry apart due to size.

I put on hex-nut skewers on the front rim of the commuter bike. With this lock the bike is pretty safe. If I'm going leave the bike awhile I also use a cable around through rims to discourage a quick take.

The only downside is the frame attached lock holder. The springs and plastic are cheap and poorly designed. It broke after the first couple uses.

Still a great lock but poor design gets a mark down.

Jan

2010

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

convenient lock for around town

By good2go

from San Diego, CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

City Bikes
Mountain Bikes
Not Just Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

This is a great lock for around town, at the beach, the bar or anywhere where you aren't leaving your bike for a terribly long time. The small size leaves little space for thieves to use tools as leverage and the lock fits easily into the back of my jean pocket. I sometimes throw it into my messenger bag or lock it to my frame while riding.

No lock out there is completely hack proof, but if you need something convenient and somewhat secure, this is it!

oh another thought regarding thieves...most thieves look for the easy target, so make your bike harder to take than the other persons bike!

Nov

2009

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Not recommended

By Tom McFarland

from Hilo, HI

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Lightweight
Ultra Strong

Cons

Keys break off in lock
Rusts
Weak

Best Uses

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

First off, I really like the size. I think it would be very difficult to break, and there is a good warranty to back that up.

The cons? Most everything else. Most importantly the locking mechanism jammed after less than a month and the key is broken off inside the lock. Not good.

The mounting option is primitive to say the least, it will pivot around (I mounted mine so that my water bottle holder would block it if it did try to swing out into the way of my legs.) The finish is pretty basic and scratches off very easily. The one that broke recently was my second one, I lost the first one (yes, lost it, it wasn't stolen- long story). The first one had no problem with the lock jamming ever and I had it for quite a while. I did read other reviews of problems with the key breaking off inside. I don't know if it is a QC problem or what.

If they figure out the locking mechanism or just include stronger keys, this would be an easy five stars, but as is I think two is very generous.

Oct

2008

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great lock, good price.

By kraken

from Portland, OR

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Ultra Strong
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

City Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

This lock is great, easy to stow, and easy to use. Small u locks are much harder to break than some of the oversized ones, so this adds security as well as a lighter weight. The frame holder is a little wonky, but it has held up for over a year and not completely broken (like some otherlock brackets I've used). Still a little weird.

Apr

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Little Lock!

By bikesncoffee

from baltimore, md

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Versatile

Cons

No significant ones

Best Uses

City Bikes
Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC U-Lock:

Really nice sized lock. Just big enough to reach between the frame and most lock-up areas. I picked this up after reading about how you can open up other locks with a bic pen and successfully attempting to do it with my old lock. I would get a burlier model if I locked up overnight in bad areas, but for daytime around town this works great!