Hiplok SWITCH Review

A bike lock is only as important if you remember to bring it with you. Of course a locks durability and strength is a very significant detail, but even the strongest locks on planet are useless when you leave it at home.

Hiplok makes some of the most secure and durable locks on the market. I’m sure you’ve seen their ad’s at least once about their Anti Angle Grinder D Locks? Hands down, when it comes to security, we’ve trusted our rides at all sorts of precarious locations locked up with their super strong DX1000. Across their collection, Hipok has D Locks, Cable Locks, and one of our favorite grab and go foldable locks.

What makes the SWITCH so unique is the quick release holder that stores the lock to your frame.

The Hiplok SWITCH comes in at $89.99, a small price to pay to keep your bike secure at a bike rack. The SWITCH itself, an 85cm long foldable lock made of six hardened steel bar links boasting a Lifetime Warranty and Sold Secure Bronze rating.

The SWITCH uses the Clip Carry System for carrying on a bike or a pack. The Clip slides quickly into the SWITCH Bracket that mounts to your bottle cage mounts. Addtionally, Hiplok gives you a little bonus, a SWITCH Plate. This allows you to mount an additional accessory like a bottle cage to this plate and slide it in place to the bracket just like the main holder clip.

Overall the lock and bracket weigh about 1.05kg, which to the touch is heavy enough to make you feel like it’s a strong long, but not so heavy that you feel the abundant weight on the frame.

Hiplok provides 3 keys with the SWITCH, giving you plenty of extra’s to keep a backup in two secure places. When you register your product online, they will also keep track of your key # for you and be able to get you an extra set if all 3 of your keys go missing.

We’ve been using the SWITCH for the better part of this year. When it comes to locks it easy to know first use how you’re going to get on with it.

For us, we grew fond of it immediately. While we have the larger DX1000 and have a lot of faith in that lock, we found ourselves seldomly bringing it along for short rides around town. What’s the point of a good lock if it’s at home right?

The SWITCH made sure to make it easy to never leave home without. The bracket is a quick and easy process to mount to the frame with plenty of room to adjust it’s height, ensuring you can still fit the SWITCH lock itself onto the bracket. Frame sizes vary and the location of bottle bosses can sometimes leave you with minimal room to fit accessories.

The holder and Clip slides in smoothly and locks snug in place. While I tend to be weary of quick release mechanisms and wear over time allowing things to get loose, the SWITCH Clip is durable and shows zero signs of wear.

Beyond the mount, the SWITCH really has become a great partner to us due to the additional plate it’s supplied with. More often then not we ride with some sort of pack, and if we’re going out for a few hours bringing water along is mandatory.

On a normal day, this means we throw a bottle in our pack and hook a lock to the frame. The SWITCH gives us options. We can throw the lock on the frame bracket, or we can clip it to our bag. Which also means we can use the bracket and extra plate for a bottle cage and throw a water bottle on the bike while the lock is in our bag side pocket.

I personally like this option as I find it much easier to grab a water bottle while riding when it’s on the frame, versus twisting around and trying to pull a bottle out of a pack side pocket.

Overall, the Hiplok SWITCH is a solid security option that gives you options. As a keyed lock it’s very convenient and easy to use. We’ve found the 85cm length to be perfect for locking up an electric bike. 

Price: $89.99
Sizing: 85cm, 6 Hardened Steel Bars
Colors: Black, Green
Website: hiplok.com