dirtyhippy

I think the NYC series of locks have a locking mechanism on each end of the shackle that would prevent rotation. Other Kryptonite locks lack the mechanism, but the cut end of the shackle could just be removed with no rotation.

CB HI

Assuming the thief is smart enough to cut the locked end of the U-lock.

dirtyhippy

I generally assume that thieves are competent. That sounds like a mistake a person would only make once.

jaxgtr

OK, did some thread clean up, please keep the personal insults out of the thread. If it continues, thread will be re-locked.

sk0tt

My ulock locks from both ends too, but try this, put the left side of the "U" into the right side of the cross bar, lock it and try rotate it, mine moves about 1" to 1.5".

If it was cut, you could rotate each side in opposite directions and maybe get enough of a gap to remove the lock with one cut.

I would think the square "U" of the Abus locks would prevent this and require two cuts, but I've never seen one.

randya

kryptonite locks suck!

Blue Roads

Yes, with the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-lock, looking at the inner mechanism with the crossbar removed, it appears the crossbar cannot be rotated if the other side of the crossbar is cut.

Can't be tested with the Krypto U-lock as the cutout in the crossbar must be properly aligned in the shackle to lock the lock.

kendall

most often, if you don't need the key to lock it, and only need to push the U in, then the pawl is spring loaded, and only needs pressure to retract. Which means twisting the cut shackle would do the same.
If you need to have the key inserted to lock it, then the pawls are'nt spring loaded and should lock in place, which means twisting won't work without some serious cheater pipes on it.

Alternate way to test would be to 'lock' it without the U installed, and see if you can push the pawl in with a screwdriver. (same as a twisted shackle would be doing)

Ken.

Blue Roads

Yes, your latter suggestion is how I tested it. The "pawl" cannot be pushed in when the lock is locked (and the crossbar is removed). Also, the key must be inserted to lock.

sk0tt

I mean have one side of the shackle in the lock and one out, sorry I cant seem to explain what I mean properly.

Blue Roads

No worries, I understood what you meant, but I wasn't very clear. The ends of the Krypto Fahgettaboudit U-lock shackle have inward-facing cutouts where the two pawls fit. If you only insert one end of the shackle in the lock, then that cutout is not aligned with the pawl and that pawl cannot be inserted into the shackle -- and thus the lock cannot be locked.

Further, the design makes it so if one end of the shackle is cut, the other end won't rotate.

Hope that makes sense.

Rustyoldbikes

At the Kryptonite and OnGuard websites, the locks are rated by their security level and by the amount of insurance provided. In tests done by "Cycling Plus", "SoldSecure", and the ART Foundation, the very best locks from Kryptonite, OnGuard, and Abus all do about equally well, depending on the tools and techniques used to attack the lock.

The best locks from those three companies will provide at least ten minutes to twenty minutes of protection against the typical attacks on locks that occur in the REAL world (as opposed to the imaginary world of "U-Tube"). I like the "Fahgettaboudit" because it fits around a rear wheel and a beefy post but leaves little empty space for effective leverage attacks.


There is ZERO point in buying an expensive lock and not using proper locking methods. The best method is to put the u-lock around the rear wheel, just behind the seat tube, and around a beefy steel pole that is set in concrete.

The traditional, but hard-to-find, old fashioned parking meter was ideal. Most bike racks provided at schools and colleges are very flimsy...look for a rack made from THICK steel bars that are set into concrete...the upsidedown "U" posts that are set in concrete are typically strong.

.
Every lock can be broken. If you lock at $1,000 bike for eight hours a day at the precise same location, eventually a skilled crook will spot it and take it. If you MUST leave a bike in a public place out of your sight for more than fifteen minutes, you need a bike that appears to be worth less than $200...park it next to a $1,000 bike secured only with a cable lock. The crook will always go for the more expensive bike, and the bike with the weakest lock.

If for some crazy reason you want to lock a $1,000 bike in a public place for hours at a time, use two or three expensive locks...a top u-lock around the real wheel, a light u-lock around the front wheel, and a $100 chain and padlock around the whole shebang.

If you lock at the same rack day after day, leave your heaviest locks on the rack so you don't have to lug them around. But, even then, a $1,000 bike is gonna get stolen sooner or later...that's why you need a really nice 1985ish bike that rides great, but has a $20 pawnshop value.

Blue Order

You mean they didn't compare the top of the line Abus to the bottom of the line Kryptonite?

Metricoclock

to the OP, i would venture to say that they are using power tools, possibly one of the new battery power bolt cutters that i saw drift through the site here this past winter, or some other type of means. I do not believe that people are picking the new locks.

Spasticteapot

I have a very small oxy-propane torch - similar to the sort used for melting borosilicate glass. While not quite as hot as the standard oxyacetylene cutting torch, it's small enough to fit in a shoebox and produces a small, highly concentrated flame. Cost me $2 at a garage sale.

With a little time, one of these will cut through almost anything. And while I don't doubt the physical integrity of a Kryptonite lock, one clever hacker figured out a trick for picking Medeco locks - considered to be the best key-based locks in the world - so foolproof that you can see twelve-year-olds using it on YouTube in under a minute.

IbikezLA

how to stop a bike thief

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b24EOEmSmM

sc0ch

Reading through the posts, it doesn't sound like there is a trend or rash of thefts. Just lock bickering... I should say the lock was on the lower end, a "kryptolock." I'm still using my New York Lock with some confidence. The lesson, register for the insurance that accompanies the lock (which I never do)!