General Cycling Discussion - Fewer LBSs carrying Kryptonite locks?

Hi All,

I have a big Kryptonite motorbike u-lock for the ultimate in bicycle security. I leave the lock locked to the bike rack at work, which is where I leave my Lemond locked during weekdays after my Washington, D.C. commute. Since I don't carry the lock with me, the weight of the lock is not problem while riding. It is a good arrangement for me because I get the security of a motorbike u-lock without the effort of carrying it.

However, there are days when I do need to carry a lock with me. Since I would rather leave my motorobike lock at work on the bike rack, I was thinking about picking up a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit mini-U-lock for carry duty. I would like to see one in-person before plunking down the greenbacks, though. I have visited 6 of my area's LBSs, and 5 of them do not stock Kryptonite. The one LBS that does stock Kryptonite has a very limited selection, and does not have the mini-U-lock I am interested in.

Any buzz on why Kryptonite locks seem to be scarce in LBSs?

--mudslinger

We got em all over here in LA. Could be lots of reasons. Distribution, profit margins, gotta be some reason why. On this board is someone from Krypto, maybe they'll stop by and refer you to a retailer that carries it.

I see the brand in all shops, but I will admit I've never seen their mini u lock. Doesn't anybody in the business read Sheldon Brown? Com'on, there's no better advertising that free advertising.

Any buzz on why Kryptonite locks seem to be scarce in LBSs?

I suspect quite a few LBSs stopped carrying them after the Bic pen scandal a few years ago.

I was very surprised when I went to Tucson, AZ. All I could find were MasterLock locks, with the exception of Performance, which had a low end Onguard U lock. I ended up having to order an Onguard Brute online.

If you're going to be locking it at the same place day in day out. Invest in a good krypto chain & padlock. U-locks are still second rate to them.

Considering how scarce the Kryptonite products are in my area, does anyone know how the Abus U-locks and chain/locks compare to the corresponding Kryptonite products?

--mudslinger

Hey there -
EricDJ, ask and here I am!
Mudslinger - Thanks for using Kryptonite now! Not sure why you can't find Kryptonite in your area. We do have several dealers near you including Spokes Etc. and Papillon Cycles. The New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock is fairly new so they may not have brought it in yet. However, any dealer can order it for you from their distributor! Just ask 'em. Shouldn't take long to get at all - the distributors have them.
Hope that helps a little bit.
Donna
Kryptonite

Keep in mind that some models of Kryptonite locks are re-branded (Trek comes to mind) and sold through large dealerships.

I havent been able to find Kryptonite locks in my area either. I drove all over town, and there is one LBS that is a Kryptonite dealer, but when I asked for the New York 3000 U-Lock, they said they dont have it. I also wanted the New York Fahgettaboudit 3'3" chain, and they didnt have that either. They didnt have any chains. I ended up ordering the U-Lock from Performance and the chain from Amazon. When I got the chain I couldnt believe how huge it really is. Its hard to tell the size of it from a picture, with just a solid color background.

If you're going to be locking it at the same place day in day out. Invest in a good krypto chain & padlock. U-locks are still second rate to them.

Not true. The number of U-locks earning "gold" ratings after testing from soldsecure is about equal to the number of chain locks, and the gold rated u-locks have about half the weight of the gold rated chains.

The tests at "Cycling Plus" indicated that the only way to get more protection than that provided by the Kryptonite New York u-lock would be to combine the best padlock from "company A" with the best chain from "company K". And that would be a very expensive option.

The new Kryptonite u-lock, the Fahgettaboudit, should be even stronger, as it has a thicker "U" portion, and less space to insert leverage tools. I'd bet that when tests are published, the Fahgettaboudit u-lock will rank higher than any chain in the under ten pound class.

www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm