General Cycling Discussion - Got a free frame, Kryptonite Lock locked on

Hey everyone, a local shop owner gave me a frame that was attached to his fence for quite some time (has been striped of pretty much everything). When he took down the fence he just cut the fence, leaving the lock on the frame.

I've looked around at suggestions for doing this, but I want to get some first hand experience. Its a Kryptonite Keeper lock (all black). Its not the type that can take a bic pen. I was thinking that I would need to take this to a welder or something to get it cut off. Whats the cheapest way of doing this?

A good cut off wheel will do it... make sure you wear adequate protection as the sparks will be flying and the wheel throws off crap at very high speed.

Jeans, work boots, and safety glasses are a minimum.

You can try a hacksaw blade. It may just be slow. You can buy abrasive hacksaw blades that are supposed to be able to cut glass.

A muffler shop will have a torch, or any friend that does welding.

Is it a standard or long shackle design? A stubby bottle jack will pop it open like magic.

A hacksaw with a good, fine tooth blade is all you need. I know from experience.

angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Regular grinder wheel will work, just take a lot longer.

Plastic explosive is probably not the way to go.

Plastic explosive is probably not the way to go.

Yeah.. That could be a bit "messy":roflmao2:

Actually det cord would do very nicely with minimal shielding.

I second the cut-off wheel idea. You'll need several. The fibrous jobs throw a considerable amount of debris and I strongly--based on experience--recommend a full face shield and goggles.

I took one off with a cutting torch. wrapped the frame with wet towels. Full sized torch now, 3 ft oxy and acetylene bottles, not one of the little home torches.

Linear shaped charge. Used it several times at my day job. Cuts just about anything, with minimal damage to the surrounds, if you design it right.

Just as a note, if you decide to go with anything that throws sparks, cover the frame. If you have some old jeans that would probably work.

Since the frame was so valuable that it was left outside for a considerable length of time, you might consider cutting away the frame to save the Kryptonite.:)

Since the frame was so valuable that it was left outside for a considerable length of time, you might consider cutting away the frame to save the Kryptonite.:)

...and shouldn't there be a serial number stamped on the lock somewhere from which you could just order keys?

Just ask any meth addict. He'll have the lock off in seconds.

Jeans, work boots, and safety glasses are a minimum.

yeah, a shirt would just be overkill. :p
and i second the det cord, except well...not.

angle grinder is your best bet. Personally, I would just grab the plasma cutter from work and have it off in 30 seconds, but not many people have access to one.

I like how whenever this question pops up, everyone suggests using the big guns.

If someone needs to ask this question, they likely do not have immediate access to grinders, recip saws, plasma torches, etc. Buying one of these tools is probably not cost affective for this singular purpose.

A hacksaw with a good blade and some time in the garage is all this is necessary. Anything else is a convenience and a luxury.

Can't the guys at the bike shop figure out how to get the lock off?

I like how whenever this question pops up, everyone suggests using the big guns.

If someone needs to ask this question, they likely do not have immediate access to grinders, recip saws, plasma torches, etc. Buying one of these tools is probably not cost affective for this singular purpose.

A hacksaw with a good blade and some time in the garage is all this is necessary. Anything else is a convenience and a luxury.

There are tool rental companies all around the country. Auto parts stores loan tools now. There's no shortage of access to the right tool for any job.

Wanna know the bestest, cheapest way to get one of those off?

Dig in the trunk of your car. Find your jack. If it's a scissor style jack, you're in luck. Put the jack in the "U". Crank away with the jack handle. U-Lock parts like warm cheese.

(Learned from a bike thief)

I do have to agree that if you can get a key, it is more than a little bit possible that the lock is the most valuable piece you have. =)

+1 on the scissor jack

I recall in the late 1970s/early '80s a gang of MIT nerds decided to "Take the Kryptonite Challenge" and had frightening success once they acquired a tank of liquid nitrogen.

I don't know about the jack method, the liquid nitrogen method, etc. I know those methods HAVE been used, but whether they work on a specific lock is a different matter. Lock makers can tweak geometry and materials somewhat to counteract one threat or another, once they know about it.

Take it to your local fire dept. They'll cut it for you in two seconds. They have tools designed to quickly get into anything.

...and shouldn't there be a serial number stamped on the lock somewhere from which you could just order keys?

This is a scary thought. All a thief needs to do is get the serial number and he can order keys? At the local train station bikestands, I see the same bikes every day. Within a week or two, a thief could have the key to steal the bike of his choice.
The lock companies should at least demand a sales receipt, before they send out replacement keys.

I've had good luck cutting the shackles on a few Master Locks with a Dremel Tool and a small cutoff wheel. I lost my keys a while back and had to use the Dremel Tool to cut some locks. The cutoff wheels for a Dremel will get the job done, but they are fairly brittle. You'll need a light touch and some patience, but you should be able to cut through the shackle or the cable.

sazall !

wanna know the bestest, cheapest way to get one of those off?

Dig in the trunk of your car. Find your jack. If it's a scissor style jack, you're in luck. Put the jack in the "u". Crank away with the jack handle. U-lock parts like warm cheese.

(learned from a bike thief)

+1

was going to suggest the exact same thing...

A hacksaw with a good, fine tooth blade is all you need. I know from experience.


Takes a while and a couple of blades



angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Regular grinder wheel will work, just take a lot longer.

My suggestion.

I don't know about the jack method, the liquid nitrogen method, etc. I know those methods HAVE been used, but whether they work on a specific lock is a different matter. Lock makers can tweak geometry and materials somewhat to counteract one threat or another, once they know about it.

I don't know much about the liquid nitrogen method either, but the jack is the method we use to remove locks from bikes which are donated to us without keys. They simply really can't do much about it,

http://lh5.google.com/carltonreidpix/R2zw1UBrZ1I/AAAAAAAAB5c/Z2XcnWzsn0c/s400/42point7jacking.jpg

(Image from the article on quickrelease.tv @ http://quickrelease.tv/?p=327)

That Kryptonite NYC has about 5 more seconds to live. Remember to practice good locking technique!

Well, there's always Thermite cord. :p

re: serial numbers and locks:

They don't put the serial number on the lock, thank goodness, at least not kryptonite and onguard. The number goes on the key, and the lock normally comes with a card to keep in a safe place in case you need replacement.

1. I vote fire dept. those guys are itching to use their toys.

2. cut off wheel, wear heavy long clothes, and eye wear.

I had a Bell U-lock that I lost the keys for earlier this year while I had my cable looped through it (Note to self, please don't keep both of the derned keys on the same ring any more). I used a bench grinder to cut the U so as to reclaim the cable. Took about 12 minutes or so, and lots of sparks and heat.

So is that lock history now?

Re: The jack method- I hadn't seen that much on it, and assumed it involved jacking lengthwise in the lock rather than sideways. But I do notice that the Bulldog lock and the Kryptonite lock that I have work differently. On the Kryptonite, one end unlocks, the other pivots and moves out of the body; on the Bulldog, both ends unlock. That might be enough to prevent the jack method. The other advice I've read on that is to use a lock small enough that it's mostly filled, rather than having the big empty spot to work in.

Uhmm... what's the bike? :)

So is that lock history now?

Re: The jack method- I hadn't seen that much on it, and assumed it involved jacking lengthwise in the lock rather than sideways. But I do notice that the Bulldog lock and the Kryptonite lock that I have work differently. On the Kryptonite, one end unlocks, the other pivots and moves out of the body; on the Bulldog, both ends unlock. That might be enough to prevent the jack method. The other advice I've read on that is to use a lock small enough that it's mostly filled, rather than having the big empty spot to work in.

That's correct. A lock small enough to prevent inserting a jack, or simply filling the space in your lock through effective technique is all it takes, as a thief who is unable to insert the jack without damaging or destroying the bicycle isn't going to use this method.

Yes, some lower end Kryptonite locks, and some other lock manufacturers use a bent shape on one side rather than having both ends with a locking bolt. This is an inferior design, and isn't seen on the higher end units - the Evolution series 4 and NYC are the two models of lock made by Kryptonite off the top of my head which use a double locking shackle. OnGuard uses that design at a minimum on their locks, and their higher end units have an interesting system which grabs the shackle on both sides, on opposing sides of each foot as well.

The double shackle design helps somewhat, but does not prevent defeat by jack. Filling your lock does.

How about taking it to a locksmith?

Don't know if it's the same type of lock cylinder but I've seen one of my riding partners open Clubs in seconds.

Hey Guys, the winter has passed and I'm back at this!

Going to email my local fire dept, see if they can do it. Don't have any friends with a car nearby so I guess I'm out of luck untill I can find a cutting saw.

I don't know about the liquid nitrogen method. I know those methods HAVE been used,

I wonder. Does anybody have first hand knowledge of defeating a Kryptonite lock using liquid nitrogen? I'm thinking that might be a topic for Mythbusters.

The Freon method is often discussed; I've never heard of anyone using it.

We use cutoff wheels in an angle grinder at work to remove student's bikes when they loose the key; works pretty well.
I have used a carbide hacksaw blade...Takes about 30 minutes of steady sawing.

Dremel will likely work, but get the fiber-reinforced cutoff wheel and be sure to keep it straight!

A Victor or Smith wrench (aka, cutting torch) ,and some wet towels wrapped around the frame should make quick work of that lock.

Use thermite works every time, you just need to make sure and focus the stream.