General Cycling Discussion - Your brand new bicycle u-lock is not safe!

firestone was different, they had many other brand names they sold under, and kept selling to car makers, as bridgestone, during and after the ford explorer fiasco. Kryptonite porlly does not have near a much of a guaranteed revenue stream to be able to pay their workers while doing a bankruptcy claim....and the dot-com days are over, few are willing to work for the propmise of pay "once they have the money" anymore.
WalMart is Krytonite largest distributor. 90% of Krytonites customers have no clue about forums like these. I'm assuming with WalMart being there largest distributor they will have no problem with paying thier workers.

I have a KryptoLok Plus mini and I can't get it to work. I've been trying on and off for about an hour, with some generic bic clone pens I got at the store and others that are lying around.

I can fit the pen in easily but it doesn't seem to get enough friction to turn the key nub and unlock the lock. Does anyone know if the KryptoLok has a slightly different sizing? Or am I just not doing it exactly right? I also haven't used the exact Bic that other people used, are pen diameters different by nanometers?

I don't think I'll be able to go to sleep until I get this thing open. A bike ride to a 24hr Walgreens is in order, for Bics.

I can't quite get it either, though I see how it would probably work. I guess I will ask HereNT to show me tomorrow.


Phil

no luck on my ev 2000 mini either. Tried 3 pens - they all fit but I can't get them to open it

How about:

Only a number of locks were made to have this flaw. If you can't open it as people say (and they make it sound so easy), maybe your lock isn't part of the flawed batch?

You have to mash it pretty hard, so that the body of the pen flares out a little bit. That's how it catches the teeth. I am having some trouble repoducing it now, but I'm going to keep experimenting with it.

I wish I had of known how to do this on the bar crawl sunday - Gilby and I were stuck for like 45min because someone locked their BMX to her Bianchi...

If anyone has a chance, they should probably go to their LBS this week and demonstrate for them. I'm sure they would want to know that they are selling unsafe locks.

Queue reporter: A strange trend in the stock market today: we noticed KRYP drop at an alarming rate, oddly enough while BIC shares shot through the roof...

******* info about the movie *******

that 6.1 MB AVI file was killing my server.

i've transferred over 2.1 gigs worth of that movie alone in the last few hours, so i've compressed it down to a 532 K quicktime movie. the quality is still pretty good.


here's the new movie link (http://thirdrate.com/misc/krypto.mov)


If there's any demand for the original I'll host it on a server with plenty of bandwidth.

update:

i finally opened my $90, top of the line yellow NY EV Disc lock using a pen. i had trouble at first, but then made a little tool by sliding the pen body over a screwdriver shaft to give it a little more leverage. from there on, it was a matter of 20 seconds.

i really can't believe it!

this lock, btw:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/articles/2736/730149x2.gif

Wonderful. I just opened my KryptoLok did it in 5 minutes and that included only turning the tumbler about 1/8" the first time. This stupid lock cost me $40! Here's the trick - use a hammer or mallet to tap (not pound) the pen barrel into the lock slot. Once you get the pen barrel shaped correctly, you could open a lock as fast as the guy did in the video. Thanks to the original poster. Maybe Krypto will give me a refund? If I would have bought a cable at least the thief would have needed bolt cutters. With this lock any kid with his school pen is a bike thief!

update:

i finally opened my $90, top of the line yellow NY EV Disc lock using a pen. i had trouble at first, but then made a little tool by sliding the pen body over a screwdriver shaft to give it a little more leverage. from there on, it was a matter of 20 seconds.

i really can't believe it!

this lock, btw:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/articles/2736/730149x2.gif

Soften the platic by soaking it in hot water.

H. Houdini

Alright - finally got a cheaper Kryptolok to open, still no luck with my mini - freaky though. I started cutting down the Bic barrel to get a fresh end each time. After I pulled it out, I noticed that essentially what's going on is that you're cutting the grooves of your key into the plastic and given enough traction between the two surfaces it'll unlock.

Here's a thought - what if you kept the cylinder/chamber lubed? Made it slick to that the Bic couldn't hold traction and would slip?

FYI, here's a quicktime video of me cracking the EV disc lock

quicktime format, 955K (http://biginjapan.com/extranet/assets/ben/krypto_ev_disc_web.mov)

Has anyone confirmed that this issue affects any cylindrical locks not made by Kryptonite?

Time to get one of these $120 industrial strength locks for that massive chain, hehe.

Has anyone confirmed that this issue affects andy cylindrical locks not made by Kryptonite?

i believe someone posted above that they cracked a non-krypto lock using this method?

in any event, i mentioned it to a number of people and got a few replies like "that's how people break the cylindrical locks on vending machines", so i'd imagine all traditional cylinder locks are vulnerable.

Thank god I have one of those flat locks.

Which lock do you use? have you been happy with it? I think a LOT of us are in the market today ;)

I managed to get my mini open. Multiple times. The first time took a couple of minutes, the second time about a minute and the third time perhaps 20 seconds. And now I'm down to 10 seconds no sweat.

Here's what I've determined, you have to really get the pen in there but once it's there don't use too much force when you're turning it. Just spin the pen around. If you feel it coming back out of the lock push it back in and spin again. Eventually you will here the lock turn and at that point the pen feels exactly like the key.

I've probably opened my lock about 20 times by now. And it actually gets easier as the pen gets chewed up. (or maybe my technique is getting better. I don't know if that's a good thing)

I think absntr's point went unnoticed a few pages back. Perhaps for now, until we get new locks, we should be locking them down around the BB or as low to the ground as possible. Just as a deterrent. Or we could be like Koffee and use 3+ locks.


Also...

Has anyone confirmed that this issue affects andy cylindrical locks not made by Kryptonite?

Someone mentioned they got their schwinn lock open.

This sucks! I need a drink!

What's the word from Krypto? I know a few of you guys have called or emailed them, but I dont see any more info in this thread.

I just called kryptonite and the woman was really cool and nice. I think anyone that has been able to do this with ANY kryptonite lock should definitely call. She said they know about it but not too many people have called yet. I figured they would have been inundated with calls at this point.

She asked for my key # to see if perhaps it's a certain lock series (?).

Really anyone that has been able to do this, if only to get your name on record with them so you can get reimbursed or whatever, should call.

1.800.729.5625 option 3

Oh... and she said they'll try to contact me this afternoon.

I'll let you know what I hear.

Which lock do you use? have you been happy with it? I think a LOT of us are in the market today ;)

Heh I have the fahgaddaboudit lock. It uses their highest security lock which have a flat key instead of the cylinderical one.

i just called. the guy i spoke to was nice and said they're hearing about this for the first time today and that they're discussing the situation.

they asked for my name, phone and key number and said they'd be in contact soon. i encourage everyone to do this, just so they know how severe the problem is.

i also informed him that there are posts like this going around on many websites, so the problem isn't going to stay under wraps for long.

With 11,000+ views of this thread, obviously the word is getting out. I would love a list of other forums / websites discussing this issue, anyone want to toss out some URL's?

heh heh

here are a few sites:


http://www.tristatesportbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=286898
http://www.sport-touring.net/cgi-bin/msgboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=3;t=21592;&#top
http://www.eyebeam.org/reblog/archives/002662.html

With 11,000+ views of this thread, obviously the word is getting out. I would love a list of other forums / websites discussing this issue, anyone want to toss out some URL's?Joe, looks like BF has the big scoop on this one. I've seen brief mentions on the RideMonkey forum and the Dirt Rag forum, both referring back to this thread.

so i just joined this board to ask specifically:

i dont think this has reached the east coast yet, but i want to try my lock,
but if i fail am i going to **** up my u lock??,

cuz i cant afford a new lock till next week

The tandems list Tandem@Hobbes referred here to BikeForums.net

I just called, talked to Sandy, she took my name, key #, and phone number, and said they'd call me if they have any information. She said that they received an e-mail about this yesterday, first time hearing about it, and now they are being "inundated" with calls and e-mails asking about it.

I suggested a free or low-cost upgrade to the fuhgeddaboutit lock for owners of the standard NY disc lock (which is what I have) and she said "we're looking into it and will have a decision as soon as possible."

People, keep calling in and pressuring them to do something about this. If it's just a handful of yahoo's, they'll just ignore it or offer a half ass solution.

Thanks for the initial heads up.

update:

i finally opened my $90, top of the line yellow NY EV Disc lock using a pen. i had trouble at first, but then made a little tool by sliding the pen body over a screwdriver shaft to give it a little more leverage. from there on, it was a matter of 20 seconds.

i really can't believe it!

this lock, btw:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/articles/2736/730149x2.gif

Ah son of a... when I get home I'll have to try to break into my own lock, then I'll call Krypto if I can... (can successfully break into my own lock, me speak english good like)

so i just joined this board to ask specifically:

i dont think this has reached the east coast yet, but i want to try my lock,
but if i fail am i going to **** up my u lock??,

cuz i cant afford a new lock till next week

Some people were mentioning they got the pen jammed in. I don't know if they ever got it out. However I've done it multiple times and have been able to switch between my old key and the *new* key (pen) quite easily without any noticeable difference in performance between the keys. That's rather sad isn't it?

more misc urls:

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/bikers_anon/message/9338
http://www.livejournal.com/community/bikepirates/670721.html
http://effendi.livejournal.com/friends
http://www.livejournal.com/users/luna_littleone/friends/

Time to get one of these $120 industrial strength locks for that massive chain, hehe.


I got one of those with my $28 chain lock :)

They are heavy mofos, but they do a great job. The chain is my prime method of locking my bike outside now...even thought i hate chains.

I'm still considering lubing the cyclinder to make it realy slick in there so that plastic has no traction but the metal will - maybe a dry lube?

Boy have I been thinking about the New York 300 a lot today...

bikepirate, it doesn't actually destroy the lock. it just opens it. when it's in the open position, you won't be able to insert the key, so you'll have to use the pen to flip it back over to the locked position first.

I'm still considering lubing the cyclinder to make it realy slick in there so that plastic has no traction but the metal will - maybe a dry lube?

that's not a bad sounding idea for a quick fix, but it wouldn't take much to get around it.

This thread is linked from this forum:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=78

that's not a bad sounding idea for a quick fix, but it wouldn't take much to get around it.

Yeah, probably heating the tip up with a BIC lighter until it's soft enough to grab in would probably work. I have to try this when I get home (after I buy a new lock).

I added a link to this thread in a forum that I go where a few people ride bicycles. I encouraged people to contact Kryptonite to tell them if they are able to do this with their lock.

And yes, I registered because of this thread.

What's also freaking me about this thread is that now it's out there... on the INTERNET, with instructions! Argh!

I wonder if Kryptonite will allow an exchange program, I'd prefer the New York 300 with the car-like key rather than any of their cyclindrical ones...

Hahah.

I was gone at my nacht-arbeiten for 12 hours and dang...

It looks like the crew here at BikeForums is now famous as the "Krypto-crackers". Amazing how quickly information spreads across this darn internet.

I made the first vid though, :)

I think that we should be jumping on Iamdoingthat's advice, as well as that of myself and others here earlier by really bugging these guys about it. Worst case scenario; I never buy another Kryptonite. Best case; they give us free stuff.

If you have a lock and have picked it successfully, call them. Call them now. Make sure they take down your information. Let all your friends know.

Along those lines, what are you doing about this problem outside of your own situation? I think that I am going to carry a Bic with me everywhere now, warning and showing skeptical cyclists that their bike can be gone with minimal effort.

I have even considered heading down to an LBS or two and demonstrating how easy this is. Obviously this information has traveled and likely has already been utilized for theft purposes. In a karmic way, I think that we are responsible to let everybody know about this before they are hit. Awareness is key. Tell your police station, LBS, bike advocacy group, etc. because not everyone is going to get this info from bikeforums.net.

If you posted, then tell somebody else today. Get the knowledge out.

I just got mine open (the KryptoLok Plus), but now I can't get it closed. Luckily my roommate has a crappy Bell cable lock that uses a regular key, which is clearly way more secure. And I was hounding him to get a U-Lock...

It's Ironic that the Google sponsored links advertise Kryptonite sales links on the page .
Hahaha - Google = lack of context monitor - hahaha

You guys are killing my server! 1500+ people online?!

The only Kryptonite lock I own that I haven't been able to break yet is an Evo 2000 Mini LS with a key code beginning YSE. I *am* able to break all keycodes beginning KK. The YSE seems to ahve a slightly larger lock core diameter, and is an older lock - perhaps the more recent ones are actually more vulnerable?

I posted a link to this at cyclingforums.com as well.

Here's another site you got linked from www.fark.com it's just in the special "totalfark" area, but there are about 10,000 users there....

;) have a good day!

Oh, and btw, I've known how to break combo locks since I was 9... Just pull the lock mechinisim away from the locking "tube" slowly twist the numbers.... it feels like it catches when you try to spin off from the 'right' number..... takes practice, but I can pick a combo lock in <10 seconds

Not a thief, just learned it from the old guy down the street when I forgot my combo over the winter months...

For the method described, it would be impossible to open the NY Lock with just a pen, it's a typical key type entry, not a circular key. Don't know about anything else...