Kryptonite lock woes....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
 

So I was just wondering if anyone else has had any problems similar to mine.

Last year I bought a evo series 4, and several months later it jammed. I took it back to the shop I purchased it from, they inspected it and said it was faulty or something and replaced it. Fast forward several more months, second series 4 jams. I take it back to the same shop and they say there is no visible reason it should be jamming and upgrade me to a New York u-lock (this was Novemeberish). Fast forwrd to today, and my stinking New York u-lock is jamming.

My bike sleeps inside and is stored inside any time I am at my apt for more than an hour, and ALWAYS if I am home and it is raining/snowing. My lock rides inside my bag anytime I have one or In my waistband, and has never been mounted on the frame so it has never been subjected to road spray. The only time the bike and lock are outside in rain or snow is when I am in class, and classes are only 1.5 hrs or 3 hrs, and when it is raining or snowing I try to lock to the covered racks as often as I can.

(Oh and another fun fact...I bought a series 4 for my brother and he had it jam up on him in several months as well and had his bike stolen while going to get the lock serviced)

Anyone fed up with Kryptonite too? Have any tips on keeping it from jamming?

Is there a lock brand out there that can offer the protection of a New York U-lock? Cause I think I'm done with Craptonite locks all together after this


edit: in all instances key inserts cleanly and has clean action while turning

I've had two Krytonites and two off-brand U-locks. Never had any issues with jamming.

It seems like you're treating the locks OK. How about the keys? Is it possible you're somehow messing up the profile of the keys?

It sounds like your LBS has been good to you, but it isn't their problem any more.

Send that lock & key to Kryptonite with your story and ask them what's going on. It might be education, or it might turn out to bad quality control.

It might also be that someone is putting stuff in your lock when you leave it with your bike. (toothpicks, sand, etc.)

Beyond that, I'm out of guesses.

I have an Onguard Bulldog mini, generally around 20% less than the Kryptonite mini lock on Amazon, never had a problem with it.

The Onguard mounting bracket is a piece of ****, though I don't think most people use them.

I've used mine for 2 years with zero issues.. dunno what's going on with yours.

Did you try to call super...oh wait did you say kryptonite? Well...I tried.

I've had a few Kryponite locks over the years and I've never had a problem with jamming. I always have my lock bracketed to the frame of my bike too so it's out in the elements when I am riding.

Not sure if it will help, but did you try squirting some WD-40 or penetrating oil in the lock to see if it would help it get unstuck?

you try cleaning it out?
 

If you leave a lock out in the elements, water will get inside and the internal parts will get sticky and rusty. that's not a kryptonite issue, it's a lock issue. Every few months, open the lock up, clean off the dirt/rust and oil the parts.

I use a Onguard Bulldog and it has literally been sitting outside in the elements for the past two years (I keep it locked to the rack at work). Zero problems...

I stopped using Kryptonite when they could be opened in <20 seconds with a Bic pen.

I had a bit of trouble with my Kryptonite lock but then I used compressed air to clean out bits of dirt. I added a couple of drops of bike lube into the u lock wells and that seemed to sort out the jamming. I use two different locks and I have to remember not to force the wrong key into the lock. That's not good. All in all, I'm happy with my NY Fagedaboutit (or whatever it's spelled).

Same thing happened to me. Kryptonite Evolution 4 jammed. I called Kryptonite. They said that if the key wasn't going in all the way, then poke a paperclip through the hole to straighten out the cylinders. At first it seemed that the key was going in all the way, but it was actually just missing about 2mm. I used the paperclip to straighten out the cylinders, and the lock became unjammed.

In addition to Kryptonite and OnGuard, Abus makes good U-locks. I have the Granite X-plus something or the other, and it spends a lot of time out in the elements, including wintery conditions. I oil it lightly VERY occasionally. It has never jammed.

You would get more lock options by moving over to hardened steel chain + padlock combo. But that combination can be heavy and expensive, especially if you aim to maximize security.

--J

Don't feel bad Nick, the Kryptonite ones are too. (at least mine is) I tried putting the bracket on yesterday. It doesn't fasten tightly enough to remain steady when I'm putting the lock in it or taking it out, it moves all around. (even with the screw tightenend all the way) When I tried to loose the bracket mounting screw, the square nut on the other side just started twisting in the plastic and stripped it.

I finally just removed the bracket and am resigned to carry the lock in my bag or leave it at the rack.

Any of the old generation U-locks can be picked with a Bic pen; it is part of the tubular cylinder design. They were designed to be drill proof and harder to pick But they didn't consider cylindrical picks! There was also a big scare when U-locks were being broken with cheap scissor jacks. As a result of this, they get better and better.

The next lock I buy is going to be a heavy chain & padlock. I'll leave that on the bike rack too. ;) That's what they use in Amsterdam, where there is a HUGE black market for stolen bikes.

lube it!
squirt a little silicon spray in the key hole and work the key a few times and PRESTO works better than new.

same for you house locks and you car locks.

they use locks of all sorts.

:lol:

The OP is saying he keeps the lock out of the elements (more than one response has ignored this). But even so, I agree with the "lube it" camp. My Kryptonite U-lock rides strapped to the rear rack with a bungee - yeah, the cheapo plastic mounting bracket gave way after 90 days - as much as I spent for the lock I would have gladly paid another 5 bucks for sturdier mounting bracket - but I digress. In the Summer in Florida it rains nearly every day on my ride home. The lock is rust colored now but still works great. It started to jam on me, but regular infusions of WD-40 have kept it working just fine.

For the rest of you, if you buy one, throw away the plastic mounting bracket. It is useless. You would think someone would have told the folks at Kryptonite by now...

My mounting bracket worked perfectly fine with no issues.. I think it just depends how you mount it. I just stopped using it because the lock rattles and is annoying, then I put a frame pump where the lock was, so just took the mount off entirely.

see here for mount position that works (old pic)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bhop73/3153013618/sizes/o/

I've had a NY Ulock for about 5 years now without trouble. I did recently drip some Triflow in the 3 holes and the lock action improved some.

I've had the same bracket on my bike for 3 years now with no issues. I usually remove and put the lock back on a few times a day. It's one of the newer ones that snap into place. But the brackets I've had in the past have been fine too.

Sounds like something potentially related to you rather than the Kryptonite locks. Any chance you park the bike under trees that shed somehow resin? You might then hear though about similar experiences of other students. Is your bag dusty, with dust gradually filling the inside of the lock? I once immobilized my lock by spraying dry graphite into it, which I thought would lube the lock well. Instead, the lock virtually froze. I rescued it by spraying next lots of light oil in. You might try the light oil when your lock jams. Something about the manner you turn the key, either not finishing or overdoing it, or turning under strain?

I use the Magum 3000 u-lock. I store it on my rack and it's constantly subjected to the elements. I used it through last winter's commute and so far it has been flawless. BTW Magnum also makes OnGuard locks and the 5000 Brute LS is the same lock. The only reason I bought it instead of a comparable Kryptonite lock is because I felt that the Kryptos were overpriced.

Edit: I noticed all the suggestions for maintenance of the Kryptonite lock, which is probably good advice, but when I buy a lock I don't want to have to think about maintaining it; I do enough of that on my bike. I've never put a drop of oil on my Magnum lock, it's been soaked by rain, covered by snow & ice, coated with road salt, I've dropped it half a dozen times, and it still works like new. Also the lock mechanism will not turn unless the key is fully inserted.

I've had the same issue, and the lock has barely been used. Bike sleeps inside at home and has it's own locker at work. The lock has probably been in the elements a grand total of 7 times. None for very long and probably half on sunny days. The rest of the time the lock is inside of the house. Oh and when the lock is taken, it's put in a pannier bag.

While lube probably will help the situation, this doesn't appear to me to be a user problem/poor treatment of the lock.

make sure you stick your key in ALL THE WAy, I know you can tern it a little without it in all the way, my ONGuard doesnt do that. also oil it once a month, keep it dry. dont drop it