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Rekeying old tubular cylinder U-lock?

Old 12-08-05, 07:26 PM
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Rekeying old tubular cylinder U-lock?

Does anyone know whether it's possible to hire a locksmith to rekey a tubular cylinder U-lock with a straight key? I have such a lock, and would hate to see it go to waste collecting dust back home.

Nelson Chen
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Old 12-08-05, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Ngchen
Does anyone know whether it's possible to hire a locksmith to rekey a tubular cylinder U-lock with a straight key? I have such a lock, and would hate to see it go to waste collecting dust back home.

Nelson Chen
I doubt it. And, skilled locksmiths charge a good fee for their services. Good "flat key" locks such as the OnGuard Bulldog sell for as little as $25 or $30.

If your old "round key" lock is a high quality Kryptonite, why not keep using it? The typical crook is a dim-witted, unskilled creature of habit. They go after Wal-Mart U-locks and cable locks, because that sort of lock can be opened in just seconds with simple tools and zero skills. Any Kryptonite, round key or flat key, is more of a challenge than the average crook wants to deal with.

A good use for a "round key" u-lock is to secure the front wheel. When I go to a baseball game a night in downtown Houston, I put a "heavy duty" u-lock around the rear wheel and a steel pole, and secure the front wheel with any 'ol lock. A suitable role for an older lock.
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Old 12-08-05, 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
A good use for a "round key" u-lock is to secure the front wheel. When I go to a baseball game a night in downtown Houston, I put a "heavy duty" u-lock around the rear wheel and a steel pole, and secure the front wheel with any 'ol lock. A suitable role for an older lock.

I just ordered the Kryptonite NYC lock from Performance with their 99cent shipping, and I plan on using it for the back wheel and my old Kryptonite for the front. I just have an old Trek hybrid that I ride around town, but I would be awfully sad if anything happened to it. Now my road bike is a different story...I think I would need an armored truck to follow me everywhere I went. That's why I never lock it up anywhere, New York lock or not. Is that too paranoid of me?
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Old 12-08-05, 10:21 PM
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If you have a kryptonite, you can get the crossbar exchanged for free. So there won't be a problem on your end. As for me, well my old lock is an Avenir U-lock (got it relatively cheap at the LBS b/f this problem was apparent), and AFAIK, there is no exchange program.
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Old 12-09-05, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Ngchen
If you have a kryptonite, you can get the crossbar exchanged for free.
Really? How do I go about doing this? I tried to enter the lock-exchange, but I was too late by 1 friggin' day. So they wouldn't exchange it for me. But if I could do that, that would be great!

Seriously, you might be better off getting a new lock. The On-Guard locks are on sale at Performance now, I think. But only in the store, the website doesn't have their entire selection.
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Old 12-09-05, 09:28 AM
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Oh well. I didn't know their (Kryptonite's) replacement program had expired. Anyway, I'm currently using a 2004 series OnGuard Brute MS that I got new from bicyclebuys for $35 or so. I'll see what a locksmith says about it when I get some time. Also, I was thinking how some manufacturer might want to consider making a series of crossbars with flat keys, if it can be done cheap, and then the U-shackles can be saved and reused.
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Old 12-10-05, 08:34 PM
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OK, so I called Kryptonite about this. They have a U-lock voucher program AND an exchange program, neither of which has expired if you go through the Kryptonite Settlement website. The first time I signed up for the VOUCHER program, which required all sorts of paperwork, receipts, etc. They cancelled out my request and I entered the EXCHANGE program, which doesn't require any of that. I think your Avenir lock is eligible for that - I saw Avenir on the options for locks to exchange. I would give that a try. It can't hurt right?

This is the website:
https://www.kryptonitesettlement.com/

Go to "Claim Forms" and follow the prompts, and look for your lock. If you have problems (which I did), call Kryptonite Settlement CS at 1.877.484.8196. They were pretty helpful and nice, so it might be worth your while to call them for some concrete answers and not just heresay from me.

Good luck. Let me know if it works for you.
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