Do you know exactly which model of Kryptonite lock it was?

The NY specification is due to NY State law, not Kryptonite.

How is it BS if the lock isn't defeated?

Because it's not bike theft insurance it's lock breakage insurance. People see $3000 insurance and buy the more expensive lock thinking it will cover the cost of replacement if their bike is ever stolen. The fact is that the $80 lock doesn't provide that much more protection than the $30 especially given the types of objects usually available for locking to and the chance of them seeing that $3000 is basically nil.

old scratch, please shut up.

talking to me this way only encourages me.

this extra post is especially for you.

manage yourself, i will manage me.

I'm going to agree that the sign was probably lifted...I didn't realize that it had been locked to a sign until just now.


I lock up to signs sometimes, if it's for a short period of time...But I always ALWAYS pull up on the sign to see if it comes out first

You can't fault Kryptonite for people not locking up properly.

There was a blog by a guy who had a lower end Kryptonite lock defeated and his bike stolen. They actually paid out. For some bizarre reason the guy deleted his blog.

I don't fault them for that. I fault them for making it almost impossible to collect unless you have a broken lock in your possession. I fault them for using new yorks laws which make the normal locks not profitable enough to fund an insurance policy with less onerous restrictions and spinning it into an marketing ploy for more profitable locks. I fault them for the implication in the marketing that buying a kryptonite buys you theft insurance and buying a more expensive one buys you more. But most of all I fault them for not including simple instructions about how locks are generally defeated, how to lock up safely and what to lock to because this would be in direct opposition to all of this marketing bull****. And it's not just kryptonite I don't think onguard is any better minus the NY series.

The point wasn't that kryptonite is evil but that the OP brought up how his lock wasn't covered in NYC with the implication that he would have been safer with a NY lock and even if it had been stolen he would have been insured neither of which is likely the case.

It's perfectly reasonable to need the broken lock, if not fraud would be rife.

More expensive locks when used properly are harder to defeat than cheaper ones, all independent test show this.

Kryptonite does in fact give instructions on how to properly lock up with their locks. Instructions can also be found on their website. http://www.kryptonitelock.com/TechLab/HowToSecure.aspx

As for NY laws, they only use them in NY, where they have to.

do you think there is no real difference in security between the evo mini and the yellow NY? i own both, but i can rarely be bothered to carry the heavier one. i figure both locks would require the same tool to break so it doesnt make much difference, but i could be wrong.

Here are some independent ratings of different locks.

http://www.stichtingart.nl/sloten_resultaat.asp

No it means that almost no theft qualifies for the insurance. The insurance is therefore just a meaningless marketing ploy since it hardly ever actually gets paid out.

True but defeating the lock is rarely the easiest option. With any high quality lock what you're locking too is almost always going to be the weak link. Even when that's not the case The differences are minimal. If a thief is actually coming at your lock with an angle grinder the cut time difference of a NY vs and evolution doesn't really matter.

Kryptonites instructions are pretty ****ing ****ty and specifically avoid discussing how bikes actually get stolen and therefore don't impart much knowledge. Don't lock to a chainlink fence? no ****.

Why of course they don't tell people how to steal bikes. I can just imagine bored kids in the suburbs having a good ole time with the info they just received with their new lock.

What proof do you think should be needed to collect on an insurance claim that a lock failed?

BTW, the time difference between cutting a Fahgettaboudit U-Lock and OnGuard Pitbull with power tools is quite large. According to Cycling Plus magazine it's 2 minutes 59.5 seconds for the Fahgettaboudit U-lock and 18.87 seconds for the Pitbull.

A police report stating that the bike was locked to something reasonable and stolen. Anything else makes the policy a deceptive marketing ploy. Of course they couldn't afford this but that's good I'm happy purchasing my insurance and lock seperately rather than a worthless marketing garauntee along with my lock.

That's simply ridiculous and you know it. I can just see it now 'Really officer, my new $2000 was locked up just here......' :rolleyes:

It's pretty obvious the fact that they require a piece of the broken lock is just a means to lower the amount of claims the have to honor. It doesn't put and end to fraud, it just makes it slightly more difficult. Theres nothing to stop someone from angle grinding the shackle off in a vice grip in their garage. I'm not a bike thief but I can't imagine it's common practice to leave the lock you just busted sitting on the sidewalk.

Why would a thief with thieves tools on him take a broken lock with him? To make it easier for the prosecutor?

perhaps to leave no traces. it's happened to a few people i know.

Thats all I need for my renters insurance... you know the insurance that actually means something. The point isn't that kryptonite could feasibly offer real insurance or even that they should but rather that their theft protection program is nothing more than a deceptive marketing ploy.

Or perhaps the lock itself was not the portion of the locking scheme that was defeated.

Did your renters insurance come free with the flat?

Their locks are insured, not the boneheaded actions of the users of the locks.

Moot point. Is the prosecutor going to have a tough time if the thief is caught with tools and the victim's bike? Take the lock with you and a bystander may think you lost your keys or the lock was just frozen. Leave the lock and its pretty clear a crime was committed.

I'm with duret on this one. It's not like thieves stick around. A broken lock on the ground proves very little, one on your person proves a lot.

How will the bystander mistake your croppers or jack for keys? :rolleyes: