Help Needed to Remove Kryptonite Lock!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on September 22, 2012 at 8:29am

My observation was that u locks are only cut on  more expensive bikes - is that correct? My a ssumption was that the relative difficulty involved (need specialized equipment) and risks of getting caught given it takes a minute/creates sparks means that the reward has to be higher (more expensive bikes).

My bike gets messed with (tires/lights stolen) only at the Wilson el stop where there are lots of homeless and down and out types who will grab anything.

 
Julie Hochstadter said:

yeah, my bike was stolen in the middle of the day in lincoln park. It can happen anywhere.

Holly said:

That's not true. Expensive bikes aren't the only bikes that get stolen and bikes are stolen on the north side. There are also bikes parked everywhere with stolen wheels. (Saw one locked to the stop sign in front of my building this morning. One of my favorite neighborhood bikes--a Fuji Flair fixie with new wheels...er...wheel.) 

Whatever the case, I'm glad you were able to get your bike back on the road quickly. And, do register your serial number or at least have that written down somewhere. 

jolondon30 said:

jolondon30 said:

James BlackHeron said:

Wait in the shadows overnight and eventually someone else will come to cut the lock -then pop out and surprise them before they ride away on your bike.

Thats funny. I bet you could leave a locked bike anywhere on the north side and it would last several weeks. My thinking is that guys who have the know how and will to cut locks only do so for expensive bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Josh L. on September 22, 2012 at 8:31am

thanks Dan..good idea. I have had two kryptonites for like ten years.  When theme  bic pen vulnerability was exposed about 5 years ago they sent  me replacement units with two keys each and those are what I have had (and for various reasons lost keys over time).
 
dan brown said:

also : get a u-lock that comes with several duplicate keys. I like the on guard : they give you FIVE. and the fancy one comes with a built in mini-flashlight. I always have one attached to my work ID / lanyard; another on my main keyring; and in my more anal days : I would have one pinned inside the messenger bag. just in case. other two can stay home or on a friend's keyring, etc.

 

DB

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Permalink Reply by Josh L. on September 22, 2012 at 8:35am

Now that's wild Suzanne! For some reason I was really apprehensive about people seeing me doing this even thought it's my bike.  The main reason I wanted the MM electrician there is that I didn't want anyone to trip over the extension cord but u r right it made it seem more legit.

 

The reach of chainlink must be huge. During the 30 seconds I did this - on a not heavily biked street (orleans) - a reader happened to bike by.

 

btw call me paranoid but the reason I wrote Kedzie in the original post is I didn't want anyone to know where the bike was so they could pinch it during the night.
 
Suzanne said:

Aha!  I rode by and saw you and the Merchandise Mart electrician, during seconds 0-10.  I figured it was a legit operation, with his uniform and all.

jolondon30 said:

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

Good news is i got the lock off. Tried using my car jack but quit because i am just not comfortable forcing something. So oinstead of calling one of the recommended removers i went cheap.

I took the el and the bus to home depot on north ave - took 25 mins. Rented a 4.5 inch angle drill for $15 for four hours. Electrician at merch mart ran an extension cord and in 36 seconds i had the lock cut. Guy at home depot said it takes 10 mins.

Bad news I guess for all of us is that a guy like me - who has never cut metal a,d has no experience with an angle drill - can cut a kryptonite lock in 30 secs. Maybe the battery powered models arent as powerful.

Anyway got the bike now and from now on i will record the key numbers on my locks and always have a spare key.

Sorry for typos...on mobile.

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Permalink Reply by Erin Rensink on September 23, 2012 at 11:54am

Good to know. Just lost the key to my lock that has both my cargo bike and a friends cargo trailor locked up. So mad I can't go grocery shopping! Angle grinder seems like the way to go since I believe the key might be at the Field Museum. Or somewhere inbetween.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on September 23, 2012 at 12:21pm

There are no absolutes.Most typically, someone out cutting U-locks with a power tool is going to go for the most resaleable bike. But there are other ways to get U-locks open besides cutting, some of which don't involve any tools at all.  So a street person might try to pop a U-lock off a junk bike as well, if it's locked in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One of the reasons the narrative is stressed on the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry is to make for an interesting and educational read for those looking for a deeper understaning of how bike theft is happening . . . even 5 or 10 minutes of poking around might give you a better picture if you're interested, jolo.

http://stolenbike.org

jolondon30 said:

My observation was that u locks are only cut on  more expensive bikes - is that correct? My a ssumption was that the relative difficulty involved (need specialized equipment) and risks of getting caught given it takes a minute/creates sparks means that the reward has to be higher (more expensive bikes).

My bike gets messed with (tires/lights stolen) only at the Wilson el stop where there are lots of homeless and down and out types who will grab anything.

 
Julie Hochstadter said:

yeah, my bike was stolen in the middle of the day in lincoln park. It can happen anywhere.

Holly said:

That's not true. Expensive bikes aren't the only bikes that get stolen and bikes are stolen on the north side. There are also bikes parked everywhere with stolen wheels. (Saw one locked to the stop sign in front of my building this morning. One of my favorite neighborhood bikes--a Fuji Flair fixie with new wheels...er...wheel.) 

Whatever the case, I'm glad you were able to get your bike back on the road quickly. And, do register your serial number or at least have that written down somewhere. 

jolondon30 said:

jolondon30 said:

James BlackHeron said:

Wait in the shadows overnight and eventually someone else will come to cut the lock -then pop out and surprise them before they ride away on your bike.

Thats funny. I bet you could leave a locked bike anywhere on the north side and it would last several weeks. My thinking is that guys who have the know how and will to cut locks only do so for expensive bikes.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on September 23, 2012 at 12:24pm

FYI if you have access to an outlet and an extension cord, you can get a basic corded angle grinder that includes both masonry and metal cutoff plades for under $25 at Menard's or any Ace hardware.

Erin Rensink said:

Good to know. Just lost the key to my lock that has both my cargo bike and a friends cargo trailor locked up. So mad I can't go grocery shopping! Angle grinder seems like the way to go since I believe the key might be at the Field Museum. Or somewhere inbetween.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Aldridge on September 23, 2012 at 12:44pm

If you write down the serial number on your Kryptonite key before you lose it, the company can use the number to make a new one for you, although I'm not sure how much it costs or how long it takes.

Bike theft prevention (or reduction) is sort of like the rule for home protection: make your bike a less-attractive target than the bike just down the street. I use a U-lock and a thick chain with a hefty padlock. This doesn't make it impossible to steal, but if there's a nicer bike nearby (mine is 20 years old and cost $250) that's been carelessly locked up, the chance of mine being taken is much less, I figure.

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