Bicycle Locks and Bic Pens
I'm not sure how many of you have seen this trick already, but there have been a flurry of posts to my club's e-mail list, and other message boards. Apparently you can break standard U-Locks with a basic Bic Barrel pen (the cheap type)... this includes Kryptonite Locks and other similar designs that use a round key.
I know the trick also works with the Target version U-lock, which i have... to check yours, just compare the diameter of a Bic barrel pen to the key for your bike lock.
Keep those wheels safe if they're outside!! My cruiser sleeps out in front of the dorms, but Fred and Lucy (road and mtn bike) are safely propped against my bookshelves... :p
Check out the video of how to break a U-Lock with a Bic Pen...
Printed in the New York Times
The Pen Is Mightier Than the Lock
September 17, 2004
By LYDIA POLGREEN
The cunning bicycle thieves of New York City always seem to
be one step ahead of lockmakers. Design a more
sophisticated lock and the thieves make a better pick. Make
a sturdier chain and they get bigger bolt cutters. And if
all else fails, they just dig up the parking meter or stop
sign to unshackle the bike from it. But to open some of the
toughest locks on the market, a thief needs only to flick
his Bic pen.
Many cyclists erupted in disbelief and anger this week
after videos were posted on the Internet showing how a few
seconds of work could pick many of the most expensive and
common U-shaped locks, including several models made by
Kryptonite, the most recognized brand.
Mashing the empty barrel of a ballpoint pen into the
cylindrical keyhole and turning it clockwise does the trick
that has struck fear into the hearts of bicycle owners,
especially those in New York, where thousands of bikes are
stolen each year.
"There was murmuring on various Web sites, and so I decided
to go home and pick up a pen and see it if works," said
Benjamin Running, a graphic designer who lives in downtown
Brooklyn. "Sure enough, within 30 seconds I had broken into
my $90 lock. I was in awe. My jaw literally dropped to the
floor. It was so easy."
And many Internet users had the same reaction this week
when they saw the homemade video he posted on his blog of
his Kryptonite NY Chain popping open.
The problem could have wider consequences. Lock experts
said the fault was with a particular type of cylindrical
lock that is used not just in bike locks but in vending
machines, cable locks for laptop computers, alarm system
panels and countless other places.
Not all such locks are vulnerable, because some are built
with more sophistication. Older Kryptonite locks made
before 2002 appear to be less susceptible, according to
bike shops that have tried to use the technique on them.
But this type of mechanism is used on most of the bicycle
locks that are used by millions of people around the
country, not just those made by Kryptonite (although the
company said yesterday that a new and better model was on
the way).
As the news spread, bicycle shops across the nation pulled
the locks off their shelves and cyclists left their bikes
at home, wondering if anything could keep their wheels
safe.
"You would think for $80 for a bike lock it would be
secure," said Marc Weber Tobias, an investigative lawyer
and security expert, whose Web site, security.org, has
posted warnings about the flaws of cylindrical locks like
the ones used in U-locks. "But this doesn't surprise me at
all."
The trick works because the pen has the right diameter and
is rigid enough to hold its general shape but pliable
enough to mold into a sort of key that opens the lock. Mr.
Tobias said the vulnerability of such locks was well known
in security circles.
"These are cheaply manufactured locks with serious design
flaws," he said. "You can't possibly think your bike is
safe with one of these locks."
The uproar appears to have started on Sunday, when Chris
Brennan, a cyclist in San Francisco, posted an urgent
message on the bikeforums.net bulletin board after he was
able to pop open his lock with a pen.
Like many people, he had been skeptical, but doubts were
quickly dispelled when users like Mr. Running started
posting digital video clips of the trick. By yesterday,
125,000 people had downloaded it from, his site,
thirdrate.com, he said. Meanwhile, nearly 170,000 had seen
Mr. Brennan's posting, starting a full-fledged panic.
"We are especially concerned because we thought these were
the best," said Noah Budnick, projects director at
Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group representing
bicyclists in New York City. "Our members get a discount on
these locks. What is really shocking is the casualness with
which someone could steal a bike with one of these locks on
it."
Kryptonite, which is based in Canton, Mass., and was bought
by Ingersoll-Rand in 2001, is named for the only material
that can defeat Superman. The company has been making locks
since the 1970's and is recognized by most bicycle shops as
the leading lockmaker.
It is so confident in the security of its locks that if a
bicycle is stolen by someone who broke the lock, Kryptonite
will pay up to $3,500 to replace the bike, depending on the
model of lock, though there are several caveats to the
policy. Bike shops in New York City overwhelmingly
recommend the company's locks, particularly the four locks
that are designed specifically for New York riders.
In a statement sent by e-mail yesterday, the company said
that it was aware of the problem and was moving quickly to
get locks featuring a different mechanism to bike shops and
that it was designing a program to let users of compromised
locks to upgrade to new ones.
Donna M. Tocci, a spokeswoman for the company, stressed
that locks made by other manufacturers shared the same
vulnerabilities.
Cyclists across the city marveled at how easy it was to
crack their locks. With a little practice, opening a
Kryptonite with a Bic barrel takes as little time as using
a key, said Arone Dyer, a mechanic at Bicycle Habitat in
SoHo. She produced the white plastic barrel of a Bic pen
from her pocket along with a Kryptonite brand lock and
provided a demonstration. In less than five seconds, the
shackle popped and slid open.
"It is that easy," Ms. Dyer said.
The NY Chain lock, the
product most shops recommend for city cyclists, consists of
a heavy chain and small U-shaped lock. It weighs about six
pounds, so heavy that many riders wear it slung around
their waists. The chain is made of squared links of
hardened steel that is impossible to cut by hand, so that
part of the lock is still sound.
Bike shops are recommending that customers replace the
small U-lock with a sturdy padlock, like the ones that
bodegas use to secure their roll-down gates. These padlocks
cost less than $20 at most hardware stores.
In addition, Kryptonite has a line of locks that feature
flat keys; Transportation Alternatives recommended that its
members buy one of those.
The group's Mr. Budnick said that most bike thefts could be
prevented if only office buildings allowed people to bring
their bicycles indoors, but few do. A bill requiring
buildings to allow bikes inside was introduced by City
Councilman David Yassky but has been stuck in the Housing
and Buildings Committee.
Will Wood, whose Spokes and Strings shop in Williamsburg
caters to the commuter market, said he was warning anyone
who would listen.
"I feel like a Cassandra, but for years I have said to my
customers, 'This is the industry standard, and this will
keep your bike safe,' " Mr. Wood said. "Now I tell everyone
who comes in, 'Tell your friends before the thieves tell
theirs.' ''
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/17/ny...0bacc397a2a496
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