Kryptonite rocks may be able to defeat the man of steel, but the lock version might not protect your bike from those who steal.
Recently, some bicycling enthusiasts in New York discovered a major flaw in Kryptonite brand's popular line of bicycle U-Locks.
Some U-shaped locks consisting of a steel curve with a locking horizontal bar can be picked using the hollow shaft of a ballpoint pen.
Kryptonite spokeswoman Donna Tocci said the company only learned about the defect recently.
"This locking device has been an industry standard for over 30 years," Tocci said. "We only learned about this problem a few weeks ago."
Word of the flaw spread rapidly on the Internet after videos depicting people using pens to open the locks were posted on cyclists' Web sites.
Tocci said the defect was not limited to Kryptonite locks.
"There are many other companies that manufacture similar devices with the same problem," Tocci said. She said the defect could have other ramifications.
"The tubular-cylinder locking mechanism is commonly used in vending machines, washing machines and even elevators," Tocci said.
The sudden vulnerability to U-locks could hit ASU hard where more than 15,000 people ride bikes to campus each day, according to ASU Parking and Transit Services.
ASU police crime prevention specialist Stewart Adams said officers are aware of the U-lock flaw.
"We have mentioned the problem in our presentations to [student] cyclists but we do not have any evidence that the technique is widely in practice [at ASU]," Adams said.
He added that there hasn't been a noticeable increase in bicycle theft.
Tocci said Kryptonite would gladly exchange a comparable pen-proof lock with a defective lock for any customer who requested one.
"Our customers can sign up on our Web site and we will send them pre-paid postage to mail the old lock to us," Tocci said. "We have also moved [our] 2005 new product launch to October."
Tocci said the new locks would incorporate a new disc-style mechanism that would be harder to break.
The exchange comes too late for three ASU students who reported their bikes stolen to ASU police last week. According to police reports, the students had secured their bikes with U-locks.
But Adams said most thieves cut through U-locks when they steal a bike secured by one of the popular locks.
"Our officers have tried to use the technique with several locks with more than one pen and it didn't work," Adams said.
Adams added that it was far easier for thieves to defeat cable locks than U-locks.
Last week, 12 bicycles that had been secured by cable locks were reported stolen to ASU police.
"We suggest that cyclists use two locks, both a cable and then a U-lock," Adams said. "Usually a thief comes prepared with tools to defeat only one or the other."
Nursing junior Allison Rose said she was aware of the U-lock defect but said her Schwinn-brand U-lock did not open when she tried it with a pen.
"I grabbed a ballpoint pen and tried it, but the key ring was too wide for the bottom of the pen to fit around," Rose said.
Undeclared freshman Amy Damrell, who said she also uses a U-lock, had not heard about the lock defect and said she was scared that her bike could be stolen.
"I live in Ocotillo and all my classes are over in north campus," Damrell said. "I would have to wake up earlier and it would be a hassle [if her bike were stolen]."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Check out video of a pen opening the lock at
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
