Students who rely on their bicycles to get them around campus may be in for a surprise the next time they lock up their bikes and head to class.

Kryptonite locks, a favorite among cyclists, were recently discovered to be susceptible to a pick anyone can get their hands on: a Bic pen.

The security problem applies to some bike locks that rely on a cylindrical key mechanism. By taking the pen portion out of a Bic pen, an individual can use the remaining hollow barrel as a pick by jamming the open end into the key slot and twisting the barrel until the mechanism unlocks.

This is especially troubling because the U-shaped bike locks are recommended to cyclists for their security.

After losing his bike on the first day of school last year due to a person cutting the chain lock, Brian Ries, a junior majoring in political science, heeded the advice of a specialist at a bike shop and bought a U-lock for his new bike this year.

He was not aware, however, of the potential the U-lock has to be picked so easily.

‘It concerns me that I didn’t know (about the U-lock problem),’ Reis said. ‘I’m most definitely going to have to talk to Krypto because it’s kind of messed up that we were recommended to buy (the lock).’

Despite the susceptibility, Syracuse University has yet to feel the effect of faulty bike-locking mechanisms. The Department of Public Safety reported only two cases of U-lock-related bicycle theft, and neither case occurred recently.

Other students were unaware of the problem.

Dylan Moore, a junior in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said that placement of the locked-up bicycle is usually just as important as the kind of lock securing it.

‘I usually leave my bike in pretty public spots, so there are always three or four people who would be able to see someone taking the bike,’ Moore said.

Carrie Kabat, a senior in The College of Arts and Sciences, questioned the security of the U-lock when she originally considered purchasing the lock for her bike, and decided to go with the cable variation instead.

‘I got this one because it was the cheapest one I could find,’ she said. ‘That one seemed that it could be broken into more easily than (a cable wire lock).’

Published on September 21, 2004 at 12:00 pm