This lock is good for two things. Knocking people out and securing bikes. I’m very glad to say I’m only planning on using it for the latter.
I’ve already talked about the first time I had a bike stolen and don’t want to talk about it again or my eyes will swell up. Hence, with my recent move to Swiss Cottage I decided it was about time to step up my bike lock to the next level. To ramp it up. To push the boundaries. To take it to the professional level. To go up to the next gear.
I think you get the picture.
The lock I decided to buy for myself needs no X-factor style introduction but I will give it one anyway. It has won many safety awards, kept many bicycles safe on lonely nights left outdoors and has made many would be bike thieves cry at their inadequacy. It is the Kryptonite New York 3000 NYL.
Okay, perhaps that is a little extreme. If a thief is dedicated enough they will get through any lock.
However, people smarter than me and with much deeper pockets have tested out the lock and they found it to be extremely resistant. The lock completely resisted the first attack which involves a hammer, a steel bar, bolt cutters, a chisel and an axe!
The second attack involves a portable angle grinder! It took a total of 1 minute 5 seconds to get through it which in the world of bike locks is a very long time indeed.
Therefore it is a lock that provides great peace of mind.
Comparison of different Kryptonite U/D locks
| Name | Price | Description |
| 16 mm Kryptonium steel shackle. 4 by 8 inches. 11 rating | ||
| £52.99 ($68.02) | 18mm Max-Performance steel shackle. 3.25 by 6 inches. 12 rating | |
| 14mm Max-Performance steel shackle. 4 by 9 inches. 9 rating | ||
| Kryptonite Evolution Mini Lock | £25.96 ($41.00) | 13 mm Kryptonium steel shackle. 3.25 by 5.5 inches. 9 rating |
| £19.95 ($28.04) | 13 mm Kryptonium steel shackle. 4 by 9 inches. 8 rating |
The Kryptonite New York 3000 lock comes with a bracket to attach to your bike, 3 keys including one with a tiny light and various guarantees. You get a free replacement set of keys as long as you have noted the key registration number (I’ve already lost one my keys!)
There is also a second guarantee though it’s one of those with so many terms and conditions you would struggle to get the money. Basically as long as you send back a copy of your bicycle receipt and some other documents to Kryptonite within a few days of purchasing the lock then you are guaranteed up to £1200 if someone breaks the lock and steals the bike.
Unfortunately I haven’t managed to attach the included bracket as it didn’t fit onto my bike frame so I’m just carrying the lock around in my bag.
What you need to ask yourself with this lock is how much you value having peace of mind against how heavy a lock you want to carry around. The Kryptonite New York 3000 weighs in at roughly 1.9kg.
I’ve been using the Kryptonite New York for about a week now and I’ve felt much happier about leaving my bike locked up. When locking the bike around just the frame I find I find the diameter large enough to lock it around most objects. When I use the proper locking technique which is around the back wheel and through the middle of the frame the diameter is a little short but this is a problem with all bike locks not just this one.
The below picture is a comparison of the Kryptonite New York 3000 with my standard D lock and as you can see it is a lot thicker.
I tend to complement the Kryptonite with a chain lock and I think I will be very surprised the day someone bothers to go to the trouble of breaking through both the locks.
Overall I’m happy with my choice though I probably would get most the security benefits with another one of the locks such as the Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 and at the same time benefit from a little less weight.
What I like about the lock
- Peace of mind – I know it is a beast of a lock that is not easy to crack
- 3 keys – I like the fact you get three keys and free replacement keys because it is the sort of thing I’m likely to lose
What I don’t like
- Weight – it is heavy to carry around and a big additional weight for anyone cautious of how much their bike weighs
- Size – not easy to carry around and takes up a lot of space in my bag but not majorly more than most D locks
Where you can buy the Kryptonite New York 3000
Here is a quick comparison of some of the prices. Note: this is likely to change over time.
- Amazon.co.uk – £56.95
- Evans cycles – £79.99
- Wiggle – £71.99
- Jenson USA – $79.95
- Amazon.com – $59.95
My solution is to have a folding bike. It’s tucked under my desk as I write this and I cna think of only one place where they said you can’t take it in here, but they then found a place to store it.
I know folders are not what everyone wants, but if you commute, may be easier than being weighed down by mega locks? (And you save £100 a month on travel).
Cheers
Adam
Interested that the bracket didn’t fit your frame – it looked pretty universal to me.
If you do get it to fit, it’s worth noting that a spot of grease or butter(!) on the silver bracket retainer makes it much easier to get the lock in and out of the bracket. Makes the bracket less likely to die from the stress
Aaaaaaaaanyway I’ve used this lock for 6 years. Might just be a coincidence that my bike hasn’t been stolen, but hopefully I can put some of that down to this lock. Makes the abus locks look like cable ties.
If you don’t like carrying it in a bag you can also bungee it to your pannier rack. Voila!
Hmmm, maybe I’ll give the bracket another go. It did put a bit of a dampener on the Kryptonite New York 3000. I like your suggestion to put some grease on the silver bracket because I was finding it very hard to slide it on.
Great article, well written.
I am the MD of text-lock and we are soon launching our new product text-padlock, which is a padlock which can be operated remotely by mobile phone, leaving an electronic signature of anyone using or requesting access. Please see http://www.text-lock.com/text-lock_GSM_SMS_padlock.html for more details on the product.
I welcome your opinions on this and would be fascinated to see your views in this blog.
Oliver
Mounting problems (ooer) seem to be a common thing – I had problems mounting my Abus lock to my bike, too. The bracket was fine but on a small sized road frame there just isn’t room in the main triangle for the lock (bear in mind you need to be able to move it to get it in & out of the bracket).
I went for the bungee strap on the pannier rack option, but if you mainly go to one place where you need to lock it (eg work) then by far the most convenient thing is to leave the lock at work, secured to its rack, pillar or whatever. You don’t have to carry it around at all then!
Leaving the lock in the office is a good suggestion. I wouldn’t leave them attached to a or piller exposed.
These things are steel and they rust – water gets into the gaps where the two halves of the lock meet, and this causes corrosion that may fuse the two parts together. If the water freezes overnight, craaaack, broken lock.
Also – and you may want to take or leave this but I think it’s worth posting – I was told by a security guard outside Market Place – where I used to leave my Krypto – that theives, with enough time with a lock, do stand a chance of derriving the key number for them. May not be any truth in it but hey, doesn’t sound beyond the realms of possibility.
Martin lol at the adult humour – I’m having same problem with not enough room in the main triangle for lock, especially with a bracket the size of the Kryptonite New York 3000. I need to come up with some sort of new way of carrying it round when I don’t want to have to take a bag with me.
Agreed leaving bike lock at work is good suggestion if its indoors in which case you probably don’t need something with the strength of the Kryptonite
When I was in college I used to carry my U-lock… wait for it… around my neck! The bracket was too small to fit around my frame (cheap lock), too big to fit in my bag with my books and when I kept it on the handlebars it threw my steering off. Yes it looks a bit weird but then, what cyclist doesn’t?
The best place on most bikes for a U-lock bracket would be on the seat post (so the lock points back over the back wheel). But this is the place most people have their lights and mudguards, so there is not enough space. I have the same problem with trying to fit it in the main triangle of my bike (a mountain bike frame).
For the last few years I have always put my lock in my bag. I don’t feel the weight so much as if its attached to the bike. I use bags with an outer compartment which will take the lock, cable, lights etc.
One last thing, don’t force the keys on Krytonite locks. They are quite long so can break. The feedback I have heard from a bikeshop is that at the moment lots of people are coming in to get new keys. It should turn easily with no resisitance, if not check the key is in properly.
Thanks for the review, noticed that you could have locked your bike to a thicker railing (or two thinner ones) in one of the pictures, and you could probably fill the u-lock up more by getting the pedal crank in as well.
Hi Paul, all good points. When I took the pic it was just to demonstrate the lock. Plus this is when it is locked inside my tower block so less need for strict security. Happy to admit however that at all times it should be locked to thicker post and usually it is.
I’m no bike thief but looking at that photo of your New York lock fixed to that railing….
well, I reckon I could bite through that puny bit of railing with my teeth, then walk off with your still-locked bike over my shoulder.
Haha!
Thanks for your article. It was most interesting.
Its interesting to read that it took testers >1 minute to cut the NY lock … my NY lock was cut in <30 secs with a portable disc cutter, there's photos and even a CCTV video to back it up too …
Thats pretty damn fast, I had a guy come in the shop who had to have his cut off his frame, says it took this key cutter hardware guy 10 minutes with an angle grinder.
Its all about the quality of tools I guess, but make no mistake even the best of locks will only keep a determined thief at bay for ~60 secs
Em whats the point in buying a 70 quid lock that cant be picked and takes like 8 minutes to angle grind through then lock it to a spindely fence that could be cut with a pair of bolt cutters in abour 5 seconds. U need to work on your locking. Its not enought having an expensive lock, you need to know how to use it.
Hah, love how that picture is still drawing comments! I know it’s locked to the fence that was very thin! It was just a quick pic I took for demonstration!