Help! My bike is locked up, and I lost my key.

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  • September 23, 2011 at 2:44 pm #910408
    FrankF
    Participant

    My bike is locked up near an Arlington Metro station, and I’ve lost the key. I don’t think I’m going to find it. What do I do? I called the nearest bike shop, and they told me to call a car mechanic who might have the right tools. I called the Arlington Police, because I figured they would have a protocol for that, and the guy who answered the phone said he had never encountered this before, but he agreed that I should probably call them before I cut the lock off, and they would send an office to supervise or something, because it would obviously be suspicious-looking to show up at the Metro with bolt cutters or whatever it would take. But I still don’t know how to actually get the job done. It’s a padlock and a fairly heavy-grade cable “chain” with a rubberized coating. Thanks.

    (Also posted in bikes and equipment, hoping to get quick replies.)

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Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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  • September 23, 2011 at 2:54 pm #930442
    CCrew
    Participant

    Borrow or rent a battery powered angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Alternatively buy one then return it I guess. You’ll only use it for about 60 seconds :)

    September 23, 2011 at 4:03 pm #930445
    RideTheWomble
    Participant

    Don’t worry about the Metro folks. The station managers could care less what goes on over at the bike rack.

    I wish I was joking.

    September 23, 2011 at 4:21 pm #930446
    Mark Blacknell
    Participant

    Call Lt. Heather Hurlock at the Arlington Police Auxiliary Unit. http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/police/divisions/operations/sos/PoliceDivisionsOperationsSosAuxiliaryPolice.aspx She cuts abandoned bikes all.the.time. It’s not really a service offered to people in your position, but I imagine she’ll probably know exactly how to do it. If you already have the info/tools you need to cut it, just go do it – but take some proof of ownership with you and be prepared to answer questions.

    September 23, 2011 at 5:19 pm #930452
    pfunkallstar
    Participant

    If it is a cable lock then you might be able to get it with a burly cable cutter. Chain is best dealt with using a hacksaw. U-locks are pretty easy to break open with a car jack – safety first though with the flying end cap!

    September 23, 2011 at 8:17 pm #930460
    elcee
    Participant

    Any decent locksmith should be able to open a padlock.

    September 24, 2011 at 5:34 am #930467
    Jsnyd
    Participant

    Don’t really have to add much. Just cut it off. In the future maybe invest in a combo lock or something with a few keys to it. Hope everything worked out. Sorry for your troubles.

    —
    I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.845429,-76.949765

    September 25, 2011 at 5:51 pm #930481
    justasaintz
    Participant

    Actually calling the cops could work. Saturday i saw a cop trying to help a taxi driver opening the door with what looked like a tool you often see in movies to open car doors.

    September 28, 2011 at 12:40 pm #930565
    FrankF
    Participant

    Yeah! I found my bike key. On Monday, a week after I lost it and long after I had given up hope, I discovered my bike key taped to the restroom door in my office building. I don’t know if it was found on the floor in the restroom, where I had already looked, or in the hallway, though there was no reason for me to have lost it out there. Wow, I’m lucky. I also want to thank all of you who posted suggestions. I hope that’s advice that I’ll never need again.

    September 28, 2011 at 1:10 pm #930566
    creadinger
    Participant

    That’s exactly where I lost my key a couple of years ago. A colleague found it and taped it where I would see it. Fortunately I got it back the next day, not a week later. I’m sure your bike is very happy to be free from its shackles.

    Otherwise, this is a great thread for people to check when it happens to them.

    September 28, 2011 at 2:38 pm #930580
    KLizotte
    Participant

    This thread should be a quick reminder to folks to get duplicate keys made if they are using those types of locks.

    September 28, 2011 at 3:13 pm #930586
    Dirt
    Participant

    One of the things that I like about the On Guard locks is that each one of their nicer locks comes with six (that’s right, six) keys.

    The problem is that I have 4 of their locks. Keeping all 24 keys organized is interesting. I eventually went to Brown’s Hardware and got color-coded key cover thingies that made the process a little easier.

    Good luck!

    September 28, 2011 at 6:38 pm #930601
    vvill
    Participant

    I have an OnGuard lock and like it for the same reason. The lighted key is nice too but it’s bulkier so I leave that one at home.

    September 28, 2011 at 9:09 pm #930608
    CCrew
    Participant

    @KLizotte 8624 wrote:

    This thread should be a quick reminder to folks to get duplicate keys made if they are using those types of locks.

    funsucker :)

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