Bike Doctor s Phone Ringing off the Hook Over U-lock Millie Strom, OP Contributor In Superman movies, kryptonite, a fic- tional green-glowing chemical substance, brought the Man of Steel to his knees and stripped him of his super powers. Back on the real planet Earth, a cheap plastic pen is proving to be tougher than the Kryptonite bicy- cle U-lock. By inserting the empty barrel of a Bic ballpoint pen and turning it clock- wise, some U-locks can be opened ina flash. The New York Times reported that a graphic designer unlocked his $90US U-lock with a two-buck Bic pen in about 30 seconds. Last week, a San Francisco com- puter security specialist posted the U-lock’s flaw on Bikeforums.net, and a video clip of the Bic-pen procedure circulated quickly on the Internet. This caused Joe Gardner, the Utah- based owner of the forum, to lease extra server space—from three giga- bytes to 75 gigabytes a day—to cope with the traffic on his site. Bikebiz.com reported _ that Bikeforums.net displays Google ads— including randomized ads _ for Kryptonite locks and lock-picking websites. If a member donates $25 via PayPal, the ads will disappear. So Gardner, who works for a large mutu- al fund trading company, may actually earn back his $1,000 investment in temporary server space if he draws new members. Kryptonite appeared to initially take most of the heat about the faulty U-locks, but several types of the cylin- der U-lock are affected. The Toronto Sun tested a Bike Guard lock made by Norco, and it quickly opened. Two Kryptonite U-locks, however, could not be opened. According to Vancouver’s Bike Doctor Bicycle Shop sales representa- tive Mike Zazulak, the Bike Doctor has received a heavy stream of phone inquiries about the U-lock. Zazulak also said bicycle dealers will be noti- fied on September 24 regarding Bike Guard’s upgrade offer. The American manufacturer of Kryptonite U-locks is rushing to release a new disk-cylinder U-lock. Kryptonite is also offering a three-year anti-theft warranty, through an online coupon, for several of its new locks (in Canada and the US). Kryptonite announced — on September 22 that tubular cylinder locks purchased since September 2002 could be returned for an upgrade. Locks purchased more than two years ago can be returned for a rebate. Email kryptonite@irco.com for information, or call your local bike doctor. For more information visit and Emergency First Aid Includes Cpr- C/ 1 day Standard First Aid Course Includes Cpr—C / 2 day Junior Medic Program Ideal For ages 9 to 15 / 2 days OLYMPIC First Aid Services www.olympictirstaid.com Cpr Recertification's Every Tuesday evening 4 hours 5—9 pm AED Endorsements 8 hours over 2 days Olympic First aid Services Phone: 604-420-1748 Fax604-420-2117 Email:into@olympictirstaid.ca Sepbember = 29/2000 Do you like to distribute stuff? If so, have we got the job for you! The Other Press is now hiring for Distribution Manager (New West and Coquitlam area) Email your résumé to: othereditoreyahoo.ca i a i J Bs io a a