Things that have not worked (so far):
Youtube video recommended a specific bike lubricant but that didn’t work.
I read hitting it with a hammer could help knock some of the rust loose but so far nada.
How it got stuck: I got doored pretty bad a few months before getting pregnant several years ago and basically stopped riding completely afterwards bc drivers are such assholes in the city where I live.
My stbx always chastised me for storing it in the house, and after we moved together the last time in 2021, he started making me keep it outside under a tarp.
Now he’s gone and it’s my only means of transportation, but the lock is stuck like a yoke around the neck.
I can feel something turning inside after a half revolution when I try to unlock it with a key, but I can’t even remember if it’s supposed to make a full revolution and is getting stuck halfway or if that’s as far as it’s supposed to turn (as in, is the rust is inside the barrel or the keyhole?).
Any other tips or ideas to get it open?
My dad said he thinks worst case scenario we can just cut it off, but it’s a kryptonite lock and I thought they were supposed to be impossible to cut?
I know this is off topic but what the fuck is a stbx
Soon to be ex
Rather than cut it off you could pull the handlebars off the bike by loosening the height adjuster. The stem should lift out of the frame and it looks like you could slide the lock downwards over the stem.
Doesn’t help with reusing the lock but saves the trouble of cutting it.
This is the best solution.
Penetrating oil, let it sit, smack it a bit, repeat until open.
Getting some stuff so you can grip it and wiggle helps.
Are you trying to save the lock? Fastest way is just to cut it with an angle grinder. Harbor freight will get you a cheapo that will work fine. Cheaper and more difficult to use the lube+smack method.
If you use the grinder make sure to get some eye protection as well, and earplugs.
PB blaster is my penetrating oil of choice.
As others said, you can take the handlebars off, then deal with opening the lock it you still want to use it.
Me personally, I’d get a new lock just to be sure it doesn’t act up again and leave me stranded with my bike locked up.
The easiest way to get it off would be to remove the handlebars from your bike stem. Then you can just slide it off.
The stem is what holds the vertical part of your steer tube (top of front wheel fork) to the handlers. There should be 2 or 4 bolts in the front that holds the bars in place. Unscrew those and you can take the bars off, remove the lock, then put the bars back.
Alternatively, you could unscrew the stem cap, pull off the stem, and take the lock off that way. I’d be careful because the fork and your headset bearings could drop out.
Kryptonite also has decent customer service, so you could try emailing them.
Yank the stem. Loosen the bolt up then hit it with a hammer so it goes back down and pull the stem out.
what if I fuck the bike up?
You won’t. When you loosen the stem bolt it’ll come up but it needs to go down so loosen it up maybe a half inch or so then hit the bolt head with a hammer. If you’re worried about messing up the bolt face then put a board or something on top of it and hit that. I used to use an old copy of glens complete bicycle manual as a go between for stem bolts and a four pound sledge.
E: it’s not always clear what’s going on. The stem bolt can keep the stem tight because the stems “base” (the part inside the tube) is cut through diagonally. The part at the bottom is what the stem bolt is actually attached to so when you tighten the bolt the part at the bottom slides out against the rest of the stem and becomes really tight inside the tube. When you loosen it it’s supposed to relieve that tension and become loose but actually it’s rusted in place so you gotta clink the bolt head with a hammer before the stem will come out.
Remove the Handel bars, slide the lock off, replace the handle bars. You can then try filling the key hole with the CRC spray until it starts dripping out the shank holes then let it sit for a few days in a tub or bucket filling up with the spary once a day or so. After that try working the key back and forth and it may come loose.
My dad said he thinks worst case scenario we can just cut it off, but it’s a kryptonite lock and I thought they were supposed to be impossible to cut?
Not impossible; it just takes longer using an angle grinder or “cut-off tool.” You should be able to get a corded cut-off tool for less than 75 USD.
Edit to add: Here’s the Lock Picking Lawyer using a manual hydraulic cutter to defeat what may be your exact lock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXK2yh5eNTU
The key should turn 180°. If it turns that far and doesn’t open, you may need to either insert the key further before turning, or back it off slightly. Same with turning it; either turn it all the way or back it off. I have one that isn’t rusty but does live outside, and it’s finicky sometimes.
