Serious Security is the only business Kryptonite is in. They are committed to providing innovative products and programs, outstanding value and unparalleled customer satisfaction.
Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, Kryptonite is a premier manufacturer and marketer of high-quality cables, chains, U-locks and flexible security systems for the bicycle, powersports, snow sports, locksmith, hardware and notebook computer markets. It is with great pride that Kryptonite provides Tough Locks for a Tough World to people in more than 50 countries. Kryptonite has won many awards and accolades over the years for products that are the toughest on the street.
The legendary test for Kryptonite's new bicycle locks came in 1972. The Second Avenue bicycle shop in New York City, under Kryptonite founder, Michael Zane's direction, locked a three speed bicycle to a signpost in New York City's Greenwich Village. Like a lamb awaiting slaughter, the bicycle remained for thirty days and thirty nights. All removable parts of the bike were immediately stripped by marauders, but a month later the lock and the bike frame were still in place, even though it had been mauled by repeated break-in attempts. Publicity from this event gave Kryptonite the boost it needed, forever changing the face of bicycle security.
Twenty-two years later, Kryptonite returned to the streets of the Big Apple to test its latest lock innovation – The New York Lock. In April, 1994, the New York Post laid down the ultimate challenge: Could Kryptonite's New York Lock last 48 hours on the toughest streets of New York? Michael Zane and Director of New Product Development Neil McDaid set out, once again, to prove that it could do that – and more! In a city where over 100,000 bikes are stolen each year, Kryptonite and the New York Post took a brand new, bright green Univega road bike worth $600 and locked it to a parking meter in East Village; the "Bermuda Triangle" of New York bicycle thievery. For a full 48 hours, the bike remained locked on the corner of Avenue A and 11th Street. Zane and McDaid remained as a surveillance team living out of the back of a van, subsisting on cold coffee and a strong belief in their product.
Watching from around the corner, the duo witnessed as the bike came under every possible means of assault, thwarting thieves at every turn. After 48 hours, the bike remained intact, except for the gear derailleur that had been stripped off. The lock showed definite signs of abuse, but it had not failed. The New York Lock had met the New York Post's Challenge.
Not satisfied with the length of the test, Zane moved the bike to Soho for another six days, and finally uptown near the Lincoln Center. Even in these high-theft areas, the properly locked bike lasted another three weeks before being pulled off the streets. Kryptonite was convinced that this product, indeed offered the ultimate security protection.
To compare the New York Lock against other U-locks, the New York Post ran a battery of street tests using the common bike theft tool: a 4-foot bolt cutter, a crowbar and a hammer. The non-Kryptonite locks cracked in seconds, but all methods failed on the New York Lock, even the monstrous bolt cutter, ended up useless with large dents in its jaws. Real life street testing is proof positive that the New York Lock is tough enough for the streets of New York, or anywhere else in the world. “It's a constant battle to stay one step ahead of the world's toughest thieves. But we're in this to win, and we'll keep building tougher locks. We have no choice." Zane said.
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