Awhile back (and by awhile back I mean like, 7 months ago) my friend locked her bike at her apartment bike racks but lost the only key to the bike lock. Ever since she told me this tragic story, my mind had been going crazy about how I could be the hero and secretly get her bike unlocked and freed for her. This was so small task. Even if I initially thought that it would be.
I started doing some research to find ways to pick bicycle locks without destroying the lock itself. To this day I am not COMPLETELY positive that is possible. But the closest thing I could find was from this cute little video:
Yeah, don't get your hopes up. It is not as easy as that guy makes it look by casually unlocking it mid-conversation at a coffee ship. I took to it though, and the first trick I encountered was that my pen had too small of a circumference on it. So I heated the pen by a fire, and it got a little bit bigger, so again my heart took courage. But yeah that didn't last long. I tried spinning that little pen just like in that video for like 20 minute before I gave up eternally. Like I will NEVER do that again.
I kept putting it off, and then I decided if I were going to get the bike free, I would have to destroy the lock. So that took my to Home Depot. I grabbed a nice strong hack saw but decided I better ask someone first. And boy am I glad I did. When he saw my hack saw after I explained my dilemma, he laughed. Hysterically. Like it was kind of out of place how much he laughed. He took me to some of the tools they rent out and said, "OK, this is what you need. Good luck and don't let the cops find out." Thanks, great advice bro, that makes me feel really good. Plus there was no way I would be able to keep the noise down or keep my own head on operating that thing. Do I need like a license to run this machine?
Her bike was locked up on campus so I figured I would give the campus police a little ring to make sure they understood what was going on and that I wasn't stealing the bike. Here was the conversation:
BYU POLICE: Campus Police.
ME: uhhh hey.
BYU POLICE: Is there an emergency?
ME: well not yet, but I just got this heavy duty piece of equipment from home depot that could very likely lead to a BIG emergency. (ok, I didn't actually say that part... but still, it was going through my head). No there is no emergency, but I am about to go cut a lock on a bike that isn't mine but that I have permission to take. Oh yeah and I'm 25 and the bike belongs to a freshman at Helaman Halls.
BYU POLICE: Ok..?
ME: So, I'm not stealing it so I don't want to cause any trouble.
BYU POLICE: Well I cannot guarantee anything, but if you have formal writ of permission, then you can proceed and any officer that approaches you you not stop or fine you.
ME: k. So does a text message count?
BYU POLICE: no.
ME: well, what is a "formal writ of permission?"
BYU POLICE: Use your best judgement.
ME: Ok that makes me feel better. Ok...? well in that case, definitely don't send any officers snooping around Helaman Halls tonight in like an hour... (I laughed for effect)
BYU POLICE: Best of luck to you. (NO laughter reciprocated)
I hung up not really knowing if that helped my case or made it worse... Actually, that is a lie. I definitely know that did NOT help my case. But, I couldn't go back now. I grabbed the tool they gave me, its called a GRINDER, and strapped on the operators helmet and face mask and ear plugs (seriously was all that necessary Home Depot? I was trying to be discrete, but now I was walking into a shark tank with a bright orange EAT ME sign hung around my neck) and started toward the bike. I think from here we will continue the story in video form:
Nailed it. Cut right through that bad boy. No police, no problem. The bike is sitting in my friend's room awaiting her return from a weekend trip she took.
At the end of the ordeal, she was so happy she got her bike back and can now ride it all over campus and around town. Her father, however, will probably not be too pleased with what I did to his lock...
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