For bikes secured with a U-lock, the most dangerous utility a thief can have is the empty shaft of an ordinary ball-point pen.
It was recently reported that the Kryptonite Evolution 2000 U-Lock can be opened by inserting the plastic casing of a pen and wiggling it.
The U-shaped Kryptonite - consisting of a steel curve with a locking horizontal bar - is a must-have among serious bicyclists.
Kryptonite is not the only company that manufactures locks of that shape.
"I tried opening my U-lock with a pen, and it worked," no-preference engineering freshman Matt Kremke said. "I was pretty pissed. I thought U-locks were the safest ones?- they seemed the most reliable because you can't cut through them like you can with a chain."
MSU Bike Project Webmaster Tim Potter said many bikers on campus likely use the lock, including his organization.
The bike project recycles bikes and loans them out to people on campus.
"Our bike project distributes these types of locks," Potter said. "We have over 100 bikes out.
"We ask for a small donation when we loan out bikes, to cover the lock, but replacing all the U-locks would cost money we don't have."
Potter suggested keeping bikes indoors, and buying a different lock to deter thieves.
"By making this news, you are going to help a bunch of local thieves steal a bunch of bikes," he said.
But thieves do not need any help breaking into U-lock secured bikes.
Last year, marketing sophomore Nick Mullane not only locked his bike with a U-Lock, but also attached a cable woven through both wheels
Still, he said he came out the next morning to find his bike gone.
"I bought the Kryptonite lock because it was recommended," Mullane said. "My bike cost $150 and the lock was between $20 and $30.
"Now I have a lock made by the company that makes the Club for cars. I won't buy another U-Lock."
The ball-point pen break-in epidemic explains what was formerly a mystery to Mullane.
"I thought maybe I forgot to lock it, but now I think someone used a pen," Mullane said. "All that was left of my bike was the chain, and if someone sawed through the lock, they wouldn't have taken it."
Paying a lot of money for a bike and a lock and then having them stolen is unreasonable, said humanities and pre-law sophomore Nathan L. Medina.
"People pay upwards of $35 for a lock to keep a bike that can cost $400 safe, and it's ridiculous that it can be stolen using a five-cent pen," Medina said.
"I've had a bike stolen before, and it is unsettling, especially on a college campus when it's your only means of transportation."
The Kryptonite lock can cost more than $50, and for an extra $10 to $20, it comes with a guarantee that says the company will pay customers more than $1,000 if a product failure results in the theft of a bicycle.
Many people choose U-locks because they believe they are the most reliable way to prevent theft.
"I see everyone using the U-locks, so I feel safe with them," said organizational communication graduate student Britta S. Albrecht. "The chain with the combination lock doesn't seem as safe. The U-lock seems sturdy."
Irate lock owners across the nation sent Kryptonite videos of themselves breaking into their own locks with a pen, as well as posting the news on bikeforums.net, a cyclist-enthusiast forum.
In response, Kryptonite will exchange a tubular cylinder lock for a pen-proof one.
For more information, visit kryptonitelock.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
