Opening combination bike locks

Lewis Campbell · Sep 24, 2004

I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
have the combination.

It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.

Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.

Thanks.

Lewis.

david · Sep 24, 2004

go to a hatdware or lockstore if it is a known lock with serial. they'll
have abook

"Lewis Campbell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> have the combination.
>
> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that
> time.
>
> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works
> well.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Lewis.

Zog The Undeniable · Sep 24, 2004

Lewis Campbell wrote:

> I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> have the combination.
>
> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.

With the nasty cheap ones you can often feel the dials stick at the
correct position. I don't have any experince of "good" combination locks .

Kenneth · Sep 24, 2004

On 24 Sep 2004 12:03:56 -0700, [email protected] (Lewis Campbell)
wrote:

>I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
>have the combination.
>
>It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
>considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
>Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Lewis.

Howdy,

I can't help directly, but...

If you get 'em opened, consider scratching the combination on them in
some sort of simple code. The words "MANUSCRIPT" and "PAWNBROKER" each
have ten non repeated letters. I throw in a few extra letters so that
on the side of each of my locks one might see something like this:

WNBR
KERP
KORB
NNOO
BBBW

I figure that anyone who can decipher that while I am in the diner
eating a piece of pie deserves a new bike...

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Ronald · Sep 24, 2004

> I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> have the combination.
>
> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.

If it's the type which has several slotted disks it can usually be opened by pulling hard on the lock and then move the disks one by
one and leave each in the position which gives the least friction. You can also try the first disk in each possible position and
feel if the friction for the other disks increases, if it does you propably have the correct combination for the first disk
etcetera.

"Lewis Campbell" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> have the combination.
>
> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Lewis.

Badger_South · Sep 24, 2004

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 21:24:00 +0100, Zog The Undeniable
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Lewis Campbell wrote:
>
>> I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
>> have the combination.
>>
>> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
>> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>>
>> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
>With the nasty cheap ones you can often feel the dials stick at the
>correct position. I don't have any experince of "good" combination locks .

With the type they use on school lockers in the old days, you could pry the
back off and then with a flashlight, look through the holes underneath and
see the notches line up. Don't know if modern combo locks still have this
config.

-B

carlfogel@comcast.net · Sep 24, 2004

On 24 Sep 2004 12:03:56 -0700, [email protected] (Lewis
Campbell) wrote:

>I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
>have the combination.
>
>It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
>considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
>Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Lewis.

Dear Lewis,

Are they padlocks with a single dial on the front, or
pull-apart locks that have half-a-dozen dials?

Carl Fogel

LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m · Sep 24, 2004

> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination
> that works well.

A few years ago, my son forgot the combination to his new lock, so he
asked some of his school classmates how to get it open, and one of them
knew a kid who knew a kid who, for a dollar, opened it in about twenty
seconds. Maybe you should consider asking the neighbourhood schoolkids
if they know someone similar.

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)

Jim Smith · Sep 24, 2004

Kenneth <[email protected]> writes:

> On 24 Sep 2004 12:03:56 -0700, [email protected] (Lewis Campbell)
> wrote:
>
> >I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> >have the combination.
> >
> >It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> >considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
> >
> >Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
> >
> >Thanks.
> >
> >Lewis.
>
> Howdy,
>
> I can't help directly, but...
>
> If you get 'em opened, consider scratching the combination on them in
> some sort of simple code. The words "MANUSCRIPT" and "PAWNBROKER" each
> have ten non repeated letters. I throw in a few extra letters so that
> on the side of each of my locks one might see something like this:
>
> WNBR
> KERP
> KORB
> NNOO
> BBBW
>
> I figure that anyone who can decipher that while I am in the diner
> eating a piece of pie deserves a new bike...
>

I have a couple of those combination locks like people use on lockers.
I scratched the combination in the side in binary using small filled
and open circles, so for 22-33-27 it would look something like:

0X0XX0
X0000X
0XX0XX

meb · Sep 24, 2004

Kenneth said:
On 24 Sep 2004 12:03:56 -0700, [email protected] (Lewis Campbell)
wrote:

>I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
>have the combination.
>
>It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
>considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
>Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Lewis.

Howdy,

I can't help directly, but...

If you get 'em opened, consider scratching the combination on them in
some sort of simple code. The words "MANUSCRIPT" and "PAWNBROKER" each
have ten non repeated letters. I throw in a few extra letters so that
on the side of each of my locks one might see something like this:

WNBR
KERP
KORB
NNOO
BBBW

I figure that anyone who can decipher that while I am in the diner
eating a piece of pie deserves a new bike...

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

I've stilll got a lock attached to a gym bag a decade after I forgot the combination.

meb · Sep 24, 2004

Lewis Campbell said:
I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
have the combination.

It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.

Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.

Thanks.

Lewis.

I had the face fall off one combination lock when I dropped it. Never able to reopen, good thing it was loose and not on the bike/chain.

Another bike I borrowed a lock (not the chain) for another bike.
subsequently, I noticed my chain was stolen.

Lewis Campbell · Sep 25, 2004

[email protected] (Lewis Campbell) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I found 5 combination locks on my workbench yesterday for which I do not
> have the combination.
>
> It seems that I once opened a lock like this by 'fiddling' with it but,
> considering all the possible combinations, maybe I just got lucky that time.
>
> Do any of you have a method of determining the combination that works well.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Lewis.

****************************************************

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

1 lock is a Master, 2 are Guard, the rest are 'no name'.

They are not high dollar locks but they have worked well for my bike
cable, gym locker, tool box, etc., so I hate to just throw them away.

I'll try the suggested methods and see what happens.

Thanks.

Lewis.

****************************************************

Search

Opening combination bike locks

Lewis Campbell

Guest

david

Guest

Zog The Undeniable

Guest

Kenneth

Guest

Ronald

Guest

Badger_South

Guest

[email protected]

Guest

LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m

Guest

Jim Smith

Guest

meb

New Member

meb

New Member

Lewis Campbell

Guest

Similar threads

We value your privacy