Quick question about skewers?

youcancallmeal

I usually use two locks on my bike, ulock for back wheel plus frame and a cable lock for the front wheel plus frame. I want to replace my front quick release skewer to make it just a little bit more difficult for a bike thief who is only carrying something like a bolt cutters. Anyway would something like this do and would it be hard to fit?

Morgan

Fitting is very straightforward as long as you have opposable thumbs.

A nice feature with those particular skewers is that you can't use just any allen-key with them, you have to use the included one. There's a little lump inside the bolt-head which adds another small level of security.

BostonB

I wondered about these. I assume theres different ones for different types of wheels and hubs?

Lumen

Interesting.

I had to revert the MTB from pinhead skewers to normal QRs because the force applied by the disc brakes was working them loose and popping them out.

These might work better, having a proper allen key.

Would be nice to have some way to attach the allen key to a key fob.

cdaly_

Morgan wrote: »

A nice feature with those particular skewers is that you can't use just any allen-key with them, you have to use the included one. There's a little lump inside the bolt-head which adds another small level of security.

You can add this sort of extra security to pretty much any socket cap bolt. Having tightened the bolt you pop in a small ball bearing and melt wax into it to hold it in place. Makes casual undoing impossible without having to go digging out the wax and ball bearing which can be pretty awkward...

Lumen

cdaly_ wrote: »

You can add this sort of extra security to pretty much any socket cap bolt. Having tightened the bolt you pop in a small ball bearing and melt wax into it to hold it in place. Makes casual undoing impossible without having to go digging out the wax and ball bearing which can be pretty awkward...

That's not really the same. You've gain some of the security at the expense of all the convenience.

Melting out ball bearings would make puncture fixing vexatious.

FTGFOP

youcancallme>al wrote: »

...I want to replace my front quick release skewer...

Is this to prevent someone nicking the front wheel? Does that happen?
(Excuse my slowness, naivety.)

ThisRegard

FTGFOP wrote: »

Is this to prevent someone nicking the front wheel? Does that happen?
(Excuse my slowness, naivety.)

It's something I always guard against anyway. Years ago I used to unclip the front wheel and lock the 2 wheels and frame together then would take the saddle, also on quick release, with me. One afternoon some fu(ker had knicked the saddle skewer one me. I knew who done it, some little fat bollox but couldn't really do anything about it without proof bar some name calling and a shove into a door.

youcancallmeal

FTGFOP wrote: »

Is this to prevent someone nicking the front wheel? Does that happen?
(Excuse my slowness, naivety.)

Yeah its a fairly opportunistic crime. A few people I know have recently had their front wheels stolen while they popped into shops quickly and the likes. I wouldn't bother changing the rear wheel skewers because I will always secure that with my u-lock. My cable lock is pretty crappy though and could probably easily be cut with a bolt cutters

doozerie

According to CRC's site those use 4mm allen key bolts, which seem small for a skewer. Some of the reviews talk of the allen key rounding the bolt head too, which I would expect is more likely with such a small head. Online customer reviews are not always reliable, of course, but personally I'd be inclined to check for other online reviews from other sites before committing to those.

cdaly_

Lumen wrote: »

That's not really the same. You've gain some of the security at the expense of all the convenience.

Melting out ball bearings would make puncture fixing vexatious.

Agreed. It's more for stuff like saddles that you wouldn't expect to have to remove by the roadside.