Locking Skewers

[Brent]

I searched the forum, and didn’t see much on the topic.

I’ve been riding with OnGuard locking skewers (http://www.onguardlock.com/?page_id=329) to secure my wheels and seat post for some time now. They have a keyed bolt that can’t be opened without the key. It makes it easier to lock my bike up since I don’t have to worry about the wheels.

Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they hard to defeat, or are they just a mild deterrent?

[eminva]

I have had these for almost three years. As far as I know, no one has tried to tamper with them, although I am pretty careful about where I leave my bike. I have no difficulty with the key, but it is another thing to carry around and a bit slower than quick release if you are removing tires often.

Liz

[Brock]

I once dropped my bike off at my LBS for a tune-up and forgot to leave the key, and the mechanic was able to get them off without the keys. I’m not sure what he did, but it’s probably safe to assume that your average thief won’t have the tools or know-how that he did. Still, it made me a little less confident in them, but I also haven’t had any problems with them.

[DaveK]

Like wheel locks for a car – you can get them off without a key, but it’s more likely the thief will just move on to something easier.

[americancyclo]

I’ve removed them before when the key was lost/missing/not available, and it takes a bit of time. If someone is doing it on the street, I’m sure it would raise suspicion. Like Dave K said, it’s a deterrent to encourage the thief to prey on other, less secure bikes.

[CCrew]

Keep in mind nothing will stop a determined thief. All you can do is try to think at their level and do what you can do to make the target less attractive.

[DSalovesh]

I’ve never done it myself, and I won’t disclose methods here, but the mechanics at the shop where I work assure me that they can remove OnGuard keyed skewers. Once the method was suggested I realized I’ve used it for other circumstances so it is likely to work for this, though not without damaging the locking nut.

It would take some effort and attract some attention, though we live in a world where some thieves will chop down trees to get past a $10 lock to take a $50 bike on an open street with people passing by, so I wouldn’t put anything past them.

[Dan_ator]

I have them on a bike that just sits in the locked bicycle room in my building. Apparently a few thieves (who later were caught by DC Metro) broke into the room, stole a few bikes, and my seat. The locking skewer apparently deterred them from getting the seat post, but they still were able to steal the seat itself. So I am not so sure the skewers were worth it. Probably better off with a good cable in addition to your u-lock.

[KLizotte]

Anybody have any experience with Pinhead or Pitlock security skewers (or other recommendations)? The Pitlocks appear to be the most secure but it seems like they would be a nuisance because you can’t put the “key” on a keychain and you must also carry some sort of lever to actually use the key (like an allen wrench).

Thanks.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I have a set of Delta Axle Rodz on my commuter. They don’t lock, but they aren’t QR. I figure that’s enough of a deterrent for the situations I need them for, like errands. I don’t leave my bike out for more than like an hour, and I always have a hex tool, so that’s not a concern, and it cuts out the need for a extra special tool.

[Mark Blacknell]

Eh, not really a fan of locking skewers, as it presents a problem at the roadside if you’ve managed to forget the key (for me, that’s more than a possibility).

Not too long ago, I was confronted with some locking skewers w/o the key. Once I’d had a few minutes to think about it, it took a few seconds to get ’em off. And you’d never know what I was doing, if I were kneeling down next to the bike.

Shorter me: sure, they might cause someone to move onto the next bike without them, but they don’t provide any real security.

[off2ride]

It’s more of a delay for a thief. If they really want it, they will take the whole thing.

[Justin Antos]

I use OnGuard skewers, too. I figure it’s worth the money, especially if you ride and park frequently in the city, even though they’re not foolproof. It makes me feel safer locking on the street when using just a U-Lock.

The only minor drawbacks I’ve encountered are:
— I’ve had trouble getting enough torque on them with the little key to stop them from moving slightly over time in a horizontal rear dropout on my old Cannondale. There, I switched back to a quick-release.
–Oh, and you have to remember to carry the little key everywhere.

Good luck!

[Justin Antos]

Oh, and the OnGuard keys now have a bottle opener built into the handle .

[DCAKen]

I use the PitLocks skewers since I have a Schmidt generator in my front hub. The key has a hole in it, so it fits on my keychain. The nice thing about that is the key ring gives me enough leverage to tighten or loosen the Pitlock in most cases. It’s pretty rare that I have to take the key off the ring and use it with a wrench.

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