Bicycle Mechanics - Huge solid axle nuts from Pitlock

Just received my first shipment that included the solid axle nuts from Pitlock. I hadn't realized how huge they were. Seriously, you could choke a donkey with these.

They worked fine on my rear dropouts, but when I went to test them on my fork (2001 Marzocchi Z1), they didn't fit. There isn't enough room between the bottom of the fork leg and the centrepoint of the dropout. They're a full 1 3/16" inch diameter at the base.

Anyone out there actually have a fork (road or mountain) that they would fit on? I figured that they could be used as track nuts, but they might be a bit big for the front.

Woah. Them's big'uns. When you say they wouldn't fit the fork, you mean they went up so high into the dropouts they hit the fork blades?

Some forks also have little protrusions where the bottom of the nut would end to keep the wheel on in case of a loose nut. But yeah, huge.

dare I say it, those are the Chuck Norris of axle nuts.

smw

OT: does the outer conical shield rotate freely after installation?

And at $75 per set they'd better have chuck's name printed in gold on the side.

OT: does the outer conical shield rotate freely after installation?

Yeah, once it is installed, the outer housing spins freely. That is the part of the security afforded by these. You can't grab them with pliers/vicegrips and turn, nor can you use needlenose pliers to reach in and turn the nut because teeth on the inner lockring keep it from turning unless the matching sockets is used. The matching socket reaches in past the nut and compresses all of the teeth at once to allow the nut to turn. A work of art.



When you say they wouldn't fit the fork, you mean they went up so high into the dropouts they hit the fork blades?

That's right. You'd need the tabs from hell to get it on.



And at $75 per set they'd better have chuck's name printed in gold on the side.

They expensive, but they're also the only thing on the market that will keep your solid axle-equipped wheels on your frame if a thief comes around - ok, beside carrying around an extra U-Lock. With these on the back wheel, you only need one U-lock to run through your frame/front wheel and rack/post. What does a decent U-lock cost? $50? Would you pay a premium to avoid carrying an extra 3-6lbs?

They're definitely not mass-produced junk. Each piece is individually CNC-machined. They are also much, much bigger than the regular QR pitlock sets so the hardware is non-standard. Supply and demand, and economies of scale. The fewer items you produce when your fixed machinery costs are high, the higher the price has to be to cover those fixed costs.

In any case, maybe Chuck will endorse these bad-boys someday. Til then...

i'm a bit late on this, but perhaps my reply will trigger a response.
i recently bought a set of these, with the hopes of using them for the front wheel since my rear wheel is usually secured by my lock. to my surprise, the size of the axle of the front hub and the back hub are different. the back is M10 and the front is M9. are there any plans of making these compatible with a 9mm bolt? i'd buy it...actually, i think a lot of people would buy it.

perhaps contact pitlock directly. urbanbiketech is just a retailer.

http://www.pitlock.de/en/imprint.php