Commuting - Locking Skewers

Been doing some searching in the forums, but I haven't found anything too helpful yet.

I want to pick up some Locking skewers for my two bikes (roadie and old mountain bike) that I use for commuting to work and errands. Since Performancebike and Nashbar have free shipping right now, I figured it'd be a good time to pick up some gear.

Does anyone have any experience with the types of skewers from either of these places? These are the only two I've found, am I missing any, other recommendations from other locations?

Hublox Anti-Theft Skewers (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=23212&item=50-6685&slitrk=search&slisearch=true)

Nashbar Bolt-On Skewers (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=135&subcategory=1175&brand=&sku=8197&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Skewers)

(I like the idea of keyed ones, those are harder I guess to break through, but if ya lose the key yikes...)

Any advice much appreciated:)

If they are cup and cone hubs, you could replace the hollow QR axles with solid ones and 15mm hex nuts.

http://www.pitlock.de/en/sortiment/index.html

This is the best place to get Pitlocks in North America.

http://www.urbanbiketech.com/about.html

Try these, it's what I use.

http://www.rei.com/product/732406

+1 on the pitlocks. I Luv mine. Easy as pie to install. Just don't forget your special key when you go out riding. You don't want to learn the hard way that your extra tube, pump, etc don't mean squat if you can't get your wheel off.

Pitlocks are your friend. You can also get ones to lock your seat post and threadless fork.

I have a set similar to the hublox except mine use a standard allen wrench. I figure its still going to take them longer to get off than the QR skewers even if they have the right tool. I park in highly visible areas so Im just trying to slow them down. I don't want to risk being out on the road and getting a flat only to find that I have lost my key.

My wife and I have been using Pitlocks for years. They are easy to use and they work. Set it and forget it.

Standard fare for my kids' college beaters are those hex skewers. Commuter situation is similar. They don't have to be hack proof. They just need to be significantly less attractive then the other bikes in the rack.

Thanks for the heads up folks. Gonna veer towards the hex ones, for now at least.
Save up my bucks and get those pitlock ones in the near future :)

And one suggestion I heard was to fill the hex hole with glue. You can chip it out if you have to, but a thief in a hurry (even if he has a hex wrench) will move on to a better target.

I bought a set of the Nashbar hex skewers recently. I have yet to put them (and my new wheels) on my commuter/tourer, but the skewers look like decent quality. Not bad for $7.

so like, which ones should i get? there are so many types?
is it kinda like a lock?

are they good?

would you use it to lock a hub motor? can it be used for this?

I just ordered the hublox from performance, if you have time to wait, I'll review them once I get them. Then again, the free shipping deal may be over by then.

so which one is the beste?
is pitlock good? i hear about someone who had his bike stolen with them

I've used the nashbar skewers for years. I think they're made by Delta. Lighter than QRs. They remove with 5mm hex, so no locking to it. Glue in hole is good idea.

They work fine, even though you'd think they're junk for the price. One of the cheap things (in the minority) Nashbars sells that isn't actually junk.

so which one is the beste?
is pitlock good? i hear about someone who had his bike stolen with them

Pitlocks don't guard against bike theft, just wheel and seat post/saddle theft. And, nothing is 100%

I bought a set of the Nashbar hex skewers recently. I have yet to put them (and my new wheels) on my commuter/tourer, but the skewers look like decent quality. Not bad for $7.
I got a set of silver and black. They look nice and are probably lighter. I don't expect them to be much of a deterrent. I have, at times, taken the front wheel off and locked with the rear and frame. In one office I took the front wheel inside. A bit harder to ride away without my wheel. :D

I have the Nashbar skewers on 2 hybrids and a recumbent, all of which have been used for commuting. Not at all theft-proof, but they look kinda like they might be and are more secure and lighter than QR's.

so which one is the beste?
is pitlock good? i hear about someone who had his bike stolen with them
Pitlocks are going to be a damned sight harder for a thief to foil than their competition, they are a damned sight more expensive too.

I just bought a bike (Specialized Sirrus Comp 2008) second-hand and it has locking skewers on but no key. What do I do?

I just bought a bike (Specialized Sirrus Comp 2008) second-hand and it has locking skewers on but no key. What do I do?

You don't have the owner's contact information? If you bought the bike at a pawn shop, I'd highly suspect it of being stolen and would have your local police department run the serial number of the bike to make sure.

Other than that, you may have to drill out the bolts in some way. A local bike shop might have better advice or some experience with this issue.

Scott

You don't have the owner's contact information? If you bought the bike at a pawn shop, I'd highly suspect it of being stolen and would have your local police department run the serial number of the bike to make sure.

Other than that, you may have to drill out the bolts in some way. A local bike shop might have better advice or some experience with this issue.

Scott

He seems to have changed mobile number or something. It was a private transaction and I am pretty confident it wasn't a stolen bike. Thanks for your advice. If anyone else get add to it or confirm it I'd really appreciate it.

He seems to have changed mobile number or something. It was a private transaction and I am pretty confident it wasn't a stolen bike. Thanks for your advice. If anyone else get add to it or confirm it I'd really appreciate it.

No way someone was savvy enough to put on Pitlocks and sold the bike without taking them off. And changed his number? Yeah... Stolen.

No way someone was savvy enough to put on Pitlocks and sold the bike without taking them off. And changed his number? Yeah... Stolen.

i bought the bike a few months ago so he could quite easily have changed his number. like i said i'm pretty sure it wasn't stolen.

the seller said that he hadn't used the bike for 6 months so he could have forgotten but i will check with the police.

the skewers are made by Pinhead

Show us which locking system you have, post a picture. Most of them can be defeated with Visegrips. If it's the Pitlocks, PM me and I'll tell you how to remove them.

They are pinhead skewers, see pic:
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product_images/Medium/pinhead_duo;Warehouse;Warehouse.jpg
Obviously without the key.

Looks like a pair of visegrips will do the job. If you're unsure of what to do, an local bike store (LBS) may be a good option.