Question about Pitlock
 

Hello,

I just got my full set of Pitlocks installed (front, rear, saddle and ahead lock).
Almost everything is ok except for the front axle. On other locks the free rotating housing is moving by hand but on the front axle it's not. I haven't tried pliers to try to rotate it but it's definately not moving using my fingers.
I've taken it apart once thinking that maybe I did something wrong but all the parts are in right order. Rear axle and saddle is tightned the same way as the front axle and by using the same amount of force (I put the Pit onto a 60mm long clevis pin).

Should I be concerned and try loosening the lock or it's ok if I'm unable to rotate the housing by hand? The lockring is so fragile. I'm afraid that it breaks down if I try to take it apart once more :P

Thanks!

Some of mine rotate, some don't. I assume they would if someone tried to grab 'em with a set of vise grips...? Try a bit of lube?

It's possible that the shape of the dropout itself is the problem. There might be something, like the so-called lawyers lips that are touching the base of the outer sleeve binding it.

This isn't necessarily a problem, as long as the sleeve isn't pressed against the inner locking plug tight enough so turning the sleeve turns the core. At the very least, make sure the area between the sleeve and center is well greased.

Also , thinking the SAFETY 'lawyers lips' are raised above flat on the fork tip,
but they are made to clear the usual QR skewer ends, so shouldn't interfere ..

Maybe the outer dropouts aren't totally flat so in order to get a tight fit the pressure is not evenly distributed.
I added some lube on the pressure washed which is against the free-rotating housing - didn't help. I can get it to spin around if I loosen the lock but then it's not tight anymore.
EDIT: I was acutally able to get the housing to rotate with the help of using leather gloves for better grip :P

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=370730http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=370731http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=370732

Ah , suspension fork.. finally offered that secret spec.

hehe, enlighten me now :)

people withhold relevant information all the time as if all others can guess what they dont say.

the cavity at the fork end is an important safety feature , got disc brakes ?

Sorry, I didn't know that it was relevant info. I thought that fork is a fork :P
Yeah, disc brakes.

be mindful, the skewer loosens over time , so get out the Pit wrench and tighten it up .

before the fork tips were redesigned the wheel came out under Disc braking forces when the QR was loose.

OK, thanks for the helpful tip! :)

I'd be wary of anything other than an all steel enclosed cam QR skewer having enough clamping force to resist a disk brake.
The security bolts designed to be difficult to grab to guard against unauthorised removal, often are also difficult to grab for tightening.
Had a customer at work who's disk front wheel self loosened from under a security skewer. was less expensive obscue bolthead type, not pitlock, but the principle is the same. - a skewer originally meant to bite down on the fork with a cam action, is replaced by a rather small headed bolt

Ok. I'll keep an eye on that pitlock then. I don't feel secure using a QR skewer.

Ok I will bite. Educate me what is a "pitlock"?

That's certainly a valid warning if the OP had "normal" dropouts but he has dropouts specifically designed to contain the hub under disc brake forces, sort of Lawyer Lips writ large. Obviously he should be sure the skewer is kept tight.

Did you even try searching "pitlock"?

I've read that it's not suggested to use pitlocks on rear axle with horizontal dropouts. Not much info on front axle. Googling gave me mixed results. Some say the pitlock on front axle with suspension forks and disc breaks have no problems, some say they get loose.
Maybe I can modify the dropouts somehow to make use of the lawyer lips? Add some spacers to both sides or something?

You often can't use pitlocks with rear horizontal dropouts because they lack adequate clamping force. (depends on a number of factors so it may me possible if you're not a strong rider).

The front with discs is a more complicated question. Suspension forks (varies by fork) sometimes have some slop in the vertical movement of the struts. This can cause the axle to be worked as if held between two hands that are moving with respect to each other. That process can either loosen the nuts, or cause the axle to walk down the dropouts (or both). The safety lips do a decent job preventing loose wheels from coming off unless a seriously loose wheel is ignored until the nuts have fallen off.-- Side note, I file those off all my rigid forks, but would never remove them from a suspension fork.

The disc brake question depends on the brake. If the brake is forward of the axle the action of the brake on the disc levers the axle upward, or deeper into the dropout. This is good design. OTOH if the brake is behind the axle, the braking moments push the axle down or out of the slot. Again, safety lips act as a safety net, but generally any decision about using pitlocks with disc brake hubs depends on where the brake is.

The official pitlock site uses mtb with suspension fork and disc brakes (behind the axle) to show the which set includes which pitlocks.

http://www.pitlock.com/to-the-shop/c...t-01/index.php

At least I got the lawyers lips. The wheel could only come off if the nuts are very loose. But I'm sure I could feel the play while braking before that happens.

Being curious , I went to the German site.. there are solid axle nut pitlocks

For Rohloff TS

http://www.pitlock.com/to-the-shop/r...m10-double.php

There is a Shimano IGH pit nut set, too

http://www.pitlock.com/to-the-shop/s...0789da60bd5406


and that other NA based retail online seller..
http://www.urbanbiketech.com/category-s/26.htm

Just curious; after you file off the lawyer lips, what do you cover the bare metal with? Nail polish? Testor's enamel model paint? Do you attempt to match color, or get artistic (highlighting your filed lips like some would highlight their lugs)?

My steel bikes never had any so it's a non-issue. My aluminum bikes have bare metal dropouts, so I do nothing about the filed area. Otherwise, if I were to touch them up, I'd try to match the dropout, not highlight the change.

Getting off-topic here.

You're fairly new here, so I might as well give you a heads up. Getting off topic is par for the course here on BF. Threads venture away from the original topic and back in sort of a stream of consciousness flow.

Some never get back to the original question, and drift off into all sorts of side issues.

Hehe, I see :P