Anti-theft saddle screw?
 

Hello

I noticed a lot of people carrying either a chain, a light lock that takes a couple of seconds to break, or even a U lock just to secure their saddle... all to no avail since the saddle is only connected to the seat post with a 100% unsecure regular Allen screw:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=321065

Indded, it seems no one makes secure saddle screws. The usual suspects (Pinhead, Pitlock, Zefal, Anti-vandale) only seem to sell seat post screws.

Can someone confirm, or is there a manufacturer I should know about?

Thank you.

Your attachment doesn't work.

Bicycle Bolts offers security Torx screws.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=320922

For about the same price, you can get a bag of 50-100 security torx screws from McMaster Carr. Outfit your whole stable, and maybe a couple friends' as well.

BB and some rubber cement. It's not like you'll prolly be needing to do a road-side repair.

Pitlock offers saddle cables; it's hard to tell, but if you go here and roll the mouse over the saddle and seattube clamp areas, you can see in the pictures the cable being looped around a saddle rail, and the end-loops going around the pitlock seatpost-clamp bolt, which would secure your saddle (assuming you can trust the strength of the cable). Worst somebody could do is loosen your saddle bolt, maybe leave it dangling (or leave it loose so it falls off when you sit on it).

I have seen other people "securing" brooks saddles with light steel cables like that, but it's a question of what do you attach the cable to?

BTW torx screw I don't see as very secure. If a good thief doesn't have a torx on him, if he spies your bike in the same place more than one day in a row, he can count on coming back with a torx later.

And of course there's always an angle grinder. There are horror stories out there of bike thieves at work for a surprisingly long time with tons of passersby doing nothing.

Pitlock seems as good of a bike security solution as I've ever seen (but I've never bought them -- I'm fortunate that I only ever have to lock up in fairly safe suburban areas, and I get to roll my bike right into my cube every day, so I only ever bother with a cheap cable lock)

Sorry. Corrected.

Are they different from regular torx screws?

Thanks for the link. I'd rather secure screws than a cable.

But torx screws are insecure since they can be removed by anyone, while secure screws by the companies above require a special key, pretty much unique to the user.

What's "BB"?

And looks like you missed this from Pinhead; fairly clever, a secure collar that obstructs access to the saddle clamp bolt. It would make it a pain to adjust the saddle since you have to loosen two things rather than one, but it looks like an effective idea to me!

(Thx for linking, I hadn't heard of Pinhead or Anti-vandale before, good to see Pitlock has competitors; will drive innovation forward and prices down!)

BB is ball bearing. Find one that fits in the allen head and put some rubber cement or epoxy to hold it and fill the indent. It keeps allen keys out unless you dig at it with a pick. Usually thieves won't bother and look for easier things to steal.

You can also get pit locks small enough to use as your seat post clamp bolt. Then someone needs your key to remove.

http://www.pitlock.com/to-the-shop/c...t-02/index.php

F'sure; security torx keys are sold in good hardware stores. But if someone is stalking your bike, staking out it's parked location, inventorying special and/or uncommon tools and techniques needed, planning to bypass easier targets and come back later with exactly what they'll need specifically to compromise your security regime...well, let's face it, you can kiss the whole bike goodbye.

Thanks for the link. It's a clever solution.

What about gluing the ball bearing and then use a blow-dryer to liquefy it when I need to remove the saddle?

Right. I'll add the torx screws to my list of solutions for this common issue.

I haven't used the torx variety, but allen head security screws with that central pin are not really very secure in my experience. If we didn't have the right key with us a few light taps on the pin with a screwdriver or similar would break the central pin off, now it's just a regular, unsecure allen screw. It takes very little time and might not even attract attention like cutting a chain or grinding through a lock.

Well, let's remember that the fenced value of most used saddles is nil. Saddles have been the #1 swapped out component since the 1890s, and your typical bike shop has a bin of brand new OEM take-offs they'll sell for pocket change.

That's probably the most secure suggestion in the thread, but, and it's a big but, posters have worried thieves might carry odd, rare or multiple tools just to steal saddles. Well, a tubing cutter will silently go through an aluminum seat post in under half a minute; a battery powered sawzall makes more noise but would cut a seat post in seconds.

If you want to protect the beloved Brooks B17 Select World Traveller that's broken in to match your derriere, lock the bike frame & wheels and take the saddle with you!

Perhaps I'm too easily entertained, but I'd buy a ticket to watch somebody attempt to arc weld a steel fixing bolt into an aluminum seat post. :)

Perhaps this instead.

Loctite Red -- never seen that before. Looks like a great solution!

Red really puts stuff together - you'll need a torch to get it back apart, and I don't know if you want to torch near a good saddle. Maybe Loctite Green instead? Usually just hair drier heat and some persuasive torque will pop that.

Thanks for the feedback.

Just remember that saddles can be stolen by kids and tossed in a garbage can just for "fun".

Either way, you're stuck with no saddle.

They can slash your tires just for "fun", too. Woe is us, yada yada.

Very good thread. I have been able to loosen a red loctite bolt with a 100w soldering iron. More precise way to apply heat. Double O

Thanks for the tip. I was about to ask what the most efficient way was to unloosen the ball bearing after gluing it in place with some superglue :-)

Edit: Elsewhere, someone mentions using acetone instead of heat.

With superglue, acetone or heat would work, but for loctite red, only heat would loosen it! Double O

I'll experiment and report back.

I use a chain. around the seat rail to the seat stay. It is a lighter gauge than a bicycle chain but the same kind of links, only smaller. I think it was a small-motor chain will try to post a pic. Also a company used to make a seat post "anchor" I guess using a star nut, which had a cable connected to the water bottle cage screw inside the seat tube. Wild but effective. If u r handy u cld fab that up easily.

I use a kryptonite cable, loop it through the saddle rails, rear triangle/wheel and then u-lock the front wheel to the rack/cable.