nameless

Can't seem to find any good info/recommendations for non-quick release skewers. I know Peter White sells the set of Pitlock skewers (for both wheels and the seatpost clamp) for $90 but I was wondering if there are any other mid-range options for solid skewers that aren't QR.

Thanks.

sauerwald

I have a set of the Delta Axle Rodz skewers on my commute bike. They use a 5mm hex to open them, which I keep in my saddle bag. Not nearly as high security as the Pitlock skewers, but 1/5 the cost, and enough to deter a casual thief.

barturtle

OnGuard makes some.

Zefal makes some that require the bike to be turned upside down (hard to do when locked up)

Pitlock is another brand

fuzz2050

Velo-Orange has a set, using a tamper resistant 5mm allen wrench. Better than an ordinary wrench, but still not as strong as a set of pitlocks.

Then again, if you need to worry about somebody taking an angle grinder to your bike just to get the wheels off, you shouldn't be leaving it there unattended.

nameless

I'm mostly looking for a high-quality skewer that will hold up to thousands of miles of abuse but requires more than a flick of a quick release to take off. Whether it takes an allen wrench or some other form of key doesn't matter; I just want a rock-solid skewer for $30-40.

The Delta look pretty solid but various reviews seem to say otherwise. Cheaply made, don't tighten well, etc. Don't sound too confidence inspiring. I played with the Tranz X at my LBS today and they also seemed poorly made with flimsy caps.

Dan The Man

My old bike shop used to have a fish bowl filled with allen key skewers for 7 bucks a pair. I thought they were pricey at the time.

rodar y rodar

I`m just one customer, but I`ve been happy with my Delta skewers- don`t know what the reviews say. I`ve had front on holding the dyno wheel on my commuter for about two years now and occasionally mount a front rack to the suspension fork on my mtb with the Delta rear skewer. No problems so far.

surfjimc

I have an old set of Ringle skewers that use a 5mm allen wrench to tighten and loosen. They are similar to the Velo-Orange that were posted here, without the safety feature. I still use them after 20 years and love them. Not sure if they are stronger than the Pit-locks, but I thought I read those weren't good for touring for some reason. It was on the Peter White website. I'll have to go back and look. I think I'm going to pick up a set of those Velo Orange skewers for the new touring bike build.

Abneycat

I can only directly vouch for 2 of the aforementioned skewers through personal long term use:

The OnGuard / Pinhead locking skewers are the same thing.

I can vouch that they work, but I personally have had issues with the seatpost system not playing well with many collar designs. It needs extra fuss to work on some.

They're durable. I've used a set on my cargo bike for a 2 month tour previously, that set lasted for almost a year and was terminated through collision. The bicycle with the set installed was involved in a bad accident which crumpled the top and downtubes, and bent the suspension fork backwards - the front skewer bent somewhat at the dropout, but held the wheel fast. The bicycle was completely ruined, but the wheel stayed on.

One other thing is that I personally found that they held the wheel quite well. They were used in combination with disk brakes, and did not have any troubles with loosening or ejection from hard braking. The wheels were quite secure.

I felt that the key was quite durable as well. Replacement keys and skewers are available.

I think they are a good product, overall.

I have also used Delta Hublox skewers. My opinion of them is poor, the heads on the skewers were doing disfiguring of the key over time, and the front skewer was too short to mount on a bicycle with thicker dropouts (thicker aluminum dropouts, suspension). I did not feel that the quality on these skewers was very good.

No personal experience with the Pitlock system, however I have received testimony from some others who find them very good.

NoReg

I have several sets of these that I use on touring bikes. I prefer the look, adjustabillity strength, and light weight. Whenever I have to take off a wheel to fix something I always have my Allen keys on hand anyway.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes//Produc...2_174839_-1___

surfjimc

Those look just like the Ringle, or maybe Salsa set that I have used for so many years and like so much. Just a 5mm allen wrench to take them off.

iconolizer

www.urbanbiketech.com has pitlocks for a bit cheaper than peter white.
I bought a full set but you can buy as little or as much from the guy. Quality seems pretty good but I havn't had them for long.
I have to remove my front wheel to get my bike into the basement at work, its quite annoying but not difficult; I keep a key and a small allen in an accessible zippered pocket.

jmonsw21

Was thinking about getting the nashbar skewers previously mentioned. Just had a question about the size of the bolts. I currently have bolts on my windsor timeline and the location of the rack eyelets paired with the size of the bolts doesn't let me screw in the rack properly. Here's a picture of my problem. They are 2.25 cm diameter.



What I'm asking is can anybody measure the nashbar bolts if they've got 'em and let me know if its less by even that .25 cm?
Also, I've got track end drops so is the 8Nm maximum recommended torque not enough?

Thanks.

Philly Tandem

If you are looking for inexpensive and strong, why not just switch out your hollow QR axles for solid ones that use nuts? Not as sexy, but will do the job. Your LBS would probably have the parts for pretty cheap in their parts bin, since most people go the other way when retrofitting (moving from solid to QR).

jmonsw21

I've already got solid ones with bolts. I just want something that makes changing tubes for flats on the road easier than carrying a set of 15mm wrenches.