What am I missing here? It seems like a thief could undo one side of these security skewers with pliers. Should i return them?
by schlagoberz
What am I missing here? It seems like a thief could undo one side of these security skewers with pliers. Should i return them?
by schlagoberz
25 Comments
The idea is that you tighten them enough that someone needs to loosen the bolt with a 5 sided tool that’s uncommon. Yes, anyone could use a locking plier, like a Vise-grip, but the point is that it’s one more deterrent.
I can’t speak to these specifically, but usually the outside part will spin relative to the inside part, so that spinning the outside won’t actually loosen the skewers.
If he’s carrying a basic multitool he can open them with an Allen key aswell. The “safety” aspect in these is that you need a tool and it takes a thief just a little bit more preparation and time if he wants your bike/wheel 🤷🏻
A thief could just pick up your whole bike and steal it. Going to return your bike?
If you’re really that paranoid about someone stealing your wheels, run a cable lock through them.
They’re designed to keep honest people honest.
Most if not all security features can be bypassed, the whole point is making it so inconvenient that the thief moves away from your bike to the next softer target. I have one of those on my computer Bike interesting enough. The lock tool is the same for all of them. I was able to use it on a friend’s bike with the same quick release and a strangers in order to change her flat tire. Again, it’s just a deterrent.
These, like every bike lock, are there to make your bike more of a hassle than the next bike. These basically just replace an extra cable wound through the tires. Nothing is 100% secure. Not even the post you lock up to. Everything bike security related is just there to make your bike more hassle than it’s worth over another less well locked bike.
That said, you have to keep in mind the value of your bike and wheels. If you’re using these on some $10K carbon wheels… you’re making a mistake, because I bike like that should never be out of your sight anyway. However, for most wheels, these should be fine and I’ve used them myself in high theft areas with 100% success.
The basic idea is that you can’t just flip a QR and pentagon head wrenches aren’t exactly common. Nothing will completely prevent someone from stealing any bike. The goal is to make it more difficult than then next bike they can steal.
Sort of like being able to run faster than your friend if a bear is trying to eat you both. The bear can still catch you but it’s going to eat your slow friend.
Get Pitlocks.
If a thief has the time to use tools, he’s taking more than just the wheels.
These skewers (and similar) are theft deterrents, not a theft proof solution.
Never let the bike out of your sight. Treat your bike like your pets- bring them inside.
It’s theft deterrent not theft proof
It’s that whole thing about running faster than the slowest guy when a bear is chasing you. Don’t be the easiest one to steal, and odds are you won’t.
They’re all just deterrents to slow people down.
I’ve had fancier (and pricier) pitlocks for years.
But recently I got some hexloxs, and I really like that whole approach:
[https://hexlox.com/en](https://hexlox.com/en)
Return them and buy Pinheads. Security skewers aren’t perfect but I always recommend an extra deterrent when feasible.
what i bought was the version from pitlock, which i think is a little more secure than this- worth checking out, though they are more a hassle to get shipped from germany if you are in the us or somewhere similarly distant
A determined thief with unlimited time and without any worry of getting caught can defeat any security measure. That’s why safes are rated in minutes. As in how many minutes it would take a thief to break into it.
The reality is, thieves aren’t usually that determined. Nor do they have unlimited time or a guarantee they won’t get caught. They are looking for the easiest, fastest target. This makes your wheels less easy and less fast. Meaning they’ll pass on yours and move on to something easier.
Ironically, the best way to keep your bike safe is to leave it in well trafficked areas with reasonable security measures. People will notice someone with tools trying to break a bike off a rack.
A thief could just nick the whole bike.
There’s nothing that’ll stop a determined thief, only slow them down. The idea is it’s just to dissuade an opportunist, or increase complexity by requiring tools. A thief could just get a set of these themself and use the supplied tool. Not really sure what you were expecting.
There’s a better version of these where the nut is cone-shaped and also made from stainless steel which is much harder than the aluminum ones. With those even vise grips have a hard time holding on because they tend to just slip off.
But yes, all of these can be circumvented with the right tools. As many others mentioned, they idea is to make it inconvenient enough so thieves don’t bother. I find that stealing wheels is rare as it is, and when it does happen thieves usually go for the ones that only have a quick release so stealing them literally takes 3 seconds. As soon as you have to use special tools, the risk is probably not worth the relatively low reward unless you have very expensive wheels.
They’re designed to be less convenient to remove than QR skewers. Not exactly high-security, but probably enough for most situations. Most bike thefts are a “crime of opportunity” and even a small deterrent can reduce that opportunity enough to prevent the theft.
No security measure can and will ever stop a motivated criminal. The only purpose of security devices is to make your bike less worth the time of criminals. If you have a shitty chain on a shitty bike it will maybe get stolen. A simple bike with a heavy U, a still cable going over both weeks, and safety pins ? Probably left alone to loot the shit bike in three seconds and leave asap.
The point is to make it longer and bothering, the only safe place a bike can be in is closed house you have the keys to, and under your direct eye contact.
The rest of the time it’s an odds game, no more an no less.
Good catch 😬 If the skewers are that easy to remove, it might be safer to return them and get a more secure option.
As my dad says, locks are to keep honest people honest. A thief can show up with a grinder and cut any lock you want to put on a bike. Those are harder to remove than quick releases, which protects from opportunists.
I used to use the hex key equivalent of these, because I always lost the pentagonal tool. It’s a nice middle ground between needing a special tool and being quick release.
Nothing is theft-proof. If somebody is determined to steal your bike, or in this case, wheels, they WILL do it, given the time.
All of these security measures are DETERRENTS, to make the thief’s job harder. A thief will always choose the bike with the weak lock, or the wheels with a quick release skewer, instead of a proper lock and security bolts like these.