Hi George, That might help. There are a lot of variables, including aluminum alloy, heat treatment, and anodizing hardness, and likewise, Grade 2 titanium is not in league with Grade 5 titanium. At least part of the trick is in design and manufacturing - some parts are made for color accent without thinking through performance.
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 2:08:04 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > Odd, I’ve been using cheap Nashbar and othervendor allen key skewers for > decades; that is, I’ve used some of these skewers on different bikes for > literally 20 and even close to 30 years. > > Stainless steel skewer, aluminum nut. None have corroded, and the one time > that I broke a rear, trying to use it to hold a fixed wheel still in > horizontals, it was the stainless steel skewer that broke in two, not the > aluminum threads on the nut. > > Perhaps it’s our low humidity? > > On Wed, Jun 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM Ron Mc <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The metallurgist answer is both stainless steel and aluminum threads gall >> (essentially weld together). >> Titanium is lighter than steel, stronger than both, and gall-proof. >> >> On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 1:10:33 PM UTC-5 Elisabeth Sherwood wrote: >> >>> I'm also (theoretically!) a Pinhead user (and also here in DC). I >>> actually had them all keyed to the same key. >>> >>> But I say "theoretically"... I used to have them on my city/hybrid >>> bikes -- i.e., the ones whose wheels could potentially be stolen. But I >>> just found over time that, eh, the wheels on my city/hybrid bikes don't >>> seem to be theft targets. They both have fenders and rear racks, which I >>> tell myself makes them less attractive to opportunistic theft. I use a >>> standard-size kryptonite lock, which I use on the frame and front wheel. >>> And in the locations where wheel theft might be a problem, my bikes are >>> rarely parked for more than an hour or so, and are always surrounded by >>> other bicycles. This includes my Saluki, which is my daily commuter. (That >>> said, my usual parking destination for the Saluki is inside.) >>> >>> I did use the Pinheads for a couple years. But there was an infamous >>> episode where, while I was out of town on a work trip, my boyfriend and his >>> mother were doing a week-long trip to Harpers Ferry (a one-day ride to >>> Harpers Ferry from DC, his mother using my city hybrid; spend a week at a >>> friend's house there; one-day ride back)... Literally the last thing I >>> said as I left on my work trip was (while pointing to the Pinhead key!) -- >>> DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE PINHEAD KEY! RIGHT HERE! WHERE I'M POINTING! >>> >>> Well.... my boyfriend's mother got a flat 11 or so miles from their >>> destination... Boyfriend tried to fix it (pulling the tube out from under >>> the tire), but for a variety of reasons the patch(es) kept failing... They >>> ended up walking the 11 miles. In the dark. Up a gigantic, approximately >>> 3-mile-long uphill! >>> >>> I won't go into the resolution of this, but trust me that the whole >>> story gets even crazier/more stupid. It is family lore at this point. >>> >>> Anyway... I took the Pinheads off that bike not too long after that and >>> have actually never felt the need to put them back on. >>> >>> I hope that perspective is helpful! >>> >>> Liz >>> Washington, DC >>> >>> On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 11:21:30 AM UTC-4 Steven Seelig wrote: >>> >>>> I am a long-time Pinhead user, being that I live in DC and from time >>>> to time lock my bike places downtown for a reasonable period of time, >>>> usually outside sporting events or places with a lot of foot traffic. I >>>> have them on (counting...) 4 of my bikes. I have never had a failure with >>>> them some of them are literally 20 years old. The thing is acquiring them >>>> across a fleet can be pretty costly as can making sure you have enough >>>> keys >>>> to deploy across your fleet. So I need to make sure that the key move to >>>> the right city bike for a potential flat tire change or else sweat for the >>>> entire ride. So over 20 years or so, the price per year has been darn >>>> reasonable for me. >>>> >>>> I don't use the seat post lock because I presume a less informed bike >>>> their couldn't care less about boosting my seat post and Brooks saddle, >>>> and >>>> that has proven true over the years. I will say the Pitlocks did not work >>>> on my older Look Reynolds 753 racing bike because the dropouts are aligned >>>> vertically to the rear of the bike, so that bike remains with a quick >>>> release. >>>> >>>> Having Pinhead means I only lock my frame when parking my bike, unless >>>> I intend to be parked for a longer time. Even then, I tend to park my >>>> bike >>>> in a parking garage underneath whatever building I am visiting downtown. >>>> Sold at REI or their website: https://www.pinheadbikelocks.com >>>> >>>> >>>> Steve Seelig >>>> On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 10:38:02 AM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding >>>> Ding! wrote: >>>> >>>>> [image: IMG_2030.jpeg]Hi All, >>>>> >>>>> I have dyno wheels on all my bikes and on those that get locked up >>>>> (only Charlie is exempt) I have replaced the QRs with Hexlox locking >>>>> skewers. I thought it a brilliant system because it requires only one >>>>> tiny >>>>> key to pull the magnetic insert and that key can be keyed for alllll your >>>>> bikes, making only one key on your key ring necessary. >>>>> >>>>> But I have an alarming problem. Now, this is on all 3 of my Platys and >>>>> on my son’s Clem: the aluminum nuts’ threads strip after removing the >>>>> wheel >>>>> once or twice. My mechanic said we needed a steel nut; the aluminum is >>>>> soft >>>>> and easily stripped. I talked to Hexlox, who acted like I was the only >>>>> one >>>>> ever to have this issue, which just cannot be true. They found me a >>>>> conical >>>>> steel nut from their site, and we immediately replaced all the bikes’ >>>>> aluminum nuts with steel nuts. It seemed like all was well. It has been a >>>>> year or more since… >>>>> >>>>> This week I took my red Platy in for a front wheel that was not >>>>> spinning right, and the mechanics called to say the problem is the axle >>>>> again. The nut is not holding onto the axle anymore, which means the >>>>> steel >>>>> nuts are no good, either. I think they last longer, but they are >>>>> certainly >>>>> not a safe long-term replacement. I am pretty disappointed because the >>>>> Hexlox was such a slick system, but how can I use them now? >>>>> >>>>> I do have Pitlocks I bought from the marvelous Peter White that are >>>>> just sitting here. I bought them when the aluminum Hexlox failed, >>>>> thinking >>>>> I’d have to give up those skewers. But I got those steel nuts and so >>>>> these >>>>> Pitlocks have sat in their packages. >>>>> >>>>> Before I tear apart my bikes again and have to carry 4 different keys >>>>> around with the Pitlock system, does anyone have a better, slicker >>>>> solution? >>>>> >>>>> I did write to Hexlox today and we’ll see what they say about this… >>>>> Leah >>>>> >>>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/85bcf8a9-fdac-4aea-a577-65d44ed791b3n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/85bcf8a9-fdac-4aea-a577-65d44ed791b3n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing > services > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* > > *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* > > *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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