Armand, yes, good points, all. I’ll see if I can answer your questions…
The axle ends are all the way through all the nuts on my bikes. And I do look down and see now and again because of my irrational fears of wheels flying off bikes when bombing downhill!
The replacement nuts are not that expensive. But I stripped even the steel versions.
I don’t think the threads were ever greased.
L Ensure the skewers are engaging with the full length of the nut. Look at the opposite end of the axle when installed, make sure the end of the axle is not recessed in the nut at all when tightened. Perhaps you are using a road 130mm standard on your 135mm spacing. Either way, I imagine those replacement nuts aren't that expensive? Why switch to a whole other system. Replace the stripped ones and add a spare to your on-the-bike repair kit. Do the threads have grease or anti-seize on them? On Monday, June 15, 2026 at 12:34:21 PM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
I have gone back and forth in my mind over these dumb skewers.
I have got to have locking skewers on my touring bike because if I were to lose my dyno wheel in the middle of a trip…I don’t want to imagine it.
I have to have them on my town bike because I’m moving to a metro area and I don’t want to worry about leaving it locked up in the city.
And the other Platy might as well have them because the other 2 do and then I’m unlimited in what I can do with that bike.
I emailed my shop to see if they just really cranked down on the skewers, thus stripping the nut. Here’s what they said:
“Thru axles don't require excessive torque. Most top out at a 10nm max torque. I usually say that they should be able to be removed/installed with a small pocket multi-tool. The same theory would apply to the Hexlox, I would think. 7nm sounds like a reasonable torque. It could get overtightened, but you'd really have to lean into it. There are not very many threads in those end caps, so they see a lot of force concentrated over a small area. It sure is hard to say exactly what the main issue is, but they don't seem to be durable enough for your needs.”
I emailed Hexlox and here’s what they said:
“Thank you for sending the pictures. The Hexlox skewers are recommended to use max 7Nm of torque. If you are torquing it above 7Nm then there is a chance of damaging the axle or the nut.
Secondly if you are using the the Steel M5 security nut as shown in the picture it is recommended to use the spring that is usually with the Quick release skewer to keep the tension.
The Hexlox shield and Nut are 7075 Aluminum. That is the industry norm for the skewers. The steel nuts we have is for extreme cases.”
I think the best thing is to use Pitlocks. I dread swapping all these skewers out (going to do my son’s bike, too) and learning a new system and carrying an extra key but I need things to work and be safe and I’ve got no better ideas.
Leah I'm a long-time pitlock user and I only have good things to say about them. yes, it does suck if you lose the proprietary nut. but if you have all 4 nuts linked by a keychain, and leave the secondary key (again, all 4 linked by a keychain) at home for safekeeping, it shouldn't be too bad! also, on my commuter/beater bike, I use m5 torx security screws for like bottle cages, racks, mounted lights. I just wouldn't use it on critical parts like the bolts on a faceplater stem, seatpost bolt, etc. For "one and done" applications, i've heard people crazy gluing a small bearing (from an old headset, hub, or BB) into the hex screw hole so that thieves can't insert their allen key. It's reversible for the rightful owner--just use nail polish remover (acetone).
hope this helps!
Best, IY
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 8:46:45 PM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
I have 4 that I got on sale and so they all have different keys…
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 7:38:02 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
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?
Wait, how many Pitlock sets do you have? If you only have one, you can buy new sets that are keyed to your existing key. It's just a tiny little nut that is different.
Al in SF
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