Hexlox Skewer Nut Failures

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

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

[Steven Seelig]

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

[Elisabeth Sherwood]

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

[Ron Mc]

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.  

[George Schick]

Ron - would a light application of anti-seize lubricant such as Permatex help in this situation?

[Patrick Moore]

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?

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[Ron Mc]

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.  

[Ron Mc]

Forgot to add, rolled threads in stainless and AA are tougher than cut threads.  

E.g. when I tap a Paul Gino lamp mount to M6 to grab a Nitto rack-stay clevice bolt, I use a rolling tap instead of a cutting tap (and then I bronze the new threads with Aluminum Black).  

(there's an M6 bellville washer between the Gino and Nitto clevice bolt)

[Al in SF]

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

[Leah Peterson]

I have 4 that I got on sale and so they all have different keys…

On Jun 10, 2026, at 8:40 PM, Al in SF <spamhi...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Jamie D.]

I put a rare earth magnet over the allen bolt head on the skewer to create confusion and deterrence. Not seeing an allen head is strange and I imagine a thief doesn't want to stand around staring at a potential wheel they're considering stealing trying to figure out what's going on. The magnet is strong and removing it is just fiddly enough that unless you know what's going ahead of time it would take you longer than expected to remove it. Allen keys are also attracted to the magnet so unless you fully remove the magnet from the skewer it makes it more difficult to get an allen key engaged.

[Armand Kizirian]

I have two hexlox sets on two different bikes for years and have removed the wheels dozens of times without issue. I do apply some light grease on the axle threads, and reapply very rarely. Perhaps you are torquing them down too much? 

[Leah Peterson]

Interesting, Armand! It’s the mechanics at the shop who do the work and complain that the threads strip.  At least two of them have had to call me and tell me the threads were stripped, so this is not limited to only one mechanic. And the master mechanic (who really does deserve the title) says that my Riv forks require a good bite into the steel nut to keep things locked down. Something about lots of vibration in the fork. 

I took the bike in because the wheel wasn’t spinning right and it was the axle causing the issue. I would love the issue to be our fault, however, because I love the design of the Hexlox systems and the key is so minimal. 

I hope yours continue to work for you and too bad we don’t live in the same zip code because I would love to have you look at my setup and see where/if I’ve gone wrong. Sigh.

L

On Jun 13, 2026, at 1:11 AM, Armand Kizirian <kiziria...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have two hexlox sets on two different bikes for years and have removed the wheels dozens of times without issue. I do apply some light grease on the axle threads, and reapply very rarely. Perhaps you are torquing them down too much? 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8b2656c0-43c8-4e5a-b601-57a7befbc6den%40googlegroups.com.

[Tom Powell Davies]

This is inspirational, Jamie! You'll have flummoxed them for sure. I'd love to see a photo of the setup!

Tom

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[Joe Bernard]

Leah, I'm not sure what's going on with your shop. Sounds to me that they're used to tightening thru-axles and are a little paranoid about your Hexlox holding wheels in. Lighten up a smidge, Leah's bike shop! 

[Jamie Dillon]

Thanks, Tom! Here are some pics, these are 1/2 x 1/8 rare earth magnets, the same size and style Riv sells with the pushmi-pullyu wrench and the skewers are Sunlite.

On Jun 13, 2026, at 12:54 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Leah, I'm not sure what's going on with your shop. Sounds to me that they're used to tightening thru-axles and are a little paranoid about your Hexlox holding wheels in. Lighten up a smidge, Leah's bike shop! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ca165d50-1ee0-4b44-a2d8-0817df756aa0n%40googlegroups.com.

[Tom Powell Davies]

Thank you for those images, Jamie, that is very cunning! I'm inspired.

With all my best,

Tom

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[Garth]

I would assume said mechanic has read the instructions and/or seen the video showing the installation, and that after a hand tighten to go no more that 3/4 turn after that, which is 7 newton meters on torque wrench scale. "Or else the  axle can  break", from their own  FAQ page. Asking the ether, "axle can break, huh ?" 

I would also assume the threads are greased, or they should be. (Not mentioned by them.)

From the FAQ. https://hexlox.com/en-us/pages/faq

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GLqll3p7Ko

7 newton meters is not very tight, and I can easily see how they could be over torqued by anyone who either hasn't seen or read the instructions and/or simply forgets and applies too much torque. I've never used a Hexlox so I can't say how well that amount of torque keeps the wheel in place. By the breakage though I'd guess they've been overtightened, or it's just a bad product.

[Leah Peterson]

Garth, an excellent observation, and I doubt they did read the instructions or watch the video because I think they have been really tightening the skewer down. I will try to get to the bottom of this with them. They really have been great to me and have put up with allllll the annoying fenders, wiring, etc that I drag in there on multiple bikes. I’ll report back! Thank you for bringing up this very valid point, Garth.

Leah

On Jun 13, 2026, at 2:08 PM, Garth <gart...@gmail.com> wrote:

I would assume said mechanic has read the instructions and/or seen the video showing the installation, and that after a hand tighten to go no more that 3/4 turn after that, which is 7 newton meters on torque wrench scale. "Or else the  axle can  break", from their own  FAQ page. Asking the ether, "axle can break, huh ?" 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8a329271-c94d-4689-be44-4db81b7e349en%40googlegroups.com.

[NYCbikeguy]

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

[Leah Peterson]

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

On Jun 13, 2026, at 8:28 PM, NYCbikeguy <iyi...@gmail.com> wrote:

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).

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/aee52b0c-ace9-443f-9ebf-b542c0402941n%40googlegroups.com.

[Armand Kizirian]

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?

[Leah Peterson]

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

On Jun 15, 2026, at 4:20 PM, Armand Kizirian <kiziria...@gmail.com> wrote:

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. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d0a9cada-01dd-4d8b-86db-c59309a8807dn%40googlegroups.com.