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TECH NEWS
Kryptonite unveil Gravity Line security wheel nuts and skewers
Here's a clever thing that we saw at the Icebike show this week: Kryptonite's new Gravity Line products allow you to lock your wheels so that the light-fingered can't make off with them when your bike is locked up in town.
Admittedly this is not a new idea: as long ago as 2010 Zéfal were showing off their Lock'n'Roll skewers which promised a similar thing. Unfortunately they didn't really deliver. These Kryptonite units are a lot more solid-looking though, and there's options both for wheel nuts and for skewers. The skewers don't use a quick-release, though, closing instead with an Allen key.
The principle is simple, and sound. If you lock your wheels on with a system that only works upside down, then once your bike is locked up in town it's impossible for a thief to invert it and make off with your wheels. We'll get hold of a set for testing as soon as we can to find out how they perform in the real world.
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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10 comments
How will they perform in Australia ?
Just install them upside down?
But what about in outer space, then? Answer me that...
Abus have just announced a gravity system (bike only needs to be 90 degrees) seems better as a shroud covers the nut. This Kryptonite one may encourage someone to have a go and do some damage.
The do seem a bit pricey at £40 given you unlikely to leave a nice bike anywhere these days but maybe it is like buying a £80 lock for £200 commuter bike, you just ahve to.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kryptonite-Unisex-wheelboltz-Anti-Theft-Device/...
These look exactly the same as my IXOW Wheelguard Gravity that came preinstalled on my Canyon commuter. I think they have been available for a few years. Not sure if kryptonite have just re-badged them.
They work very well, although the bike itself is far too expensive to actually leave out anywhere where I live in Cambridge, so kinda redundant.
It has a seatpost clamp that works in the same way too.
http://www.ixow.com/en/
I bought the Zefal ones after leaving my hack bike at the station and coming back after a night out to find some bunch of scrotes had gone down the bike racks and pulled out any quick releases they'd found and variously chucked the bits onto the tracks/into the bushes. Made for a bitch of a walk home pushing a bike with wobbly wheels.
I always locked the bike through both wheels anyway, but, so far, no-one's tried to pinch the skewers since.
They are a great idea, as there is no tool to lose. Worst thing about them is trying to clamp the back one up - 135mm drop-outs onto a 130mm hub (long story).
My hybrid came with the 5-sided Allen versions - original owner had lost the tool, so I made one by filing down a 6mm hex one and keep it taped to the spare tube.
Rule #49 Keep the rubber side down.
It is completely unacceptable to intentionally turn one’s steed upside down for any reason under any circumstances.
I owned the zefal ones, which worked fine for the first few months of use, but seemed to wear quite quickly and become temperamental to use, these look quite promising.
I'd looked at these online and hadn't realised that they weren't actually available for sale. Bought some 'like an Allen key but only penta' instead.