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TECH NEWS
Sphyke skewer setSphyke keyless security launched in Europe
Combination code wheel skewers and saddle clamp bolts from Australian brand Sphyke are now available in Europe for the first time.
With Sphyke’s C3N system, you replace your wheel's quick-release skewer with a bolt-on skewer, and you can only access the bolt once you’ve entered a three-letter code.
Check out the video to see how it works…
A front and rear skewer set is priced at €42 (about £35).
You can replace a saddle clamp quick-release bolt with one that uses a combination code system for €22.95 (about £19). You can also get complete combination saddle clamps in various diameters, starting at €25.90 (about £22).
Sphyke do an A-Head stem lock for €24.90 (about £21), and saddle locks for €22.95 (about £19)
The idea is that C3N makes it much harder for anyone to walk off with your wheels or saddle when your bike is locked in a public place. You’re securing the components to the bike without the need to carry an additional cable lock. It reminds us of the Pinhead locking fastener system – although Pinhead uses a key rather than a combination code.
You can buy online through the Sphyke website and you currently get a 20% discount if you buy more than one product. Sphyke are in the process of selecting a limited number of independent retailers in London.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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12 comments
On the "cycle show" the other week they demonstrated that with some industrial strength bolt cutters and an angle grinder you can nick anything in one or two minutes !
This type of skewer and the similar Pitlock and so on are all easily defeated by thieves tightening up the cone bearing slightly to release the pressure. Then unscrew the fixed end with the fingers and walk off with a wheel. All the thief needs is a cone spanner. Fail.
True, we currently offer a product on our web site to cover this.
But we have never heard of a theft occurring from this method.
Eug
Sphyke
Don't like the look of these even on my commuting bike. I think there are better options to secure your wheels. As far as the saddle goes... take it with you. That way any thief will find it much harder to ride away with your bike, a good quality D lock helps to stop the whole bike disappearing too.
I think it would be easy to over come this type of lock by simply destroying the skewer with a combination of super glue an a big wrench once you've carried ridden the bike away; so not that practical and really naff looking. One British winter and all the fancy mechanism would jammed full of muck and grit anyway
The product was developed through the course of many Berlin winters - there is a black waterproof cap that goes on to keep out water, snow, muck, grit etc... and to hide how 'naff' it looks.. hehe (strength did win out over beauty)
Eug
Sphyke
Nice idea, ugly product, but I still favour the method of owning a second, undesirable bicycle for public parking. Perhaps these combination-nuts were designed to make your wheels look so naff nobody would want to steal them?
Gimmicky at best. If you ride a road bike, chances are you are either on it or its lock away safely anyway, regular commuters will have superior ways of securing their bike and most likely some sort of safe spot on the company grounds. Leaves people who occasionally ride and dont have much of a clue in the first place... Nothing I will spend my money on!
I've had regular quick release skewers on my FW Evans for the past 25+ years in central London. The beauty is that I can release the front wheel quickly and fix it to the rear wheel plus the frame plus whatever unmovable object is nearby (usually the Sheffield stand outside the swimming pool).
I have another QR on the seatpost - which means I can remove the post and saddle quickly as well.
The Sphyke system looks good, but I'd still have to remove the saddle as it only protects the seatpost. Might be worth getting one for the front wheel, though.
Nick bike. Add superglue or crush the cylinder. Use vicegrips. Unlock.
Next idea?
But what if we assume the bike itself is securely locked? These (or other security skewers) make it much harder to nick the wheels, without me having to take my bike apart and/or mess around with cables every time I want to lock it up.
Of course nothing is completely secure but I've used security skewers for years on my commuter bike, and I guess this gives peace of mind against losing your fancy allan key (why do they only ever provide one!).
I work for Sphyke - thanks for this and all the other comments.
Indeed Vise grips are the no. 1 adversary.
This product has undergone extensive independent testing against vise grip attack.
The product is 20mm in diameter - of solid metal. There is a 5mm solid ChMo core pin, then a 10mm diameter 304 stainless steel reinforcing core pin.
Then on the top is another Stainless steel reinforcing disc.
Combined- human force cannot crush the cylinder.
Glue - our nut can tighten to 35Nm. The glue would need to fuse stainless steel to chromed alloy to counter this torque.
Eug
Sphyke