Tamper-resistant screws

There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. The Allen with the
secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:

-------
/ \
/ O \
\ /
\ /
------

Can anyone point me to a source? There are lots of distributors but
you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
screws.

Thanks,

Phil

"Phillip Farber" wrote in message
...
There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. The Allen with the
secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:

-------
/ \
/ O \
\ /
\ /
------

Can anyone point me to a source? There are lots of distributors but
you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
screws.

Thanks,

Phil

In the meantime, please tell us what town you live in so we can avoid it.
Stolen disk brake calipers? That ain't normal.

"Phillip Farber" wrote in message
...
| There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
| posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
| 5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.
|
| I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
| stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
| you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. The Allen with the
| secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:
|
| -------
| / \
| / O \
| \ /
| \ /
| ------
|
| Can anyone point me to a source? There are lots of distributors but
| you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
| screws.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Phil
|
|
|

try McMaster. A lot of the little guys have vanished so I always find
what I'm looking for at www.mcmaster.com .

Cheers

On 10/30/2008 5:46 PM Martin Riddle wrote:

"Phillip Farber" wrote in message
...
| There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
| posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
| 5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.
|
| I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
| stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
| you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. The Allen with the
| secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:
|
| -------
| / \
| / O \
| \ /
| \ /
| ------
|
| Can anyone point me to a source? There are lots of distributors but
| you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
| screws.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Phil
|
|
|

try McMaster. A lot of the little guys have vanished so I always find
what I'm looking for at www.mcmaster.com .

Cheers



I think the combination of tamper-resistance + metric + stainless will
overload McMaster's catalog.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

On Oct 30, 9:08*pm, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
wrote:
On 10/30/2008 5:46 PM Martin Riddle wrote:



"Phillip Farber" wrote in message
....
| There's a lot of parts theft in my town. *Disk brake calipers, seat
| posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. *They all have this in common:
| 5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.
|
| I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
| stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
| you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. *The Allen with the
| secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:
|
| * * -------
| * / * * * * \
| / * * *O * * \
| \ * * * * * * /
| * \ * * * * /
| * * ------
|
| Can anyone point me to a source? *There are lots of distributors but
| you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
| screws.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Phil
|
|
|

try McMaster. A lot of the little guys have vanished so I always find
what I'm looking for atwww.mcmaster.com.

Cheers

I think the combination of tamper-resistance + metric + stainless will
overload McMaster's catalog.

Pretty awesome site but you're right. Tamper-resistance + metric +
stainless is one constraint too many. How about bike shops that are
online? I know this must be a problem that shop are addressing.
Maybe some have gotten quantities from distributors for ther
customers?


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

www.tamper-pruf-screws.com

They have tamper-resistant machine screws in
18-8 stainless steel with metric thread.

Their web site sucks (dodgy javascript that doesn't
work in some browsers) but they also do business
by phone (the number is on their web site).

They have minimum quantities, but not as bad as $100
(at least, not the last time I bought from them).

Tom Ace

Phillip Farber wrote:

There's a lot of parts theft in my town. *Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. *They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

Wow, that sucks. I'd look towards using parts (and bikes) that I
liked but thieving scum didn't. I think such folk tend to go for new
and trendy rather than time-worn and proven. Esoteric tastes may be
more effective than anti-tamper screws in keeping your bike whole and
sound.

Chalo

On 10/30/2008 11:31 PM Chalo wrote:

Phillip Farber wrote:
There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

Wow, that sucks. I'd look towards using parts (and bikes) that I
liked but thieving scum didn't. I think such folk tend to go for new
and trendy rather than time-worn and proven. Esoteric tastes may be
more effective than anti-tamper screws in keeping your bike whole and
sound.

As opposed to using special hardware to fasten down the existing
components, sourcing oddball or hopefully less-desirable components and
trying to guess a thief's tastes in parts seems like a costly, hit-or-miss
route to go. Not that sourcing high security stainless bolts in metric is
any Swiss picnic. If the OP does find such, I hope he posts his source.
And I'm curious to know where the OP lives that he has to contend with
coming back to a bike and finding parts missing.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

Phillip Farber wrote:
There's a lot of parts theft in my town. Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. The Allen with the
secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:

-------
/ \
/ O \
\ /
\ /
------

Can anyone point me to a source? There are lots of distributors but
you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
screws.

Try "http://www.tamper-pruf-screws.com/"

They don't list a minimum quantity, but they also don't have prices on-line.

On Oct 31, 11:27*am, SMS wrote:
Phillip Farber wrote:
There's a lot of parts theft in my town. *Disk brake calipers, seat
posts, seats, handlebars, stems, etc. *They all have this in common:
5mm or 6mm Allen head screws.

I have been looking far and wide for a source of small quantities of
stainless steel M5 and M6 Allen or Torx screws with a security pin so
you have to have a hollow tool to fit the screw. *The Allen with the
secutiry pin look sort of like this from the top:

* * *-------
* */ * * * * \
*/ * * *O * * \
*\ * * * * * * /
* *\ * * * * /
* * *------

Can anyone point me to a source? *There are lots of distributors but
you have to buy a quantity and I don't want to spend $100 for a box of
screws.

Try "http://www.tamper-pruf-screws.com/"

They don't list a minimum quantity, but they also don't have prices on-line.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

how about using robinson screws ?