Grim Reaper
Registered user
So, I was taking the lid off one of my panniers the other day and the lock barrel came right out.
I know this is a known problem and I did ask the dealer on delivery day if they had installed them correctly but obviously not.
Having found one loose I then went around all 8 locks and removed them all.
What I found is a little disconcerting to me.
All the barrels are missing the last wafer furthest from the key body, effectively turning a 7 lever lock into a six lever one.
Two of the three locks that hold the panniers/top box onto the frames are missing two wafers per lock.
The third one has had one of the wafers filed down so much that even when inserting the key, the wafer never pops up above the barrel surface level.
Some of the missing wafer positions still have the tiny springs in place (held in by grease) some are missing (presumed either lost or jammed up inside the lock somewhere)
Of the other five, I have found three of them have one wafer that is not fully flush with the barrel when the key is inserted and one that has two not flush.
This leaves a tiny sharp edged wafer end poking up.
Now when the METAL lock barrel is inserted into the PLASTIC lock body, this wafer end shaves a groove into the plastic as it is turned (giving the stiff lock feel that others have been seeing, until the groove is fully formed and it no longer chafes)
Of the four with a wafer sticking up, ALL have the last one nearest the key body raised, I believe this is what is causing the barrels not to lock into place, it either just won't allow the barrel to get far enough in (pushes against the end of the lock grooves) or it has been forced on assembly and just enough plastic has been mashed up to appear to hold the barrel in place but it's not allowed the last locking wafer to get fully extended.
Looking at the locks with the barrels removed, I can see shaving of plastic everywhere, the gnarled up edges and ends of the plastic lock are easily identified, some of the bits are embedded in the barrel working as well.
I shall be calling the dealer in the morning.
I suggest everyone else does a check to see what state your locks are in ASAP, I'd be interested in hearing of any other common faults found (especially the missing wafers on the frame locks, I can't fathom why they singled these out to have less wafers)
I know this is a known problem and I did ask the dealer on delivery day if they had installed them correctly but obviously not.
Having found one loose I then went around all 8 locks and removed them all.
What I found is a little disconcerting to me.
All the barrels are missing the last wafer furthest from the key body, effectively turning a 7 lever lock into a six lever one.
Two of the three locks that hold the panniers/top box onto the frames are missing two wafers per lock.
The third one has had one of the wafers filed down so much that even when inserting the key, the wafer never pops up above the barrel surface level.
Some of the missing wafer positions still have the tiny springs in place (held in by grease) some are missing (presumed either lost or jammed up inside the lock somewhere)
Of the other five, I have found three of them have one wafer that is not fully flush with the barrel when the key is inserted and one that has two not flush.
This leaves a tiny sharp edged wafer end poking up.
Now when the METAL lock barrel is inserted into the PLASTIC lock body, this wafer end shaves a groove into the plastic as it is turned (giving the stiff lock feel that others have been seeing, until the groove is fully formed and it no longer chafes)
Of the four with a wafer sticking up, ALL have the last one nearest the key body raised, I believe this is what is causing the barrels not to lock into place, it either just won't allow the barrel to get far enough in (pushes against the end of the lock grooves) or it has been forced on assembly and just enough plastic has been mashed up to appear to hold the barrel in place but it's not allowed the last locking wafer to get fully extended.
Looking at the locks with the barrels removed, I can see shaving of plastic everywhere, the gnarled up edges and ends of the plastic lock are easily identified, some of the bits are embedded in the barrel working as well.
I shall be calling the dealer in the morning.
I suggest everyone else does a check to see what state your locks are in ASAP, I'd be interested in hearing of any other common faults found (especially the missing wafers on the frame locks, I can't fathom why they singled these out to have less wafers)
