Not sure why anyone thinks you need self lock wheel nuts. You just need to know they are tight. That means you either have to have good enough feel to know you've tightened them to at least 15 lbft, or you have to use a torque wrench. A buzz-gun might seem like the cool way to tighten wheel nuts, but doesn't allow any way of knowing they are actually tight.
30mm axles are strong enough, either solid or thick wall. They don't break as easily as 50mm axles in my experience of using both in TKM, but they definitely bend a LOT more easily. I do wonder how many times the 50mm axles that end up breaking have been straightened. I also wonder how many of them are cheap axles that are suffering embrittlement from when the steel was made.
I lost a wheel while racing last season, and had one come loose early this season. I had learnt the first time what it felt like, so pulled in as soon as I noticed the distinctive rumble when cornering. In both instances this was my fault rather than that of the MSA, the scrutineers, the marshals or anyone else. I am now as careful as I can possibly be to make sure they are correctly tightened - mainly because I don't want to see anyone hurt by my incompetence, but also because of the £75 cost of replacing a damaged wheel and hub.
Liam
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