Wheels' quick release lever. Too tight?
- Thread starter SunBurnt
- Start date
S
SpearSlinger1
Guest
I don't think they can be too tight as long as you're using your hands, no tools, to clamp them down. Unless of course you have a pet gorilla that's able to break them when he clamps them.
The pressure exerted by wheel bolts or quick release skewers/bolts can put pressure on the wheel bearings. Overtightening could theoretically cause accelerated wear in the wheel bearings.
Gravity and the drop-outs in which the wheel axles sit keep the wheels in place. The wheel bolts just keep the wheels from falling off when the wheel is off the ground and don't need to be very tight.
TD
Gravity and the drop-outs in which the wheel axles sit keep the wheels in place. The wheel bolts just keep the wheels from falling off when the wheel is off the ground and don't need to be very tight.
TD
SunBurnt said:Points noted. I will now go and ease it up a bit, dun wanna break em wheelsets!
BTW, which direction should the lever point? Up? Down? Or flush with the bike structure?
I've heard that they should point either upward or rearward. Probably not as important on a road bike because the theory behind it is that if the lever is pointing forward or downward, you could catch the lever on something, which could open the QR resulting in an unplanned wheel removal.
Well, yes they can be, and there is no point to TOO tight.SpearSlinger1 said:I don't think they can be too tight as long as you're using your hands, no tools, to clamp them down. Unless of course you have a pet gorilla that's able to break them when he clamps them.
meehs said:
You know what?
I am still paranoid that the wheels will fly off during a ride!
This is my second week on the bike, and I am pretty nervous riding it
Today, I slightly caught the tip of my foot at the front wheel!
GOSH!! That really freaked me out for a while.
What other important do's and don't you know of?
meehs said:
You know what?
I am still paranoid that the wheels will fly off during a ride!
This is my second week on the bike, and I am pretty nervous riding it
Today, I slightly caught the tip of my foot at the front wheel!
GOSH!! That really freaked me out for a while.
What other important do's and don't you know of?
tyler_derden said:
yes but that´s why you always leave the bearings a touch loose to compensate for the quick release .
you could break the QR lever if it´s too cheap or too light but if you can undo it without using tools it´s ok : just remember that titanium can stretch , so can steel but less , so really light and expensive QR´s will need to be changed after a while .
SunBurnt said:I don't know if I am paranoid of the wheels flying off
I like my quick release lever pretty tight.
Any problem (short and long term) if they are too tight??
I've had a skewer bust while riding!!
It wasn't a good quality one, but it was big, beefy, and a heavy looking thing.
Luckily it was the rear wheel, but I was still going about 22mph. It went "pop", then the drive from the chain obviously pulled the wheel sideways into the stay, which tore tyre side-wall, which blew the tube....BANG.
..............very lucky I didn't stack.
SunBurnt said:You know what?
I am still paranoid that the wheels will fly off during a ride!
This is my second week on the bike, and I am pretty nervous riding it
Today, I slightly caught the tip of my foot at the front wheel!
GOSH!! That really freaked me out for a while.
What other important do's and don't you know of?
I also had a front wheel fall off because the skewer was way too loose!!
BANG....cracked rib....blah, blah, blah. It was my own stooopid fault; I was rushing around before riding to uni, and forgot that I was stuffing around with my cones the night before.
I don't wanna alarm you, but crashes are occasionally caused by equipment failure.
The most common culprit is bad tyres, especially (obviously) on the front. There are plenty of stories of guys blowing front tyres, then waking up in hospital. You've gotta regularly check the integrity of your side-walls. The tread can withstand scuffs and small cuts, but the side-walls can't cope with much damage. If I have a nick in the side-wall I will usually patch it inside the tyre then put it on the back wheel, and other times I just chuck it. Also check for bulges or "snaking". If a tyre has only a few hundred miles left in it, and you're a bit suspicious of it's condition, then just get rid of it -- it's not worth having a blow-out at 45mph. I usually don't have old tyres on the front.
You've also gotta occasionally check the bike for signs of fatigue, especially if you have an aluminium frame. When you clean your bike, check for tiny cracks in the frame that can be detected by looking for shifting paint.
Also, occasionally check the cranks, pedals and bottom bracket axle for cracks. It's rare that these parts break, but when they do, it can be catastrophic.
Relax..
boudreaux said:
My point is just that a QR lever provides all the leverage required to securely mount the wheels without having it so tight that you injure your hand while trying to close the thing. If it didn't, they'd make the lever longer.
If it's causing you pain or you have to put a piece of pipe over the QR lever to close it or open it, it's much too tight.
TD
S
SpearSlinger1
Guest
I agree that they could be made too tight, but I, being the average shmoe, am not going to be able to crank down on it that much without using tools. I do like my QRs about as tight as I can get them with my hands, though. I want them to stay in place when bunny-hopping curbs on 700x28Cs.boudreaux said:
SpearSlinger1 said:I agree that they could be made too tight, but I, being the average shmoe, am not going to be able to crank down on it that much without using tools. I do like my QRs about as tight as I can get them with my hands, though. I want them to stay in place when bunny-hopping curbs on 700x28Cs.
Like I said, it is possible to have them too tight -- they can "pop"
The older steel bikes with horizontal drop-outs had to have the skewers done up pretty tight because the axle could move slightly on the drive side, due to the pressure coming from the chain, but the newer bikes, with vertical drop-outs, don't need the skewers as tight.....in my opninion.
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