Front quick release coming loose

[Ginja Ninja]

Hi

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice.

My bike, Boardman Hybrid Comp 2013, has not been ridden for a few years and needed some maintenance so I could start riding it to my new job. I replaced the inner tubes, tyres and chain and checked all important stuff.

After half a mile on the way home, I noticed the front wheel was wobbling and further inspection revealed the quick release had come loose. I tightened it up good and proper and put it down to me possibly not doing it up tight enough when replacing the tyres and inner tubes. About a mile later the same thing happened, something isn't right here, so I pushed it home.

I need to order a new set of quick release skewers but have come across articles online saying that this can happen with disc brakes and QR front wheel. Am I ok to use QR? If so what should is a good option or is there an alternative?

Thanks!

Jeremy

 

[ColinJ]

Are you sure that you know how QRs work? I have never seen a properly adjusted QR come loose - it should be impossible because of the way that they work.

How do you adjust and tighten them?

I'm sure that YouTube will have a video showing the correct way to do it. Hang on... Here you go. Follow these instructions and I bet that your QR will lock properly?

 

[ianrauk]

I've used QR's on disc braked bikes for many years without any problem.
Its either user error or the QR skewer is faulty.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I've not heard of a QR coming loose on its own, like Colin I'd initially suspect user error but I guess it's possible that something has failed, the skewer could conceivably snap I suppose, in theory. Take it out and inspect it, if its in one piece with nothing visibly broken it should be good.

There's no issue I'm aware of with disc brakes coupled with QR, nearly all newer bikes above a certain price threshold have that combo. What are the articles you've seen? It'd be interesting to read them.

 

[ColinJ]

What are the articles you've seen? It'd be interesting to read them.

There were scares about it a few years ago after someone got seriously injured by a front wheel coming out when braking. Let me see if I can find the article that I read back then... SEARCH RESULTS.

 

[ColinJ]

Hang on... Google is checking a link to itself!

Just search for Russell Pinder accident disk brake

 

[CanucksTraveller]

There were scares about it a few years ago after someone got seriously injured by a front wheel coming out when braking. Let me see if I can find the article that I read back then... SEARCH RESULTS.

Interesting, thanks Colin, I'd not seen that case before. I'll not comment further out of respect for the injured rider.

 

[ColinJ]

Interesting, thanks Colin, I'd not seen that case before. I'll not comment further out of respect for the injured rider.

I know what you are getting at there, and that was my initial feeling too but I sat down and worked out the directions of the forces and it is true that if the dropouts are aligned in a certain direction and the brake is on the wrong side of the fork then there IS a force acting to eject the wheel from the dropout. Engineers a lot smarter than me found the same thing.

The fact that it very rarely happens with a correctly tightened QR doesn't mean that the design was sound. I think after that either brakes were mounted on the other side of the fork leg or the angle of the dropout was changed.

Many new bikes have 'Thru-axles' which guarantee that such an incident cannot happen.

 

[Ginja Ninja]

Are you sure that you know how QRs work? I have never seen a properly adjusted QR come loose - it should be impossible because of the way that they work.

How do you adjust and tighten them?

I'm sure that YouTube will have a video showing the correct way to do it. Hang on... Here you go. Follow these instructions and I bet that your QR will lock properly?

My initial thought was one of my new colleagues was trying to kill me or I did not do it up correctly.

I had the lever in the open position and tightened up the acorn nut enough so it was hard but not impossible to close the lever.

 

[Ginja Ninja]

I've not heard of a QR coming loose on its own, like Colin I'd initially suspect user error but I guess it's possible that something has failed, the skewer could conceivably snap I suppose, in theory. Take it out and inspect it, if its in one piece with nothing visibly broken it should be good.

There's no issue I'm aware of with disc brakes coupled with QR, nearly all newer bikes above a certain price threshold have that combo. What are the articles you've seen? It'd be interesting to read them.

This is whatI found online...maybe I'm being paranoid but it gave me a scare considering it has been a while since i was last in the saddle.

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/...sc-brakes-cause-front-quick-release-to-loosen
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html (mentioned at the end of the article)
https://wheretheroadforks.com/thru-axle-vs-quick-release-pros-and-cons/

 

[CanucksTraveller]

This is whatI found online...maybe I'm being paranoid but it gave me a scare considering it has been a while since i was last in the saddle.

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/...sc-brakes-cause-front-quick-release-to-loosen
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html (mentioned at the end of the article)
https://wheretheroadforks.com/thru-axle-vs-quick-release-pros-and-cons/

I see, thanks. On reading all the links it looks like there's a little known theory surrounding a less used design, and it *might* have caused an incident or two, but it might not have. It's really interesting material, but it doesn't change my thoughts that QR plus disc brakes are a generally safe combo. Hundreds of thousands of them are in use and not failing or ejecting wheels.

Loved the first link where the poster has a Yuba Spicy Curry Bosch. That sounds delicious!

 

[T4tomo]

@Ginja Ninja I had an issue with mine once, until realised I was tightening the axle at a very slight angle as my disc caliper was out of line, and i was centring the wheel based on running fine thru the disc brake..

solution : get the wheel / axle square in drop outs and tighten (ignoring any disc rub). do the old slacken caliper mounts and re-centre caliper and retighten. Peace and harmony ensues..... and having done this you can then decentre to the disc caliper on subsequent removal / reisetion.

 

[Alex321]

I've not heard of a QR coming loose on its own, like Colin I'd initially suspect user error but I guess it's possible that something has failed, the skewer could conceivably snap I suppose, in theory. Take it out and inspect it, if its in one piece with nothing visibly broken it should be good.

There's no issue I'm aware of with disc brakes coupled with QR, nearly all newer bikes above a certain price threshold have that combo. What are the articles you've seen? It'd be interesting to read them.

Actually, most new bikes with disc brakes have through axles.

A properly installed QR should not be a problem, so long as the drop outs are not angled backwards (which they shouldn't be). But AIUI, there have been some issues with them coming out under heavy braking - but I never had any issues at all with my Boardman MX sport hybrid, which had hydraulic discs and QR axles.

I suspect those who did have issues had probably not really tightened them correctly.

 

[Arrowfoot]

With the disc brakes, all braking force is no longer at the rim but at the area of hub. Its no surprise that thru-axles have come into play. When you you tighten a thru axle you can sense the difference as there is hardly any tolerance thru the entire the width in comparison to QR.

I initially thought a thru axle was another marketing hype until I bought a bike with it and my first attempt inserting changed my mind.