Rear Wheel

[Glasgow44]

Hi there

How do I line up my rear wheel straight and how do you tighten the quick release skewer? Is there a knack to doing this? Its quick release with rim brakes. If I tighten the nut part too tight, I can't close the quick release - is there a way of doing this?

Thanks in advance

J

 

[Blue Hills]

I can relieve your middle of the night torture - if the nut is tightened too tight, untighten it a bit. Then push down the lever.

 

[Slick]

As bluehills says, you don't have to worry about lining up the wheel and position your quick release where you want it and screw back the other side so it's firm but not so much you can't get it off.

 

[C R]

For wheel position if you have vertical dropouts that happens on its own, as long as the wheel is true. If your dropouts are not vertical then you need to make sure that the axle is bottomed out at the back the dropouts, assuming derailleur system.

For the tightness, it is a bit of trial and error, but normally the nut would stay in the correct place once you got the tightness right.

 

[weareHKR]

Most people tighten these way too tight, what I do is... with the QR lever closed, wind the nut in (with fingers) until it is tight.
Open the lever & wind the nut in half a turn.
Close the QR lever, It should be firm, but not too difficult.
If it's too hard to close, back the nut off a tad and try again.
If it's too easy, tighten the nut up a tad and try again.
They don't have to be so tight as the QR is designed to work by hand, just a stiff-ish push closed with the thumb is all you need.
Also fold the QR lever towards the back of the bike, less chance of catching it on somethings & pulling it open!

 

[Blue Hills]

I once lead a ride where someone discovered that they had been riding for miles without any rear wheel skewer in at all. They finished the ride. I'd never buy any bike with horizontal dropouts, though i know it is fashionable in some quarters/convenient for manufacturers.

 

[figbat]

Same as above. Tighten the nut with the lever closed, then open the lever and wind the nut in a bit more, testing the lever tension as you go until it closes firmly but without grunting. Doing this on a workshop stand can be a faff to hold the wheel in, so once done I put the bike on the ground and then open and close the lever, to allow the wheel to sit fully in the dropouts.

 

[Glasgow44]

Thanks everyone

 

[Sharky]

All good advice above.
Also don't line up the lever with either of the rear stays. May stop it being tightened fully, but worse, when you come to undo it, you won't have much room to get your fingers under the lever.

Good luck

 

[figbat]

Yep, lever pointing straight back for me - more aero innit! Also the very low risk of catching it on something and opening it if it is facing anything like forwards.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Lever pointing between seatstay and chainstay means you can get your fingers under it and have the seatstay to provide a fulcrum if needed. The airflow is fully turbulent by then so no aero advantage in pointing it to the rear .