Skewer axle tightening-how do you know when it is tight enough/too tight?

[night cycler]

I’ve always had conventional type axles on bikes. I’m not familiar with the skewer axles. I want to be sure that I am tightening the axle by the correct amount. How do I know when the axle is tight enough (or tightened too much) before I lock the lever over? I asked a guy recently, and he explained that you hold the nut end, then turn the lever end until it is nearly as tight as it will go, then lock the lever over. Is this the correct method?

 

[tincaman]

Lock it so it goes over centre and leaves a pressure mark on your palm

 

[night cycler]

I just need to know how tight to screw it in before operating the lever.

 

[midlife]

Keep on tightening the screw a bit at a time until the lever is hard to press into place. Might have to try the lever 4-5 times. Tighten the screw too much and the lever won't lock home so back off a bit. Trial and error until feels right.

Shaun

 

[alicat]

^^^^^
What he says.

The lever should be almost impossible to push home and leave a distinct mark on your palm. If it flips too easily, undo the lever and turn the nut again. If it won't push home, undo the lever and undo the nut again.
Trial and error is your friend.

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^ What they all say.
Like @tincaman, I fiddle about with the nut end until it almost hurts my palm when I close the lever.

 

[MichaelW2]

If the skewer leaves a bloody gouge in your palm, it is too tight.

As a rough guide:
You hold the adjustment nut and close the skewer a few times, rotating the nut about 1/8 turn each go until you can't close it, then back the nut off 1/8.
Make sure the bike frame does not contact the skewer tip ie prevent it from closing. If you offset the angle you can use the frame as a fulcrum for extra leverage to open. Some people position the skewer rearwards to avoid accidental opening when riding through brush and branches.
When closed, you should read CLOSED on the skewer. If you can read OPEN, you have done it wrong.

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 3970883, member: 9609"]are you the best to advise on this subject ? cyclechat link lol[/QUOTE]

 

[slowmotion]

I speak from experience!

 

[midlife]

Being of the old school my skewers are nose bleeingly tight, they had to be BITD. The wheels on my modern Basso don't fall out of the dropouts, they have to be sprung apart so I guess I over tighten them.

Old school horizontal chromed dropouts needed the wheel to be rock solid or else it slipped!

Shaun

 

[Andy_R]

If you have front discs, make sure the skewer is extra tight. Although just about all front forks for discs have lawyer lips to stop the wheel coming out under braking torque, if the skewer isn't tight enough, the wheel will deflect. Also, when possible always use enclosed cam QR skewers.

 

[Ian H]

If you have front discs, make sure the skewer is extra tight. Although just about all front forks for discs have lawyer lips to stop the wheel coming out under braking torque, if the skewer isn't tight enough, the wheel will deflect. Also, when possible always use enclosed cam QR skewers.

I always file the lawyers' lips off. Except on the disc-braked MTB.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Being of the old school my skewers are nose bleeingly tight, they had to be BITD. The wheels on my modern Basso don't fall out of the dropouts, they have to be sprung apart so I guess I over tighten them.

Old school horizontal chromed dropouts needed the wheel to be rock solid or else it slipped!

Shaun

A cautionary tale: My Dawes has horizontal dropouts, so I always do the QRs up good and tight, else the back wheel can skew across and rub the chainstays. One time I removed the back wheel from the bike and heard a tinkling sound of bits of broken QR hitting the floor. I had mashed it to death. Fortunately I was at home at the time.

So ... tight, but not that tight.