A simple but important fettle this morning.
I removed and refitted the Suntour QLoc through axle on the front fork of my main bike.
This is important because the blasted thing rusts in place if left fitted for more than a month or two.
It came out OK, but needed a sharp tap on the end of an allen key I used as a drift.
Seems I just about got away with it.
Previously, it was a bike shop job - they have a heavy duty drift, having had several others rusted in.
Oddly, going tubeless is partly to blame.
When I was getting punctures, I was unwittingly keeping the axle free by removing it regularly.
Greasing it is the obvious option, but the fit is so snug the grease tends to wipe off as you push the axle through.
I'd get rid of it, but it's fork specific (no threads), and might be hub specific for all I know.
The cost/faff to benefit ratio of replacing it with a properly designed axle does not stack up.
I thought about trying to reduce its circumference with emery cloth or a cutting compound.
Might work, although it might also provide a key on the surface and make matters worse.
With no threads in the fork legs, it needs to be a close fit, making taking off too much a possibility.
Removing it occasionally is not so hard, but it's the type of little job that's easy to forget.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8IqJD34Ky0