Why can't I just do it - Lawyer's lips drive me mad!

[Smokin Joe]

Incidentally, a friend of mine has had a crash caused by the front wheel falling off. He's actually a really clever guy and embarrassingly enough for him, an engineer.

How on earth did the front wheel "Fall off"?

 

[faster]

How on earth did the front wheel "Fall off"?

Hopping up a kerb with the wheel not properly secured.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Dealing with lawyer lips must add about 5 seconds

Hmm..

Without lawyers lips you can hold your bike, flip the QR, lift bike up and wheel drops outs and grab with free hand.

With lawyers lips you need to prop the bike up, one hand undoes the QR. You then need to hold the QR lever whilst turning nut on opposite side. It takes several complete revolutions before clearing lips. You then need to switch from both hands on the QR to one hand to lift bike and other to catch wheel.

If you can do all that extra in 5 seconds then bravo.

 

[Brandane]

With lawyers lips you need to prop the bike up, one hand undoes the QR. You then need to hold the QR lever whilst turning nut on opposite side. It takes several complete revolutions before clearing lips. You then need to switch from both hands on the QR to one hand to lift bike and other to catch wheel.

Or.... you can crouch down, place front wheel between knees (it's easy to keep bike balanced), use both hands to loosen off the QR and securing nut to a point beyond the LL's... Stand up, lift handlebars, drop wheel out. Fitting is a reversal of the removal procedure (thank you Haynes manual for that phrase).
A fairly simple procedure which takes seconds.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

.... you can crouch down, place front wheel between knees

Nope, I ride recumbent, never going to work.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

A fairly simple procedure which takes seconds.

Takes significantly longer than flick QR, drop wheel out. Gets your legs all dirty from the crud (and brake dust if rim braked) off your wheels. if disc brakes rotor presses sideways on calliper as frame pivots as wheel releases. If touring or decent size saddle bag bike will struggle to stay upright.

 

[Brandane]

Nope, I ride recumbent, never going to work.

There's always going to be that 0.05% of exceptions to normal rules.
But really, how often do people on here have to remove their front wheel that it turns this into some sort of issue? I can't help thinking that there are other procedures we do on a daily basis which use up more of our precious seconds!

 

[ColinJ]

How on earth did the front wheel "Fall off"?

Hopping up a kerb with the wheel not properly secured.

It would have been catastrophic, maybe even lethal if it had happened to me here...

I came upon an extremely dangerous hole on the fast descent from Blackstone Edge to Littleborough (near Rochdale) a few years back. It was on the 'racing line' and the slope of the road meant that you didn't see it until you were nearly upon it. When I first encountered the hole I managed to bunnyhop it at the last possible moment.

I was doing nearly 90 km/hr when I jumped the hole!

 

[Fastpedaller]

Hmm..

Without lawyers lips you can hold your bike, flip the QR, lift bike up and wheel drops outs and grab with free hand.

With lawyers lips you need to prop the bike up, one hand undoes the QR. You then need to hold the QR lever whilst turning nut on opposite side. It takes several complete revolutions before clearing lips. You then need to switch from both hands on the QR to one hand to lift bike and other to catch wheel.

If you can do all that extra in 5 seconds then bravo.

Indeed - unnecessary faffing around which is easily avoided by filing the LL's off.
I only think LL's are useful if an 'external cam' type QR is being used (I don't trust them) or if a nutted hub is being used (although adequate torque should do the job, a nut without a locking feature could be loosened by vibration).

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Hmm..

Without lawyers lips you can hold your bike, flip the QR, lift bike up and wheel drops outs and grab with free hand.

With lawyers lips you need to prop the bike up, one hand undoes the QR. You then need to hold the QR lever whilst turning nut on opposite side. It takes several complete revolutions before clearing lips. You then need to switch from both hands on the QR to one hand to lift bike and other to catch wheel.

If you can do all that extra in 5 seconds then bravo.

Plus, during this, you are trying to steady a wobby bike by pinching the top tube or handlebar assembly in yoiur armpit.

 

[ColinJ]

I must remember to check my QRs before riding my bike again after locking it up outside shops. Someody might think it really funny to loosen or steal the QRs! Lawyer lips wouldn't help much with the QR missing... Mind you, a missing QR should be pretty obvious as soon as you set off on the bike?

 

[figbat]

I guess I must be doing it wrong then. I have a number of retention-lipped bikes and have never struggled with these supposed issues with balancing the bike, getting the wheel off and so on. I genuinely can’t see what the fuss is about and why you’d butcher a fork to somehow improve it. Your fork, your choice though.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Use a nice, 2nd cut bastard file. Secure the fork well, and work with smooth, level strokes. Finish off with a fine 2nd cut, admire your work and sip on a beer. *

I delete so many LLs that I buy my files in bulk.




* Other options, such as phaffing about, mulling over imaginary risks, worrying about what the neighbours would say and feeling sorry for the poor fork, are available.

 

[Ian H]

How on earth did the front wheel "Fall off"?

On the one occasion I left the QR open it was obvious as soon as I set off just from the steering.

 

[Jenkins]

<Snip>
Through-axles for the win!

Those who dislike Lawyers Lips are going to have a meltdown with these - mostly requiring a tool (6mm allen key usually) and having to undo and remove the whole bolt before they can remove the wheel. Perhaps they could file off the bottom of the bolt thru holes on the forks to make the wheels quicker to remove