Quick release wheel skewers

neil_uk
neil_uk Posts: 289
edited September 2007 in MTB buying advice
I'm after some new wheel skewers, I like the look of the Hope ones, but I've read some bad reviews on them coming undone. Anyone here used them? or have any alternatives?

cheers,
Neil.
«1

Comments

  • The Big Cheese
    The Big Cheese Posts: 8,650
    I had the same problem a while back. Hope skewers stretch and tend to work loose (sometimes).

    There are avid fans of Hope on the forum as not everyone has had problems with them.

    Shimano are considered to be reliable, and good value. Lots of good feedback on them

    I opted for Salsa flip-offs which are bloody great (approx £40) but Shimano work just as well

    Hope this helps
    :D
  • John Stevenson
    John Stevenson Posts: 962
    1992 called, they want their replacement component obsession back. And in purple, please :)

    What have you currently got and what are you hoping to achieve by replacing them?

    Very boring, but I like Shimano's QRs. They Just Work.
    John Stevenson
  • The Big Cheese
    The Big Cheese Posts: 8,650
    john_stevenson wrote:
    1992 called, they want their replacement component obsession back. And in purple, please :).

    :D

    LMAO
  • neil_uk
    neil_uk Posts: 289
    I'm using the original ones that came with my Zero / element disc wheels which are old and battered now.

    I've read some good reviews on the Salsa ones, so at the moment they are top of my list, unless anyone has any other suggestions.
  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    I have never had any issues with my 3yr old Hope skewers, I recommend them, just make sure they are done up properly.

    Or get some Shimano ones, they are reliable, if a little common ;)
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,718
    the Kore ones i ve got have been superb...but then as long as they keep closed...thats about all you can say about 'em

    nice n light too
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    What about Pitlock Security Skewers, then you don't need to lock your wheels - quite pricey at £32, saves weight because there are no levers - probably not bling enough for you though :wink:
  • royboy11
    royboy11 Posts: 71
    I had a set of mavic wheels with a RST hub and the skewer for the back wheel bent after a while. After that hub went I had a Mavic disc wheel with a deore hub and the skewer that came with that one bent as well.

    Is it common for them to bend slightly?
    Norco Sasquatch '07 - Parts?.. break'em and replace'em
  • neil_uk
    neil_uk Posts: 289
    "probably not bling enough for you though"
    lol well there is that.. however I am considering them as well, as I'm always paranoid my front wheel is going to come undone launching me through the air... which is never a good thing.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Shimano make the best skewers, Hope and a few others use an inferior cam and design which requires more force to clamp shut properly.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    neil_uk wrote:
    "probably not bling enough for you though"
    lol well there is that.. however I am considering them as well, as I'm always paranoid my front wheel is going to come undone launching me through the air... which is never a good thing.
    Well even if a skewer comes loose it shouldn't let the wheel out because of the so called "lawyer tabs" on modern forks (you know how much you have to unscrew them to get the wheel out), however I fancy Pitlocks because I frequently park up my bike on rides (pub, shops etc) and would like not to have to bother with the extra cable or taking wheels off. Not much advantage if you never do that though.
  • royboy11
    royboy11 Posts: 71
    Is it normal for the skewer to bend slightly after a while in your rear wheel?
    Norco Sasquatch '07 - Parts?.. break'em and replace'em
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    No, they shouldnt be bent. However when in use the tension on them will quickly straighten them out. As a precaution check that the axle isnt bent either.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • royboy11
    royboy11 Posts: 71
    To check if the axel is bent can you see it by spinning the rear wheel and if you see the space between the cassette and wheel changing as it spins is that the sign - so it looks like the cassette has a slight wobble?
    Norco Sasquatch '07 - Parts?.. break'em and replace'em
  • neil_uk
    neil_uk Posts: 289
    Can you buy shimano skewers separately? or do they just come as part of the wheel set?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    The cassette however can wobble independantly of a bent axle. Best thing to do is remove the wheel and twiddle the axle in your fingers looking for any oscillations. The bearings may also be notchy at one point in the revolution as the alignment of the cone may be off. This in turn will put extra stress on your dropouts - bent axles and skewers should be replaced.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Yep, skewers can be ordered seperatley.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • royboy11
    royboy11 Posts: 71
    Ok that's good to konw thanks. Is that why they have 15mm axels or were people actually breaking them?
    Norco Sasquatch '07 - Parts?.. break'em and replace'em
  • Amos
    Amos Posts: 438
    Ive always used Hope skewers for the past 5 years and only had one problem. I was riding out in the downs after picking the bike up from a service and on one downhill section both skewers came undone, which scared the crap out of me!

    I always make sure i check everything over now before setting off on it.
  • neil_uk
    neil_uk Posts: 289
    Think I'll go with the salsas, which gives me an excuse to buy a matching seat clamp :wink:
    .
  • John Stevenson
    John Stevenson Posts: 962
    Has to be said, Salsa's QRs are very, very nice indeed. Mountain Bike Action did a test many years ago - back in the heyday of QRs as the bling thing you had to have - and found they generated more clamping force than any other aftermarket QR. They were as good, if memory serves, as Shimano's much heavier steel QRs of the time.

    On the cam issue that a few people have mentioned, the problem is that some QRs don't reduce the tension slightly when they're fully closed.

    Try this with a Shimano QR. Close it slowly so you can tell how much force you're using to push the lever. Notice that the force drops very slightly after the lever is at the 90-degree, almost-closed point. That's because it goes past the highest point of the cam.

    In order to open, the lever of a closed skewer therefore has to be moved in such a way that the tension in the QR rod increases. That can't happen just by the thing vibrating - unless the QR doesn't have this 'over-centre-cam' design.

    I've been sent non-over-centre-cam QRs for review in the past and just sent them straight back. I like my teeth right where they are.
    John Stevenson
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Sheldon 'God' brown has a great article on QR design.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • neil_uk
    neil_uk Posts: 289
    problem is that some QRs don't reduce the tension slightly when they're fully closed
    My hope seat clamp on my hardtail is like that.... the tension increases all the way till the fully closed postion
  • deanvw
    deanvw Posts: 412
    my QR Skewers keep coming undone! help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    http://mtbdean.pinkbike.com/

    Kona Scrap
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Do them up properly? You know how right?
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • deanvw
    deanvw Posts: 412
    yh of course.lol but they keep slipping and the wheel hits the left hand side of the frame.
    http://mtbdean.pinkbike.com/

    Kona Scrap
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    The wheel is the right size for the frame I take it? How tight do you do the nut up before flipping the lever? You want to feel the resistance rapidily increase at 90 degrees, or just past as you flip it shut.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    deanvw wrote:
    yh of course.lol but they keep slipping and the wheel hits the left hand side of the frame.
    Have you wound the nut on the other side up fully enough? Notwithstanding Sheldon's comments about tension, it would seem to be quite difficult for a fully tightened QR to slip.
  • deanvw
    deanvw Posts: 412
    it is a 17" frame and i have got a 26" original disc rear wheel on it. also i do the nut up tight enough that i really do have to turn it until it stops turning. then i have a hard job doing the lever up becasue its tight. also it looks as if there was a 'slit' design what made it stay there. but has worn out.
    http://mtbdean.pinkbike.com/

    Kona Scrap
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I'd go and get a Shimano deore skewer, and do it up properly, nit as tight as that.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/

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