Does it matter if front wheel is mounted other way round?

Jamey

I changed the tube on my front wheel last night and stupidly put the wheel back on the wrong way round, so the quick release handle is on the opposite side to the one on the rear wheel.

Ordinarily I'd just swap it around but because I've got brand new brake blocks, the only way to get the tyre past the brake arms is to deflate it and, provided there's no harm in having it this way round, I can't be arsed

So... Does it matter? Will it cause any damage?

Lagavulin

If you can't be arsed to deflate, remove and remount the wheel and then inflate the tyre can you be bothered to remove the the QR and put it on the other way?

graeme_s-2

Unless your tyre has a directional tread, then I doubt there's any problem.

On the other hand I reckon just deflating the tyre, swapping it round and re-inflating it probably would have been quicker than posting about it here

psychle

It doesn't matter and won't do any harm. The front wheel can be mounted any way round - unless you have disk brakes?

Sometimes tyres have rotation direction indicators which would dictate which way round the wheel should go back on the bike. And if you have a magnet on the spokes it will have to remain on the side where the computer sensor is.

You could also just remove the quick release skewer and fit it the other way round.

As for the tyre/brake block issue, most brakes have some form of quick release which allows the blocks to spread wider than normal to allow an inflated tyre to pass. This can be on the brake lever or on the brake caliper. Or just unhook the cantilever or v-brake wire.

DavidTQ

psychle wrote:

It doesn't matter and won't do any harm. The front wheel can be mounted any way round - unless you have disk brakes?

Sometimes tyres have rotation direction indicators which would dictate which way round the wheel should go back on the bike. And if you have a magnet on the spokes it will have to remain on the side where the computer sensor is.

You could also just remove the quick release skewer and fit it the other way round.

As for the tyre/brake block issue, most brakes have some form of quick release which allows the blocks to spread wider than normal to allow an inflated tyre to pass. This can be on the brake lever or on the brake caliper. Or just unhook the cantilever or v-brake wire.

After many years break from cycling I was amazed at the ingenuiety of the tiny little lever on my road brake calipers to let me remove the wheel without adjusting brakes or deflating tyres simple things and simple minds

DavidBelcher

Graeme_S wrote:

Unless your tyre has a directional tread, then I doubt there's any problem.

On the other hand I reckon just deflating the tyre, swapping it round and re-inflating it probably would have been quicker than posting about it here

Also, if you've a spoke-mounted speedo magnet, don't forget to have it on the correct side to make sure the sensor will still work!

David

Eat My Dust

DavidTQ wrote:

After many years break from cycling I was amazed at the ingenuiety of the tiny little lever on my road brake calipers to let me remove the wheel without adjusting brakes or deflating tyres simple things and simple minds

lol, I originally thought it was for adjusting your brakes when they were worn, so when I put new pads on I always adjusted everything so that the lever was fully out. I didn't even think about it until I took my bike to the LBS and the mechanic there looked puzzled, pushed it all the way in and then said that I would need my brakes adjusted properly. D'oh!!

psychle

Eat My Dust wrote:

DavidTQ wrote:

After many years break from cycling I was amazed at the ingenuiety of the tiny little lever on my road brake calipers to let me remove the wheel without adjusting brakes or deflating tyres simple things and simple minds

lol, I originally thought it was for adjusting your brakes when they were worn, so when I put new pads on I always adjusted everything so that the lever was fully out. I didn't even think about it until I took my bike to the LBS and the mechanic there looked puzzled, pushed it all the way in and then said that I would need my brakes adjusted properly. D'oh!!

I remember collecting my first Campag equipped bike from the shop, oh the excitement. I went to remove the front wheel to put it in the car and there was no quick release on the caliper! I was so disappointed.
I don't know how many weeks/months later it was before I noticed a little sliding barrel on the brake lever which performed the same function. :oops:

Mental note: Do not mix Shimano levers with Campag calipers.

DavidTQ

Eat My Dust wrote:

DavidTQ wrote:

After many years break from cycling I was amazed at the ingenuiety of the tiny little lever on my road brake calipers to let me remove the wheel without adjusting brakes or deflating tyres simple things and simple minds

lol, I originally thought it was for adjusting your brakes when they were worn, so when I put new pads on I always adjusted everything so that the lever was fully out. I didn't even think about it until I took my bike to the LBS and the mechanic there looked puzzled, pushed it all the way in and then said that I would need my brakes adjusted properly. D'oh!!

That was my first thought on it as well, as I was assembling the bike and adjusting stuff (internet order came "mostly" assembled), when I got to the brakes my first thought was that the lever was for adjusting, then I realised there was a second way of adjusting the brakes with the threaded cable adjuster on the caliper, Think it took me a while still to figure out exactly what the lever was for, but I do remember thinking it was such an ingenious solution - compared to the last caliper brakes I had on a no name bmx many years ago

Lagavulin

How long have quick release brakes been common place on road/racing bikes?

I only ask as I dug my dad's old Flying Scot out of the garage yesterday and it had quick releases on his Weimann brake levers. They still worked too. :shock:

I've no idea how old it is and he's away on holiday at the moment but I'm guessing it's a fair old age.

beatsystem

I had them on my bike in 1965!!

keef66

I had Weinmann brake levers with them on a bike I bought second hand in 1973

John.T

I had them on my GB Courear brakes in 1958.

biondino

I had them on my boneshaker in 1875.

graeme_s-2

biondino wrote:

I had them on my boneshaker in 1875.

Brilliant