The whole quick release on fixed thing....

gtitim

Pardon my ignorance but i'm new to the world of fixed wheel riding. I just got a new fixed wheel bike (another person who couldn't resist the Pearsons offer on the Tricross). I haven't been able to ride it yet because of illness but i'm keen to ride it fixed rather than singlespeed. However I like the idea of being able to flip the wheel over during a ride.

Is it bad to have a quick release skewer on the rear, assuming that I use a tuggnut and decent skewers and tighten it to the max?

Thanks for your advice. Sorry if this has been asked before.

meagain

"Fine" I reckon, BUT surely the stock Tricross doesn't have a Q/R rear axle? Mine doesn't! And nor, I think, do most of the readily available off-the-shelf fixed rears?

ride_whenever

It's fine with a chain tug on the drive side, but as a bove, i'm pretty sure the tricross has nutted axles

gtitim

I intend on changing the wheels

cougie

If you have the chain tugs - then you would prob be OK. If you havent - then I'd not risk it.

I have a flip flop and I've never been arsed to change it from fixed. If I wanted single speed I'd just have not bothered changing gears on my normal bike.

And yeah - you'd need a new wheel built. Seems a lot of hassle to avoid some spanners.

gtitim

Yeah thinking about it, it probably isn't worth it. Thanks for the advice guys.

ColinJ

What makes it more likely that you would pull a wheel loose on a fixed-wheel bike than one with a freewheel? Yes, I do realise that the consequences might be much worse on fixed so you wouldn't want it to happen.

I have never managed tp pull a wheel loose and I've stood up on 25% climbs and put the best part of 16 stone down on the pedals. I know people whose QR's have slipped but that's because they bought cheap & nasty or expensive & skimpy ones. Good old-fashioned Campagnolo or Shimano QRs are perfectly reliable if done up properly.

gtitim

"What makes it more likely that you would pull a wheel loose on a fixed-wheel bike than one with a freewheel?"

Horizontal dropouts I guess.

meagain

"Good old-fashioned Campagnolo or Shimano QRs are perfectly reliable if done up properly."

Precisely so.

ColinJ

gtitim wrote:

"What makes it more likely that you would pull a wheel loose on a fixed-wheel bike than one with a freewheel?"

Horizontal dropouts I guess.

I was talking about bikes with horizontal dropouts. They happened to have freewheels too, and I've never had a problem pulling those wheels loose - not from want of trying.

Here's an example - my single-speed Basso (okay, it has semi-horizontal dropouts but if the QRs came loose, so would the wheel).

mattsccm

I'm with ColinJ . Always used QR. 1st thing I did on my Singlecross was to swap the axle. Who said a new wheel was needed? Old Campag or Shimano. Used this on na variety of horizontal ends, both forward and rear facing.

GarethPJ

If you think you have the legs to pull a QR axle out of line consider that for many years the top pros rode geared bikes with QRs and horizontal dropouts. I don't think I ever saw the canibal pull his rear wheel out of line. Do any of you really believe you have stronger legs than possibly the most ferrocious cyclists who ever lived?

mankybianchi

I've been using older Campag QR on a fixed wheel for 5 years with no problems. My horizontal dropouts are also chromed!

nielsamd

While this skewer topic is up.. what do people think is a better theft deterrant (i.e. move along to next bike, not mine).
All things being equal, i.e. someone who snips cable locks, obviously a quick release skewer makes it easy, but would a thief prefer a regular bolted axle or one with an allen key fitting e.g. Halo type. ?
Thanks in advance to any honest (?) thieves who reply.....

GarethPJ

nielsamd wrote:

While this skewer topic is up.. what do people think is a better theft deterrant (i.e. move along to next bike, not mine).
All things being equal, i.e. someone who snips cable locks, obviously a quick release skewer makes it easy, but would a thief prefer a regular bolted axle or one with an allen key fitting e.g. Halo type. ?
Thanks in advance to any honest (?) thieves who reply.....

The sort of thief who carries bolt croppers is liable to carry other tools as well. It appears that allen keys are a popular accessory among thieving scrotes herabouts, as bits like saddles are often lifted. One bloke at work had his allen bolted front wheel nicked when he left his bike outside a shop for ten minutes. A spanner might be less likely, but I wouldn't put it past the average lowlife to be carrying one of those dumbell spanners.

A front QR is useful so you can remove the front wheel and U-lock it to the rear and the frame when you park.

Pitlock skewers are an excelent security idea. A determined thief could have their way past virtually any security device so they could probably be cut or ground off, but how much does that thief want your wheels?

nielsamd

Thanks for the Pit Lock Skewer tip. Anything to slow them down or give them more work, even after they've nicked it, is good deterrance in my book. You usually only have to be more secure than the better bike parked next to yours.

GarethPJ

nielsamd wrote:

Thanks for the Pit Lock Skewer tip. Anything to slow them down or give them more work, even after they've nicked it, is good deterrance in my book. You usually only have to be more secure than the better bike parked next to yours.

And whenever possible make sure you park next to something really expensive. No too difficult in my case, virtually everything is better than my commuter hack!