Quick release lever position

earth
earth Posts: 934
edited February 2014 in Road general
One for the racers and club riders I think.

When you close the quick release on the front wheel do you have the lever in front of or behind the fork leg?

I've always put it behind, but I am aware in close bunches people don't want the lever of another rider going into the spokes of their wheel. Spokes travel anti-clockwise when rolling forward. If I put the lever in front of the fork then it may get caught in spokes travelling down from the 12 o'clock to the 6 o'clock but if I put it behind the spokes then II picture it possible being caught in spokes travelling up.

I'm not really sure there is anything that can be done to reduce the risk.

Finally, what about the rear lever?
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Comments

  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    edited February 2014
    Has that scenario ever actually happened?
    For me:front behind fork,rear under chainstay, for no real reason. I'd describe myself as a mediocre club cyclisr.
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I do a lot of club/group rides and that issue has never been mentioned. I will have a moan about half wheeling though, particularly when folks sneak up on the inside.
  • earth
    earth Posts: 934
    Don't know if it has ever happened but I've heard people talk about it sometimes.
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    edited February 2014
    Doubt it's ever happened. I've been a club cyclist for yonks and never heard of it happening. Reasons will be purely aesthetic.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    How would it happen if the lever is behind the fork or stay???
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    ride_whenever wrote:
    How would it happen if the lever is behind the fork or stay???
    Because the front qr lever points back, a spoke could get hooked on it. But it's just nonsense.
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    If someone is that stupid to ride that close to you in a club ride, someone is going to hit the deck regardless
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I'm going to have a play tomorrow with the bikes, but I suspect it is pretty much impossible...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    ride_whenever wrote:
    I'm going to have a play tomorrow with the bikes, but I suspect it is pretty much impossible...
    I've beaten u to it. You're right.
  • crankycrank
    crankycrank Posts: 1,830
    I was always taught to have the lever at roughly the 2 o'clock position for the reason of preventing something snagging it such as a tree branch or whatever. I have no idea where this originated and it sounds logical but in 50 years of riding I've never heard of a single person have their quick release opened due to catching on any protruding objects. I think it's safe to say you can put them anywhere you please except downwards which is like putting your shorts on backwards (still fully functional but just looks wrong if you care about such things).
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Sure I saw a video on youtube ages ago where the guy managed to keep control of his bike whilst going really fast in a group of riders. Think he fell off once he had safely got to the side of the road, but had slowed down to a reasonable speed by then.

    People who commented did not seem to know what had caused the problem, and I remember thinking that maybe his front QR had opened, maybe after contacting another bike.
    Guess it could have just broken or could have been something else completely, but it looked like the wheel was unsecured.

    I put generally put my front behind the fork and rear between seat stay and frame stay.
    This is for neatness rather than aero dynamics or collision protection though.

    Next time I am out on a club ride I might put them in odd positions and see if anyone moans at me :lol:
  • littledove44
    littledove44 Posts: 871
    Rule 41 !!!!!

    "Quick release angle on the front skewer shall be an upward angle which tightens just aft of the fork and the rear quick release shall tighten at an angle that bisects angle between the seat and chain stays. It is acceptable, however, to have the rear quick release tighten upward, just aft of the seat stay, when the construction of the frame or its dropouts will not allow the preferred positioning. For Time Trial bikes only, quick releases may be in the horizontal position facing towards the rear of the bike. This is for maximum aero effect."
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    /\ -another stupid rule not to follow........

    It's probably only an issue for MTBers - a skewer with any forward facing aspect is more likely to snag a bit of bramble or whatever - it doesn't matter much if it opens the skewer or not if it's pulled you off the bike! The only angle that maybe really does have a negative is directly downwards as that makes it difficult to spot if it was loose or tight - but even that seems a little far fetched.

    Backwards or inline with the fork probably looks nicest and that's realistically all that matters for us! I go for the former.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • BillyMansell
    BillyMansell Posts: 817
    Another piece of over-thinking cycling methinks. Avoid having obvious protuberances on your bike and don't go riding into each other's wheels. On a club ride if you're continually riding so close to be placing the front axle in another's rear wheel you're an accident waiting to happen.

    The video Carbonator may be referring to is the one of the guy riding on aero bars in a group - an accident waiting to happen. In that case he rode into the side of another's rear wheel and as the rear axle width of bikes are wider and a steeper angle than the front then the rear wheel entered the front wheel first. (that'll get some over-thinking that explanation :lol: )
  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    allen key skewers. usually if i've got to take the wheel off i'm getting the tool kit out anyway. i don't race so quick release is not needed.

    and allen key skewers are lighter and more aero. ;-)

    if the spokes of another bike snag your qr lever, they've already hit you.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    The local crit circuit has some posters about QR skewer position to minimize the risk of err skewering someone in a crash.
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    littledove44 wrote:
    Rule 41 !!!!!

    "Quick release angle on the front skewer shall be an upward angle which tightens just aft of the fork and the rear quick release shall tighten at an angle that bisects angle between the seat and chain stays. It is acceptable, however, to have the rear quick release tighten upward, just aft of the seat stay, when the construction of the frame or its dropouts will not allow the preferred positioning. For Time Trial bikes only, quick releases may be in the horizontal position facing towards the rear of the bike. This is for maximum aero effect."

    arrrghhh :(
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    bernithebiker wrote:
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.

    Surely those guys involved in the incident were riding far too close together?
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Ben6899 wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.

    Surely those guys involved in the incident were riding far too close together?

    You would have thought so. Anyone who can get a spoke caught in my QR is waaaay too close.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    littledove44 wrote:
    Rule 41 !!!!!

    "Quick release angle on the front skewer shall be an upward angle which tightens just aft of the fork and the rear quick release shall tighten at an angle that bisects angle between the seat and chain stays. It is acceptable, however, to have the rear quick release tighten upward, just aft of the seat stay, when the construction of the frame or its dropouts will not allow the preferred positioning. For Time Trial bikes only, quick releases may be in the horizontal position facing towards the rear of the bike. This is for maximum aero effect."
    The only "rule " we need is one stating that quoting of "the rules" shall result in a punch to the face....

    Disclaimer: I do not in reality either encourage or condone face punching
  • DiscoBoy
    DiscoBoy Posts: 905
    Bobbinogs wrote:
    Ben6899 wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.

    Surely those guys involved in the incident were riding far too close together?

    You would have thought so. Anyone who can get a spoke caught in my QR is waaaay too close.

    Never mind close, he's half wheeling...
    Red bikes are the fastest.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Ben6899 wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.

    Surely those guys involved in the incident were riding far too close together?

    yeah, I guess so, but hey, sh*t happens.

    Noone's perfect - someone may have to swerve, slow quickly, whatever. Even with the very best discipline, things can go wrong. Better then not to have sticky outy QR's that can catch spokes.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    ^^^

    Fair point.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    If you don't race in a tight pack the chances of your QR acting as a hook are zero... fold it up where you like... I have never seen anybody catching it
    left the forum March 2023
  • BillyMansell
    BillyMansell Posts: 817
    bernithebiker wrote:
    Ben6899 wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    On our group ride before Xmas, a rider got his rear wheel caught in the front QR of the guy behind.

    One of his spokes went twang and he was out of the ride.

    Don't know what position the guys' QR was in, but clearly it posed a danger to a wheel ahead.

    I use bolt on's, light and no sticky outy bits.

    Surely those guys involved in the incident were riding far too close together?

    yeah, I guess so, but hey, sh*t happens.

    Noone's perfect - someone may have to swerve, slow quickly, whatever. Even with the very best discipline, things can go wrong. Better then not to have sticky outy QR's that can catch spokes.
    Don't forget to also remove chain, rear mech, pedals, brake levers and handlebars as they can all get stuck in wheels if things go wrong. You may also want to remove fingers from hands as getting them stuck in a wheel when things go wrong can have a double impact.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    If you ride in a club you will always find the young Cat. 4 rider with his immense experience of high end racing pointing at your floppy QR and lecturing you on how it should be done... Show him your mid finger pointing up and you're even... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    If you don't race in a tight pack the chances of your QR acting as a hook are zero... fold it up where you like... I have never seen anybody catching it

    Well I saw it happen, about 4 months ago. Was just behind the 2 riders in question.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    bernithebiker wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    If you don't race in a tight pack the chances of your QR acting as a hook are zero... fold it up where you like... I have never seen anybody catching it

    Well I saw it happen, about 4 months ago. Was just behind the 2 riders in question.

    There has to be someone who witness these things or the legend would die... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    If you don't race in a tight pack the chances of your QR acting as a hook are zero... fold it up where you like... I have never seen anybody catching it

    Well I saw it happen, about 4 months ago. Was just behind the 2 riders in question.

    There has to be someone who witness these things or the legend would die... :wink:

    In your opinion then, what was it on the front of the offending bike that broke a spoke of the rear wheel of the guy in front?

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