DA9000 Skewers

bobbydazzla
bobbydazzla Posts: 289
edited February 2015 in Workshop
Anyone had any problems with Dura Ace 9000 skewers fitting into a frame ?

I've got a Canyon Ultimate and the rear skewer is proving very difficult to close and spinning the lever has resulted in paint being scraped off the dropout. It seems like the lever is too big to fit comfortably into the dropout.

Just switched from Mavic skewers and they were fine.

Comments

  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Sometimes internal cam skewers need a bit of care when you're selecting the position to close them in. You should be able to point the lever into the triangle if not backwards?
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    Thanks for the advice. I can get the QR to close if it's in the triangle but tightening takes a while because the lever won't spin without scraping the dropout.

    I'm used to the Mavics spinning and closing in seconds.

    Maybe the DA skewers will start to ease up a bit after a bit of use.
  • bondurant
    bondurant Posts: 858
    You could just tighten the drive side nut instead of spinning the lever? Maybe I've misunderstood what your issue is though
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    You should never close the quick release by spinning it until it tightens! You will not achieve the necessary closing force that way.

    The way to use it is to adjust the nut on the other end until pushing the lever closed leaves an imprint on the palm of your hand.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    Just to confirm, I spin the lever initially to start closing the QR, then twist the nut to find the required tension before closing the QR lever. Nothing unusual in that I think ?

    But with the DA skewer the lever won't spin smoothly once it gets near the dropout because it scrapes against the frame and the nut is also very hard to turn as there's a lot of resistance.

    I've used plenty of other QR skewers and never had this problem before.
  • dgunthor
    dgunthor Posts: 644
    as other poster said, just hold the lever and spin the nut on the other end == problem solved
  • kettrinboy
    kettrinboy Posts: 613
    I did the same as the OP when first doing up the DA skewers on the C50 wheels I had put on my Venge , the levers and cam housing are a fair bit bulkier than a lot of other skewers and you can only close them in a certain position or as the OP said you will scrape paint off the dropout on some bikes , although the DA skewers are a bit heavy they look good and clamp the wheels very securely , I wouldn't trust some of these ultra lightweight skewers they just don't look robust enough to me though they probably work ok.
  • agent nomad
    agent nomad Posts: 93
    Also some frames have a bit of spring in them and are wider so you need to have the QR wider then tighten it a bit once firm contact has been made with the QR arm straight in line with the axle the QR should be turned/folded in 90deg to provide the correct tension.
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    Seems like the guy with the C50 wheels has had the same problem. I think the large size of the lever mechanism and the excessive stiffness of the nut at the other end is the combination that's causing the problem. And maybe the Canyon frame design is making things worse.

    Will persevere for a bit and hopefully the nut will be less stiff after some use, but if it doesn't ease up I'll get some different skewers. Which will be a shame as the DA ones are so highly regarded.

    Will also have to look into repairing the scratched paint on the dropout now too....
  • pippi_langsamer-2
    pippi_langsamer-2 Posts: 1,470
    C50 9000's here as well, and I can confirm the QR levers do indeed require slighly more thought (approx two seconds), than "standard", QR's. Other than that, they're great wheels and skewers!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    They're crap, send them to me... I'd be happy to use them... I can exchange them for a pair of fancy Novatec black and red or a pair of Chosen full black
    left the forum March 2023
  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    Will also have to look into repairing the scratched paint on the dropout now too....

    Have a word with yourself; I'd rather use a quick release against the metal or carbon of a frame than against some paint. It's about clamping your wheels into the frame; quite an important thing...
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    crikey wrote:
    Will also have to look into repairing the scratched paint on the dropout now too....

    Have a word with yourself; I'd rather use a quick release against the metal or carbon of a frame than against some paint. It's about clamping your wheels into the frame; quite an important thing...

    Thanks, that's invaluable insight. You're right, I'll not bother trying to tidy up the scratched frame, there's really no point. Can't believe I was even considering it.
  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    Dropouts get scratched. Stop being so precious about it, it's a bike, a tool, not an ornament.
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    bobbydazzla wrote:
    crikey wrote:
    Will also have to look into repairing the scratched paint on the dropout now too....

    Have a word with yourself; I'd rather use a quick release against the metal or carbon of a frame than against some paint. It's about clamping your wheels into the frame; quite an important thing...

    Thanks, that's invaluable insight. You're right, I'll not bother trying to tidy up the scratched frame, there's really no point. Can't believe I was even considering it.

    If you turned the nut and not the QR, it wouldnt scratch the dropout? the paint on a drop out will never last but i understand its your pride and joy right now but that wont last, especially when some cnut leans his bike on yours or you bin it.
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    crikey wrote:
    Dropouts get scratched. Stop being so precious about it, it's a bike, a tool, not an ornament.

    Good point. I hadn't considered that. I've decided to change my attitude and turn a blind eye to any cosmetic imperfections. The wife will be pleased.
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    edited February 2015
    mamba80 wrote:
    bobbydazzla wrote:
    crikey wrote:
    Will also have to look into repairing the scratched paint on the dropout now too....

    Have a word with yourself; I'd rather use a quick release against the metal or carbon of a frame than against some paint. It's about clamping your wheels into the frame; quite an important thing...

    Thanks, that's invaluable insight. You're right, I'll not bother trying to tidy up the scratched frame, there's really no point. Can't believe I was even considering it.

    If you turned the nut and not the QR, it wouldnt scratch the dropout? the paint on a drop out will never last but i understand its your pride and joy right now but that wont last, especially when some cnut leans his bike on yours or you bin it.

    That's the problem - the nut is very stiff and difficult to turn, much more difficult than any other QR I've used. That's why I asked if anyone else had experienced similar issues with DA9000 skewers and it seems that a couple of other people had.

    Hopefully the nut will become easier to turn with a bit of use and that may sort things out.

    And agree about the paint, but it should only be a 5 minute job to touch up the frame with a paint pen from Halfords or something similar.
  • DKay
    DKay Posts: 1,652
    Are the DA skewers any different to the standard Shimano skewers that are supplied with a set of RS11s, etc? I only use these on all of my bikes as they're cheap, well made and work better than any other skewer I've used.
    N
    N+1
  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    Seriously, rather than poking each other with virtual sticks for a moment, dropouts get knackered by quick releases. It's inevitable, they just do.

    Paint gets worn off very quickly after being compressed by the QR, and the more times you take the wheels out, the more it flakes off. The clamping is better when it occurs direct to the frame material rather than over a layer of paint.

    I have a bike with alloy dropouts on a carbon frame and it looks the same as it did when it left the shop (16 years ago!) I also have an all carbon frame and the dropouts are now bare carbon and yes, it looks a bit tatty, but no one cares because that's what happens.

    I will also add that if your wife is concerned about paint loss from your dropouts I'll eat any one of my large collection of hats.
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    I agree that damage to the dropouts it's inevitable and until now I've not bothered tidying up little scratches and scrapes. But the new QR has scraped off a noticeable chunk of paint so I'm going to try and do some quick repairs in this instance.

    And your hat collection is safe. My wife doesn't have a clue what a dropout is, but she's definitely concerned about cosmetic imperfections. So if I can turn a blind eye to them, she'll be happy.
  • crikey
    crikey Posts: 362
    You old romantic, you! :wink:

    I do have a ridiculous collection of cycling hats; about 25 at last count, but none are particularly edible...
  • Rodrego Hernandez
    Rodrego Hernandez Posts: 1,436
    What on earth are you doing tightening the rear QR in that way?

    To remove the rear wheel simply open the rear QR and the wheel will drop out. To fit the rear wheel simple insert it between the rear dropouts etc and then close the rear QR lever.

    Twisting the skewer to open the gap more is only necessary on front wheels with the 'safety' tabs present. Rear drop outs do not have these.

Categories