Quick release hubs.

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Discussion

ferrisbueller

Original Poster:

29,976 posts

239 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
How stiff should the mechanism be when you tighten them up?

saddle bum

4,211 posts

231 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
It depends on the make of hub, as the rate of closure can vary between manufacturers.

Generally, the lever should start to bind just as it passes the point where it is at right angles to the wheel. If it won't go right home, slacken the nut off a bit.

Most levers go past the optimum and slaken a very small amount to make sure they cannot shake loose. Levers should be LH side of the machine (near side). The front normally lies parallel, leading the fork, the rear under the chain stay pointing towards the front.

If your frame still has "Lawyers' Lugs" on the front forks, consider removing them.

ferrisbueller

Original Poster:

29,976 posts

239 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
saddle bum said:
It depends on the make of hub, as the rate of closure can vary between manufacturers.

Generally, the lever should start to bind just as it passes the point where it is at right angles to the wheel. If it won't go right home, slacken the nut off a bit.

Most levers go past the optimum and slaken a very small amount to make sure they cannot shake loose. Levers should be LH side of the machine (near side). The front normally lies parallel, leading the fork, the rear under the chain stay pointing towards the front.

If your frame still has "Lawyers' Lugs" on the front forks, consider removing them.


Thanks for that, I think mine may be overly tight. What are lawyers lugs?

Locoblade

7,651 posts

268 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
Out of interest why should the QR be on the left of the bike?

I suspect Lawyers Lugs are where the dropouts have a little lump either side of where the wheel pulls out, so that if the QR becomes slightly loose, the wheel still can't drop out. The downside of them is that you have to almost completely undo the QR skewer to get the wheel out, which kind of makes them not so QR!

I think the most important thing is that you shouldnt leave the lever sticking out, it needs to go round enough to sit parallel to the line of the wheel, partly because if left sticking out it can catch things on the trail, but mainly because its an over-centre design as mentioned above, so if left sticking out its natural tendancy is to loosen, but if parallel to the wheel it tries to tighten if anything.

Edited by Locoblade on Tuesday 31st October 19:10

sjg

7,579 posts

277 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
I certainly wouldn't advocate removing the "lawyers lugs", particularly if you run disc brakes. Most can generate big forces towards the open end of the dropout and, if the skewer did loosen mid-descent, could be the difference between noticing a loose skewer at the bottom and a big off midway down.

The mechanism itself should be as tight as possible but so you can still close the lever by hand.

Traditionally the levers were on the left side of the bike, just because on the rear it's the less cluttered side, and the front matches to look nice. These days, if you run discs, it's worth putting it on the other side because you're less likely to press your hand/wrist/arm against a nice hot disc when you undo the wheel!

It doesn't make a difference at all though which way round they go, or what direction the lever points in, it still works the same. Use whatever you feel like - I prefer mine pointing backwards because they're less likely to get caught on something.

ferrisbueller

Original Poster:

29,976 posts

239 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
sjg said:
I certainly wouldn't advocate removing the "lawyers lugs", particularly if you run disc brakes. Most can generate big forces towards the open end of the dropout and, if the skewer did loosen mid-descent, could be the difference between noticing a loose skewer at the bottom and a big off midway down.

The mechanism itself should be as tight as possible but so you can still close the lever by hand.

Traditionally the levers were on the left side of the bike, just because on the rear it's the less cluttered side, and the front matches to look nice. These days, if you run discs, it's worth putting it on the other side because you're less likely to press your hand/wrist/arm against a nice hot disc when you undo the wheel!

It doesn't make a difference at all though which way round they go, or what direction the lever points in, it still works the same. Use whatever you feel like - I prefer mine pointing backwards because they're less likely to get caught on something.


Thanks. My only worry was over tightening them.

Locoblade

7,651 posts

268 months

Tuesday 31st October 2006
quotequote all
sjg said:

Traditionally the levers were on the left side of the bike, just because on the rear it's the less cluttered side, and the front matches to look nice. These days, if you run discs, it's worth putting it on the other side because you're less likely to press your hand/wrist/arm against a nice hot disc when you undo the wheel!

It doesn't make a difference at all though which way round they go, or what direction the lever points in, it still works the same. Use whatever you feel like - I prefer mine pointing backwards because they're less likely to get caught on something.


Yeh thats pretty much what I thought, I run my front QR on the right of the fork so that its not near the disk as you say, and also so that it tucks under the base of the fork and points backwards, as opposed to on the other side needing to point more downwards due to its shape and interfering with the base of the fork.

pdV6

16,442 posts

273 months

Wednesday 1st November 2006
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I never point the rear one forwards under the chainstay as it just gets clogged with leaves & general trail crap. Obviously doesn't apply to road bikes.

rico

7,916 posts

267 months

Wednesday 1st November 2006
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Re. the side which the levers go.

I personally run the front lever on the opposite side to the disc. Then the rear one on the opposite side to the mech. I don't think it really matters.