Question about thru axles..

[Mr. Cow]

Hi,

I am in the market for a new road bike and have a few possibles, but I see they all seem to be through axles these days.
Can anyone tell me if the dropouts on thru axle frames are "hooked" like my existing frame or if it is literally a complete circular hole that accepts the thru axle? If so how does the wheel "sit" in the frame, or does it just depend on how good you are lining the wheel/frame up before inserting the axle?
Thanks!

 

[Smokin Joe]

The through axels fit through a hole in the dropout. They are a close enough fit to make the wheel self-aligning.

 

[Alex321]

Mine has a semicircular ridge that the wheel locates against, making it very easy to push the thru-axle through it.

 

[Velochris]

Of the three disc bikes I have owned all of them have had some form of lip to help the frame and fork sit on the axle whilst you insert the thru axle.

 

[wafter]

As above; you drop the wheel into place and the ends of the hub engage a concave lip on the inside of each "dropout", aligning it close enough to insert the axle (potentially with a bit of a waggle). Feels like a nicer solution than the typical QR tbh.

 

[Velochris]

When I was thinking about swapping to disc I thought it might be a problem. Just takes a bit of getting used to but once you do it is fine.

Found aligning the rear rotor with the rear caliper more difficult than the thru axles themselves.

 

[Specialeyes]

As everyone has mentioned above, the dropouts have a D-shaped lip to them, so the wheel aligns itself. It's easier to concentrate on aligning the disc through the brake caliper and the axle just follows. 👍

 

[Mr. Cow]

Thanks all,
Yes I was wondering how easy it is to line it all up bearing in mind the disk brake, rear sprocket and thru axel all at the same time
Also my other query is on my current bike my rear dropouts have worn so much that a straight true and dished wheel sits off centre and very close to one of the chainstays (carbon droputs). I can only presume these have worn over the years due to the wheel being removed/inserted many times? Is this sort of wear something that would still happen with thru axels? Should I look for dropouts that aren't carbon or are reinforced in some way?

Thanks

 

[wafter]

I'd think it odd that fitting and removing the wheel would cause sufficient wear to offset the wheel in the chainstays; probably something that wants looking into on safety grounds tbh as it could be a symptom of something more serious.

This can't happen with thru-axles as they pass through a complete hole on either side, rather than sliding into an open hole / slot as QR's do (and subsequently have the potential to move if not sufficiently tightened).

 

[Mr. Cow]

I'd think it odd that fitting and removing the wheel would cause sufficient wear to offset the wheel in the chainstays; probably something that wants looking into on safety grounds tbh as it could be a symptom of something more serious.

This can't happen with thru-axles as they pass through a complete hole on either side, rather than sliding into an open hole / slot as QR's do (and subsequently have the potential to move if not sufficiently tightened).

Thanks, it's quite an old bike and done a good 30k, maybe it's just wear and tear or I've not beein tightening the skewers up properly over the years as you say. Shame really, nice ride otherwise but it'll probably be relegated to trainer duties

 

[Ajax Bay]

Redish the wheel to suit the dropouts? How do you know it's dished sufficiently?

 

[cougie uk]

Thanks all,
Yes I was wondering how easy it is to line it all up bearing in mind the disk brake, rear sprocket and thru axel all at the same time
Also my other query is on my current bike my rear dropouts have worn so much that a straight true and dished wheel sits off centre and very close to one of the chainstays (carbon droputs). I can only presume these have worn over the years due to the wheel being removed/inserted many times? Is this sort of wear something that would still happen with thru axels? Should I look for dropouts that aren't carbon or are reinforced in some way?

Thanks

Are you sure that isn't part of the design ? I'd think that the wheel is in the centre but the drive side chainstay might look closer to the wheel as it is often made thicker due to the forces on that side ?

 

[DRM]

Mine has a semicircular ridge that the wheel locates against, making it very easy to push the thru-axle through it.

As well as the above ^^^ mine has a threaded bush in the front fork that can fall out, but I suppose if it becomes damaged it can be replaced