Quick Release - how much torque?

[Zippy]

Hi. I was fitting my rear wheel back into the frame (MTB), snugged down the QR skewer and tested it for tightness by locking the front brake with my left hand, right hand on the saddle and standing on the left pedal - not astride the bike but standing on the pedal.

The rear wheel pulled out of the frame.

I locked it down tighter and this seemed to do the trick, but I tightened the skewer with a lever as it seemed to need far tighter than hand tight. Makes me wonder what I would do then if I needed to take the rear wheel out during a ride.

I am new to SPD pedals and I am concerned about the consequence of me pulling off and pulling the rear wheel out of its brackets! Could be fatal. However, I always pull off in my easiest gear so the torque is far less than the test I describe above.

The question is should I be able to do this test and expect the wheel to stay put or am I expecting too much of a QR mech?

Skewer is relatively new with a fair bit of bite and frame is clean and dry at the gripping point. However the jaws on the frame are quite shallow so once the spindle is pulled forward the wheel falls out.

(Specialised Hard Rock) - on one side the wheel jaw is blocked midpoint to form a hole which I have never worked out its purpose; stops the wheel from being snugged right back in the spindle housing on this side. I hope you know what I mean!

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I personally tighten the nut so that the qr lever is horizontal without putting any pressure on it. When pressed fully home, I have never had a problem. No doubt someone will disagree.

 

[Joe24]

You cant have done it up tight enough then
Its pretty simple to do it(im sure the squewers on your bike are just the same as on mine) you grab hold of non clamping end, and tighten up with the clamping end by spinning it. Then, just grab hold of it and force it over.
Might have to loosen it or tighten it more, depending on if its too hard to get on or too loose.
I have rode fixed with a quick release, and its pulled the wheel forward slightly, but not all the way out of the frame, and ive put alot of power through it.
I did tighten that up one time by putting it pretty tight onto the frame by twisting it, then when you push the lever down, i pushed it as far over as i could with my thumb(about half way) then stood on it.
I did this a few times, then one time i did it too hard and BANG
The other end of the quick release went shooting out and wacked the other side of the shed

 

[bonj2]

you should certainly not be "torqueing up" QR skewers.
If the wheel is coming off then there is something else drastically wrong with the bike or something you are not doing right.
have a read of http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=160
in particular step 5:

For most skewers, hold lever parallel to the hub axle, which is half way through its swing from fully open to fully closed. Tighten adjusting nut snug against dropout. Check results by moving lever back and forth through its swing. Lever should meet resistance to closing half way through its swing. Close lever fully.

note bit in bold which describes how you know when it is tight enough.



possible problems:
* QR wheel on horiz. dropouts?
* wrong size hub?
* bent frame?
* mullered hub?
* mullered cam on QR skewer?
etc.

check another/friends bike if not sure, inc. your wheel in another bike, another wheel in your bike. But there's something amiss here if you're having to "torque up" your QR skewer for the wheel to stay in the frame.

 

[bonj2]

Someone told me that you should always do it tight enough that it leaves a mark on the palm of your hand.

And that's always worked for me.

(note to OP: by 'a mark', MrP means a small indentation - not 'a bruise/draws blood' )

 

[Zippy]

Maybe the test I was told to do (bike shop) to make sure the rear wheel was secure (i.e. stand on one pedal with front brake on) is too severe? Any wheel is going to come out of the frame with enough force?

Is this a common test to check rear wheel security? I don't start off in a stiff gear as a rule, but I am worried about standing on short bursts with SPD pedals if there is a frequency of the rear wheel dropping out!

Hoping its not a bent frame - I don't recall any bad bangs.

 

[Alf]

If for some reason the axle protruded too much beyond the lock-nuts that would prevent a tight fit - ie if the axle filled the whole width of the dropout. That might happen if the hub had been serviced and then re-assembled lop-sidedly with more axle showing on one side than the other. Just a thought

Alf

 

[Zippy]

Thanks Alf - I see what you mean, will take a look tomorrow.

 

[brodie]

Maybe the test I was told to do (bike shop) to make sure the rear wheel was secure (i.e. stand on one pedal with front brake on) is too severe? Any wheel is going to come out of the frame with enough force?

I think you can apply more force with the front wheel locked than if you were riding the bike. When you're riding the bike, there's only a certain amount of force you can apply to pull the rear wheel forwards out of the dropouts, any higher and the bike will move forwards.

I locked it down tighter and this seemed to do the trick, but I tightened the skewer with a lever as it seemed to need far tighter than hand tight. Makes me wonder what I would do then if I needed to take the rear wheel out during a ride.

Do you mean you used an extension tube over the the lever?

Sorry if I'm completely wrong, but are you using the QR in the right way? The lever should be flipped over from the "opened" position to the "closed" position when you do up the QR.

 

[Zippy]

Thanks brodie.

I think you can apply more force with the front wheel locked than if you were riding the bike.

That's the conclusion I arrived at. Its unnerving when you do this and the wheel drops out shortly before trying SPD pedals for the first time! Visions of my wheel droping out on a standing sprint up hill with a lorry behind me and my shoes locked onto my pedals - hope this is not a premonition!

Do you mean you used an extension tube over the the lever?

Yes, it just enabled me to finish the lock down where the lever starts to head toward the wheel hub. More difficult to apply pressure here as you lose the leverage if you see what I mean.

I think I'll be dropping the bike in for an annual tune up and get them to assure me the frame is still straight, skewer is ok etc. just to be safe.