Quick release skewers

[Two-Wheels]

I'm going to be that guy who goes ahead & asks a dumb question. Rather that when it's concerning a safety point than to just assume & guess & find out when it's too late that I should've asked

Not sure of their official name but it looks like a skewer to me and it's a quick release wheel. Bike is a Trek FX2 hybrid.

In short, I've snapped mine. Not the metal rod itself but the lever end. Not sure what material it's made out of, plastic I'd hazard a guess at. Perhaps I overtightened (have taken them out & put them back a few times over the years) but this morning it jst went to mush & snapped off.

So question being, are they all basically the same? Just hop on eBay or Amazon or wherever & buy the first thing that comes up on the screen or is there a valid reason why some are considerably dearer than others?

I quick Googled the part number stamped on it & it came up as £15. Probably plus postage.

 

[ColinJ]

£15 is OTT!

You should be able to get a suitable skewer for about £3-4, or £6-8 if you want a matching pair! (Note that the front and rear are different lengths, so make sure that you get the right one if not buying a pair!)

Buy something that gets some decent reviews on Amazon. (I just looked at a very cheap skewer which had a very bad review - it apparently snapped on first use!! )

 

[fossyant]

Try and get some old Shimano ones - they are about the best you can get TBH. Probably 100mm front and 135mm rear being a hybrid.

 

[Ian H]

In general terms, don't buy cheap skewers.

 

[vickster]

Shimano pair £9.99 delivered on eBay. Amazon rarely the best prices for bike stuff
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/36224062...X3ivNs2TC6&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[freiston]

You can get either internal or external cams on the lever. I prefer internal - they do up nice and tight and afaik, the external ones can have plastic in them.

EDIT ADDENDUM: Here's a link to Sheldon Brown - it explains internal/external cams and discusses the merits:
https://sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html

 

[ColinJ]

In general terms, don't buy cheap skewers.

I generally agree, but... the only people that I have known who have had big problems with skewers were people who bought expensive titanium ones which didn't grip tight enough to stop their rear wheels pulling loose!

@Two-Wheels - can I be another guy who goes ahead & asks a dumb question? Rather that when it's concerning a safety point than to just assume & guess & find out when it's too late that I should've asked.

I was just talking to a cyclist friend about quick release skewers and yours failing, and he asked whether you were closing the handle correctly as a lever, or incorrectly using it like a wing nut? That is a very good question!

 

[Sharky]

Front or rear and what is the length and also the width of the fork ends?

I may have one in my spares box. Not sure if you need a MTB width, which I probably don't have.

Will search the garage when I know what I'm looking for.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Pop into an LBS if one is nearby and ask to buy a spare one as they do a lot of upgrades. They might let you have one for free. Just tell them front or rear.

 

[davidphilips]

Only thing i disagree with is the part about asking a dumb question, its a question that should be asked and advice taken from, all the answers are great and have to say in my view shimano skewers are great they all are internal cams that give a great clamping force.
Have known a cyclist on a club run change a rear tube in a hurry and end up with back wheel binding against there frame because of a cheap skewer and even know a very good cyclist that had his front wheel fall out on a mtb after mending a puncture.

 

[Two-Wheels]

I was just talking to a cyclist friend about quick release skewers and yours failing, and he asked whether you were closing the handle correctly as a lever, or incorrectly using it like a wing nut? That is a very good question!

Short of putting a video up I'll try & describe what I do, which will probably be wrong as I've never had a gander how you're supposed to do it.

So this is the rear skewer that's gone.

I'll be facing the bike from the rear. Put the skewer in. I'll push it through, hold the lever end & tighten up the nut end a bit (as I actually find it easiest doing that). Then I'll rotate it a bit more until I can flick the lever up & sort of in between two bits of frame. To do that I just basically push the lever upwards/forwards. If it feels loose then I assume it's not tight enough. If it feels a bit firm then I figure it is tight enough.

 

[si_c]

@fossyant has it nailed. Get some Shimano (or Campagnolo) closed cam skewers, they are very reliable, well built and just work. They're not popular though as they're not the lightest, but you're talking 10s of grams.

 

[ColinJ]

I'll be facing the bike from the rear. Put the skewer in. I'll push it through, hold the lever end & tighten up the nut end a bit (as I actually find it easiest doing that). Then I'll rotate it a bit more until I can flick the lever up & sort of in between two bits of frame. To do that I just basically push the lever upwards/forwards. If it feels loose then I assume it's not tight enough. If it feels a bit firm then I figure it is tight enough.

That sounds right. Like this, in fact...

Some people don't realise that is how a quick release works and just spin the lever around like a wing nut until it feels tight.

 

[Ian H]

I generally agree, but... the only people that I have known who have had big problems with skewers were people who bought expensive titanium ones which didn't grip tight enough to stop their rear wheels pulling loose!

@Two-Wheels - can I be another guy who goes ahead & asks a dumb question? Rather that when it's concerning a safety point than to just assume & guess & find out when it's too late that I should've asked.

I was just talking to a cyclist friend about quick release skewers and yours failing, and he asked whether you were closing the handle correctly as a lever, or incorrectly using it like a wing nut? That is a very good question!

The wingnut question: a technique encouraged by lawyers' lips. And yes, I should have said beware cheap or trendy skewers.

 

[ColinJ]

If it feels a bit firm then I figure it is tight enough.

That's perfect. You can overtighten QRs, as I discovered by... overtightening one.

I did a very tiring long ride, only discovering when I finished that there was an awful lot of friction in the rear wheel bearings. The friction was caused by an overtightened QR. When I adjusted the QR properly, the wheel once again span freely.