question about quick release?

[momof4greatkids]

Is it OK to use the quick release on the front wheel frequently? I sometimes prefer to transport my bike in the backseat of my car, since the rack I have only works on the mini-van. In order to fit it in, I have to remove the front tire using the quick release. Is there any contraindication to using the quick release routinely? Being a newbie, I want to make sure I'm not employing a potentially unsafe practice.

Thank you in advance!

Colleen

[SouthernBelle]

That's what it's for. Lots of us transport the same way.

[KnottedYet]

Yup. Use it all you want.

Are you using the front brake quick release, too? Don't worry about damaging that, either.

If you have trouble with either quick release, take your bike to the LBS and ask them to show you how to adjust things. When my bike got new brake cables the brake QR was tough for a week or so until the cable stretched a bit, now it's easy.

I take my front wheel on and off several times a week.

[Jo-n-NY]

Hi all....maybe someone here can shead some light on my problem with the quick release, keeping in mind my dh has should me many times already, but I have come to the conclusion that I must be spastic in this area.

I never take my front wheel off for the reason, I cannot seem to align it correctly. For instance last Sunday we needed to take the front wheels off and while my husband was not around I thought I would put mine back on. I thought I had it right so I had him check it. He noticed that the tire was rubbing on the brake. That is my problem. He had to make a minor adjustment with a little screwdriver on the brake shoes. I could not for the life of me see it rubbing. So I said to him, "you see, that is why I can never take off my front wheel to put it into the car....I cannot get it back on the correct way again no matter how hard I try".

Does anyone else have this difficulty. I feel it is something so simple that I just cannot not grasp.

Thanks
~ JoAnn

[KnottedYet]

When you loosen the QR, hold the nut still and only turn the lever side. (and count how many whole turns you do) If you turn the nut, too, it changes where the wheel sits when you put the wheel back on.

If it looks wonky when you get the QR tightened, loosen it again and adjust the side that is off (nut or lever)

If it looks like the brakes go wonky (not the wheel) squeeze the brakes a couple times or play with the arms (depending on your brake) to recenter the pads.

[li10up]

Seems to me your dh shouldn't have needed to adjust the brake pads if all you did was take your wheel off and then put it back on. As KnottedYet said you can center the wheel by loosening/tightening the nut/lever as needed to get the wheel centered.

[momof4greatkids]

Seems to me your dh shouldn't have needed to adjust the brake pads if all you did was take your wheel off and then put it back on. As KnottedYet said you can center the wheel by loosening/tightening the nut/lever as needed to get the wheel centered.

This is the problem I had which prompted my question. After I replaced the (front) wheel and hooked up the brake, my brake was definitely rubbing. So, I had to check w/my mechanically inclined husband, he said I didn't re-apply the wheel "just right". I have to be more careful about setting it back in properly.

And ever since I did this, I cannot get my computer to work! Very frustrating. The magnet is set correctly, (toward the reciever) but it's not picking up my MPH. I'm going to make a trip to the LBS and ask them about it.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge, I really appreciate it.

Colleen

[momof4greatkids]

Yup. Use it all you want.

Are you using the front brake quick release, too? Don't worry about damaging that, either.

If you have trouble with either quick release, take your bike to the LBS and ask them to show you how to adjust things. When my bike got new brake cables the brake QR was tough for a week or so until the cable stretched a bit, now it's easy.

I take my front wheel on and off several times a week.

Thanks for mentioning the brake release. I've shredded the little plastic sleeve, just a little, taking it on and off. That worried me but there is definitely no damage to the brake cable underneath. Perhaps it will get easier after it gets stretched a little more?

My next challenge is getting the right saddle!

Colleen

[DebW]

When you put the wheel back, make sure it's centered between the fork blades, not the brakes. Then squeeze the brakes a couple times and see if they center. Brakes can get off center, and how you recenter them depends on the brake. Some have a centering screw. Some you loosen the brake bolt and need a flat wrench to hold the front lug as you righten it back down.

[Jo-n-NY]

Thanks everyone for your responses. DebW, I think that is what my husband needed to do. Centering it within the fork seems easier to eye for alignment. I think this little take calls for some practice on my part. I will add it to my "to do list" for this evening. :)

Again....thank you
~ JoAnn

[KnottedYet]

And ever since I did this, I cannot get my computer to work! Very frustrating. The magnet is set correctly, (toward the reciever) but it's not picking up my MPH. Colleen

If your wheel is off-center now, the side with the magnet may be too far from the pick-up on the fork. Recentering the wheel should bring the magnet close enough that the pick-up gets it again.

Your results may vary, but my magnet and pick-up can only be about the thickness of a quarter from each other.

That little sleeve on the brake cable should push back (like an accordian) out of the way when you're doing the QR. (DebW, is it even functional, or is it just there to look pretty?)

[Kalidurga]

Excuse me for a sec while I wave away all the smoke from the gears turning in my head right now... Ah, that's better. ;)

I'm betting that this is what's causing my gear issue... The wheel is probably aligned wrong laterally at the hub, rather than along the outer edge by the tire. When installing it, I always look at how the tire tread/rim lines up with the brake pads and the top of the chainstays, not in the forks where the drop-outs are. And I have a bad habit of turning the knob on the QR, instead of the lever.

I really love this forum :p

[HillSlugger]

And I have a bad habit of turning the knob on the QR, instead of the lever.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but why does it matter which you turn? I've been turning whichever one was convenient. It seems to me that the wheel still has to center and that the only difference is how much skewer end is on each side of the forks. The only thing that should affect center is if the wheel is properly seated into the forks. :confused:

[DebW]

If your wheel is off-center now, the side with the magnet may be too far from the pick-up on the fork. Recentering the wheel should bring the magnet close enough that the pick-up gets it again.

Your results may vary, but my magnet and pick-up can only be about the thickness of a quarter from each other.

That little sleeve on the brake cable should push back (like an accordian) out of the way when you're doing the QR. (DebW, is it even functional, or is it just there to look pretty?)

It's also easy for the pickup coil mounted on the fork to get moved a bit when you take the wheel on and off. If it's loose enough to move by hand, just twist it back so it's 1/4 inch or so from the magnet.

"little sleeve on the brake cable"? Not sure what you're talking about. The barrel adjuster on side-pull brakes can rotate when the brake is in the loose position. Or are you talking about V-pull brakes, that have an accordion thing between the two calipers? That's mostly cosmetic.


Maybe this is a dumb question, but why does it matter which you turn? I've been turning whichever one was convenient. It seems to me that the wheel still has to center and that the only difference is how much skewer end is on each side of the forks. The only thing that should affect center is if the wheel is properly seated into the forks. :confused:

It doesn't. Only the lug side can rotate, not the nut side. But I guess it's easier to count how many turns if you move only 1 side. The QR get tightened again for the correct tension, which should always be about the same.

[KnottedYet]

Ummm, no, it doesn't matter which one you turn, as long as you are consistent.

EDIT: And the rest of this post of mine was waaaaay wrong. Cuz I must've skrewed something else up on my Kona to get the wheel so off center (I assumed it was the skewer, cuz I could completely change the centering of the wheel by playing with the skewer)

Something else was going on with my Kona.

(so just ignore what I said, ok? )

[momof4greatkids]

It's also easy for the pickup coil mounted on the fork to get moved a bit when you take the wheel on and off. If it's loose enough to move by hand, just twist it back so it's 1/4 inch or so from the magnet.

"little sleeve on the brake cable"? Not sure what you're talking about. The barrel adjuster on side-pull brakes can rotate when the brake is in the loose position. Or are you talking about V-pull brakes, that have an accordion thing between the two calipers? That's mostly cosmetic

the brakes are v-pull, and underneath that little accordian thing is a short plastic sleeve that encases a small sectinon of the actual brake cable. It's gotten a little shredded and exposed some of the bare cable.

I'll take another look-see at the pickup coil on the fork, that might be what's gotten moved. Thanks for the advice!

Colleen

[Dianyla]

I've always turned the nut, not the quick release lever. This ensures that the lever will always fold into the frame at the exact angle where I want it to go. With a little practice I know just how tight or loose the nut should feel in order to produce the right level of tension when I close the lever.

What has always worked for me is this procedure:

1. Insert the wheel into the dropouts. You might have to loosen the axle nut a few more turns in order to have enough room on each side of the wheel to put the frame on.

2. Make sure the axle is set into the deepest part of the U shape in the dropouts on both sides. Don't rely on visual cues from the brakes, which often look asymmetrical while pulled open. Don't assume that the weight of the bike on the wheel against the ground will line it up correctly. The axle placement inside the U is all that matters. (If things aren't lined up right afterwards, adjust them to fit the properly positioned wheel and/or check to make sure you wheel isn't out of true.)

3. Rotate the quick release lever into the desired position. I usually like to align it so that it will lie parallel next to the frame when folded.

4. Push the lever end of the axle flush against the dropout. There will be a little extra axle showing on the nut side.

5. Rotate the nut clockwise with one hand while holding the lever with the other (usually I do this with the frame between my legs, leaning over the front handlebars).

6. Stop tightening the nut as soon as it the inner surface of the nut is making full contact with the fork dropout.

7. Fold the lever shut, which is at least 90 degrees perpendicular to the axle. This is another reason why it helps to align it with the frame, since you can grip your fingers around the frame as you squeeze it closed. It should be tight enough that you need to use multiple fingers and some leverage with your thumb to pry it open. If you feel like you're going to dislocate your thumb or bruise your hand pushing it closed, it's probably too tight. If you can just pop it open with 1-2 fingers and no leverage, it's too loose. If it's too tight or too loose, pop the lever and turn the nut a quarter turn in the necessary direction and try closing it again.

8. Check speed sensor - it's easy to bump the fork-mounted speed sensor while removing/reinstalling the wheel or transporting the bike. The sensor should be very close to the magnet, but not so close that the magnet bangs or clicks against it as the wheel rotates. The width of a coin (quarter) is usually adequate to get a good signal.

9. Remember to tighten/close/reattach the brakes!! :eek: