Removing front wheel

[RoadBunner]

Right now, with the back seats down I can squeeeeze my bike into the trunk of my tiny Yaris. I do have a rack on order but in the meantime think it is probably better to remove the front wheel when putting the bike in the car.

I am a total bike newbie and am wondering what the best way to go about doing this is?

Thanks for any help!

[ehirsch83]

Hey Roadbunner!!

As long as the bike is a quick release this will be very easy!!

Step 1) Open front break(flip up the little switch, if it is a V break, then squeeze together and remove wire from metal bracket)

Step 2) flip up skewer that goes through the wheel

Step 3) Twist the end of skewer until it is loose

Step 4) lift front fork up away from wheel

If the wheel does not come off, twist the skewer looser


Hope this was helpful!!

[RoadBunner]

They are quick release.

What is the skewer?

Sorry, if I was home with the bike playing around with it would probably answer this question. The front brakes don't need to be adjusted, either?

Thanks!

[Blueberry]

Skewer = thing that goes through wheel. There's a lever on one end and a screw cap on the other (or should be). :)

[Melalvai]

Any reason you can't leave the car at home? ;)
It doesn't seem to matter how big the vehicle is. I had as much trouble fitting my bike into a friend's minivan as I did getting it into the trunk of my little car.

Good luck.

[Bike Goddess]

Roadbunner- The quick release is on the LEFT side of the wheel (opposite side of the chain). The lever is on the same side as the chain is.

Go by the rule- lefty loosy, righty tighty.

If you haven't already taken your front wheel off, look at where your quick relaease lever is in relationship to the front forks of your frame. It should be such that when you put the wheel back on, it lines up with the front forks.

When you put your wheel back on, tighten up the lever on the right side while you play with the quick release on the left side to make sure it is aligned. (you can tighten both sides) When you get it tight enough, and aligned, you are good to go. Be sure you get it tight but not so tight that you can't undo it when you need to remove your wheel again.

Hope this helps!

[RoadBunner]

Melavai, I definitely see your point :) I have to take the bike back to the LBS to have some tweaks done and it's pretty far away and into a major city area for this newbie to be riding.

That said, I forsee myself driving the bike to perceived "safe" areas for a little bit before I venture out into full traffic/hills (I live in San Francisco).

[Kathi]

Step 1 assumes you have Shimano components, for a Campy wheel it is a little different.

[tulip]

When you bring your bike in, ask them to give you a quick lesson on taking both wheels off. I assume you don't yet know how to change a flat. Ask the bike shop if they offer newbie bike maintenance lessons so you can practice these things. REI offers such classes.

[madscot13]

Right now, with the back seats down I can squeeeeze my bike into the trunk of my tiny Yaris. I do have a rack on order but in the meantime think it is probably better to remove the front wheel when putting the bike in the car.

I am a total bike newbie and am wondering what the best way to go about doing this is?

Thanks for any help!

how are you liking that Yaris?

[RoadBunner]

Thanks, everyone! I got home late so didn't get a chance to try it out but will tomorrow.

I love the Yaris. Great gas mileage! Drove it across the country without a hitch. Easy to squeeze it into parking garages :D

[indysteel]

When you bring your bike in, ask them to give you a quick lesson on taking both wheels off. I assume you don't yet know how to change a flat. Ask the bike shop if they offer newbie bike maintenance lessons so you can practice these things. REI offers such classes.

I second this. Quick Release skewers are really handy--unless you don't really understsand how to use them correctly. If you don't tighten them enough when putting your front wheel back on your bike, they can come open on their own and lead to a serious accident. Once you have it figured out, it's really easy though!

[Pedal Wench]

One more bit of advice. Well, two. Some tires will come out without anything being done to the brakes. The wheel just comes out.

When re-tightening the quick release, I've heard two things. One is that you should need to use the fork for leverage to close it. If you don't, it's not tight enough. The other along the same line is that it should be tight enough to leave an imprint in your hand to close it.

And, if you're doing any riding at all, learn how to do front and rear wheels, and learn how to change a flat so you never have to let a flat ruin a ride.

[RoadBunner]

I looked up the REI classes and am planning on going to the next one. I bought all the stuff I need to change a tire, but that's pretty useless if you don't learn how to use it :o.

[tulip]

Good job, Bunner! You are sure to inspire a whole slew of newbies (and maybe even some not-so-newbies!)

[SouthernBelle]

I don't have the urls at hand, but there are several excellent videos on YouTube on changing flats. A simple search should pull them up.

BTW, think of the skewer ar your wheel's little removable axle. The first time I pulled it out to put in the one for the trainer, it kinda freaked me.

[tulip]

don't lose the little springs when you take the skewer out.

[csr1210]

"don't lose the little springs when you take the skewer out."

Ain't that the truth!

Furthermore -- don't put the spring back in backwards -- makes the wheel REAL hard to get back on correctly!:o:o

Christy