question about quick release?

[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

[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

[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.

[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? )

[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.

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.

[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!!