Bicycle Mechanics - Skewer Lubrication

I just got a new wheelset.
Is there a certain type of lube I should use on the skewers before I install them?

I was taught by an old wrench to use a really light film ( I mean really light) of grease on skewers. It helps to keep rust away.

Regards,

I just got a new wheelset.
Is there a certain type of lube I should use on the skewers before I install them?

Are you by any means an Iowa Hawkeye? I went to school there many many years ago!

Regards,

Are you by any means an Iowa Hawkeye? I went to school there many many years ago!

Regards,

Yep, I went to school there ten years ago. Following school I stayed in Iowa City for a few Years until Moving back to my home town.

Yep, I went to school there ten years ago. Following school I stayed in Iowa City for a few Years until Moving back to my home town.


I left Iowa City a day after graduation for a job in Colorado, now live in Southern California. And I have also been in your hometown of Rock Island. I use to have friends at Augustana College, and visited them often while I was living in Iowa City.

Well, I hope my answer about greasing your new skewers help. Just rub a little pinch of lubing grease between your fore-finger and thumb, and quickly run same over the skewers.

Regards,

Sorry to interrupt the Alumni Association meeting but back to our originally scheduled program: :)

I use a drop of light oil on the flag pivot points and, as Lucas mentioned, a light film of grease on the shaft to keep it from rusting.

I rarely see skewers that are corroded in any serious way. I do, however, hit them lightly with grease just for the heck of it on a bike that I care about.

I am also an Iowa alum. I have not been back much since I graduated in 1991, but I still miss Iowa City. Wonderful town.

jim

there is no need to use any kind of lubricant _at all_, if the inner diameter of the axle is not constant from end to end.

so the question is, what brand and model of hub are you using?

and what material is is the QR rod made of?

there is no need to use any kind of lubricant _at all_, if the inner diameter of the axle is not constant from end to end.

so the question is, what brand and model of hub are you using?

and what material is is the QR rod made of?

The wheels are Mavic Ksyrium SL3's. So, I assume the hubs are Mavic hubs. A magnet will stick to the skewers, so they are not aluminum. I'm guessing they are just steel.

there is no need to use any kind of lubricant _at all_, if the inner diameter of the axle is not constant from end to end.
The purpose of the grease isn't lubrication but rust prevention.

BTW, skewers that aren't steel are Ti, not Aluminum.

Other than the quick release end of the skewer, there aren't any moving parts in there, There shouldn't be any movement while riding, so Lubrication isn't necessary on the actual skewer. Oil on the QR pivot, and a tad of grease on the threads. You can always wax and polish the skewers, so dirt doesn't stick to them if you get any in there, and the wax will prevent rust too.

Go BADGERS!!

As HillRider stated before the grease is not used for lubrication purposes it is used to prevent rust or corrosion. I light film of grease is always recommended on the skewer and especially if the bike is ridden in an extremely humid or wet environment.

It's been a long time since I've seen skewers that weren't made of stainless steel. I don't know, nowadays maybe some historic hubs (i.e. NOS from ancient times). Someone said, for the heck of it a little bit of grease, but I actually don't even bother anymore, all my skewers are stainless steel. At any rate, this is a non-issue nowadays.

Instead, I'd really love it if we had an in-depth discussion about keyed skewers and their deterrance against wheel theft. Also include bolt axels in the problematic.

HillRider, trust me, grease is hardly enough to _prevent_ rust. i've removed more QRs that i can remember that were slathered with grease from the hubs of pre built mavic wheels to find them spotty with rust. they MIGHT have had more without the grease but grease won't _prevent_ rust.

at any rate...if we're talking about the mavic QRs that have a steel rod, they are usually plated or coated with something to help keep them in good shape.

also, there are QRs with alu. rods, check out the ones from the ES wheels or the R Sys set.

there is no need to use any kind of lubricant _at all_, if the inner diameter of the axle is not constant from end to end.

so the question is, what brand and model of hub are you using?

and what material is is the QR rod made of?
Topolino hubs (which have CroMo axles) and USE Ti Spin Stix. Guess I could be concerned about galling or pitting response between the Ti rods and the Al nut and "bolt." But, has not been a problem over the past 5 years.

also, there are QRs with alu. rods

Aluminum rods? No thanks.

also, there are QRs with alu. rods, check out the ones from the ES wheels or the R Sys set.
Hmm, the Mavic website indicates that that the R-Sys come with BR-601 series skewers which have steel rods. Various BR-601 series have either Al or composite levers but, apparently not rods..

OHH GAAWD.......just grease the skewer like the other poster said!!

You ride that bike in the rain, or get it wet just once, you'll be glad you did. :rolleyes:

Hmm, the Mavic website indicates that that the R-Sys come with BR-601 series skewers which have steel rods. Various BR-601 series have either Al or composite levers but, apparently not rods..
That's right. Some of the boutique skewers come with Al nuts and/or flags but the rods themselves are either steel or Ti.

Note to wroomwroomoops:

Who provides stainless steel skewers? My new Campy Chorus hubs have skewers that appear to be plated but are not stainless steel.

I just got a new wheelset.
Is there a certain type of lube I should use on the skewers before I install them?

That's a "doesn't blip my radar" question. In 40+ years of bicycling I've greased some, not greased others and haven't been able to tell any difference. I've certainly never had a QR failure or problem that I could attribute to not greasing. Then again, how can it hurt?

OHH GAAWD.......just grease the skewer like the other poster said!!
:rolleyes:
Ever notice how the most seemingly trivial questions can generate the most contentious threads? ;)

That's right. Some of the boutique skewers come with Al nuts and/or flags but the rods themselves are either steel or Ti.

Note to wroomwroomoops:

Who provides stainless steel skewers? My new Campy Chorus hubs have skewers that appear to be plated but are not stainless steel.
That same PDF on the Mavic site seems to indicate that the high end skewer may have a stainless steel rod. But, the way its worded, it is hard to tell. In the spec page it says, "Safety Material - High resistance steel and high resistance stainless steel," Then under that it says "Other Parts - Composite material."

I was taught by an old wrench to use a really light film ( I mean really light) of grease on skewers. It helps to keep rust away.A thick layer will also keep water out. There's no harm in it.

Wino Ryder, yes, let's just go with whatever old knowledge is still kicking around, even though it holds no benefit for the majority of QR rod/hub axle combinations.


HillRider, trivial, yes. contentious, no. just trying to be accurate.

there is too much outdated knowledge still being pushed on new riders. people still talk about cable stretch even though it takes about 80 lbs. to stretch a shift cable 1 mm. i'm not sure anyone is dropping 80 lbs. on a shift lever these days.

chain stretch, discussing wheel dish, judging weld quality based simply on outward appearance, revolution spokes are too thin, brass nipples don't seize to spokes........ridiculous!

That's right. Some of the boutique skewers come with Al nuts and/or flags but the rods themselves are either steel or Ti.

Note to wroomwroomoops:

Who provides stainless steel skewers? My new Campy Chorus hubs have skewers that appear to be plated but are not stainless steel.

Fair question. To be honest, I have been using exclusively this kind of skewers on all my bikes:
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o197/old_fool/bikeparts/skewers.jpg
All have stainless steel axles, even the cheapest among them (the ones that use normal hexagonal keying).

For the record, I don't believe in the existence of skewers with aluminum rods. Aluminum wouldn't resist the tensile stress, not for a second. Shear stress, sure, but that's not how skewers are supposed to keep the wheel on. It's the hub that rests in the dropouts, and the skewer holds the nuts tightly against it. Aluminum would yield immediately at the necessary stress under which the axle should be.

Fair question. To be honest, I have been using exclusively this kind of skewers on all my bikes:
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o197/old_fool/bikeparts/skewers.jpg
All have stainless steel axles, even the cheapest among them (the ones that use normal hexagonal keying).
Interesting. I looked up Mounty Lite Axle on three German sites (including one with the same exact package as you show there in black) and all say they have CroMo rods and aluminum nuts. Could not find any Finnish sites. :) Also interesting that they call them "axles" as skewers are really rods that pass through the hollow axle. At least that is my understanding.

Most of my skewers wind up greased because I put them through the axle after rebuilding the hub, pushing the axle through the mounds of grease I use.

Again, are you sure these are truly stainless steel, not just Cr-Mo with a plating?

Again, are you sure these are truly stainless steel, not just Cr-Mo with a plating?

They are not stainless steel if a magnet sticks to them. Stainless is not magnetic.

Again, are you sure these are truly stainless steel, not just Cr-Mo with a plating?

I'll say this: if it's "just" plating, it's not chrome, but nickel or some stainless steel alloy, and IF it is a plating, it's damn thick.

All my bikes have these, I never bothered greasing any, and the climate here is NOT dry. Plus, I cycle a lot off-road, which gets me dirty like a pig more often than I care to remember.

They are not stainless steel if a magnet sticks to them. Stainless is not magnetic.

My bull**** indicator just went berzerk on that one.


All stainless steels, with the exception of the austenitic group, are strongly attracted to a magnet. (http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=1140)

Interesting. I looked up Mounty Lite Axle on three German sites (including one with the same exact package as you show there in black) and all say they have CroMo rods and aluminum nuts. Could not find any Finnish sites. :) Also interesting that they call them "axles" as skewers are really rods that pass through the hollow axle. At least that is my understanding.

So what if they are CrMo steel? Oh you mean they can't be stainless steel?

Grades high in Chromium, Molybdenum and Nickel are the most resistant to corrosion. (http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=2873)

I lube my skewer before each insertion.

So what if they are CrMo steel? Oh you mean they can't be stainless steel?

Grades high in Chromium, Molybdenum and Nickel are the most resistant to corrosion. (http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=2873)

From wikipedia:

"Although chromoly contains chromium, it does not have the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.
In metallurgy, stainless steel is defined as an iron-carbon alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content"

Just a matter of semantics and, in most cases, cost.

p.s. I agree about the claim that stainless steel is "not magnetic."

800over : Or you could put a thin elastic kind of bag around your skewer before insertion to keep moisture, bacteria, and what else away...

How about skewer rubbers?

p.s. I agree about the claim that stainless steel is "not magnetic."

+1. Some stainless is indeed magnetic, depends on the alloy. I thought it was not magnetic for a long time until someone gave me the opportunity to learn otherwise.

They are not stainless steel if a magnet sticks to them. Stainless is not magnetic.

Not true. The "300 series"stainless steels are not magnetic but the 400-series (stainless tool and cutlery steels) certainly are.