Bicycle Mechanics - how tight to you clamp the QR?

I never really thought about this until now. But how tight should you clamp the quick release?

Tight enough so it doesnt ever fall of ,but not so tight to where you have to struggle to pop it open.

thats what i thought, i always did it just enough so that it would not fall off.

I believe the rule is tight enough that you need two fingers to open it.

Another way I heard was: tight enough that it leaves a mark in the palm of your hand after closing it.

I believe that's a pretty accurate torque value ;)

As tight as I can without bruising my palm. It takes a hard pull with two fingers to open it.

A mate new to cycling didn't realise how tight he was meant to tighten his QR. He found out the hard way during a race. The rear wheel came out and completely locked up just as he was standing to launch up a small rise. He went straight over the bars and brought down another rider and almost everyone behind.

Make em really tight.

CHEERS.

Mark

According to Barnetts manual, all of the above are improper methods of securing QR's. If you have the manual it's chapter 18.

I'll quote what he says.


The recommended method for setting the quickrelease
mechanism is to start by setting the adjusting
nut so that as the lever swings from the open position
to the closed position, the clamping force begins when
the base of the quick-release lever is perpendicular to
the dropout face.

This ensures that the clamping force
begins at a point that will allow enough rotation of
the cam to create enough displacement of the skewer
head after clamping begins. The lever is then closed
until the base of the lever is parallel to the dropout
(see figure 18.2).This does two things.

First, it creates
a 90° rotation of the cam after clamping force begins,
which ensures that adequate skewer-head displacement
occurs (pressure).

Second, the parallel-to-dropout
position ensures that the cam is rotated just past its
high-point. This ensures that the force required to release
the lever will increase slightly before it gets easier,
which ensures that the quick-release lever has no tendency
to open on its own.

In case the above instructions
were unclear, the recommended method for using
quick-release mechanisms is this:

1)set the adjusting nut so that as the lever is swung from the open position
to the closed position, the clamping force begins
at the point where the base of the lever is perpendicular
to the face of the dropout

2) then close the lever at
least until its base is parallel to the dropout (90° from
starting point and perpendicular to the skewer, see
figure 18.2).

i doubt i will buy the manual ever. THis forum has thus far provided me with all the info ive needed. BUt thankyou for that information.

well one thing i always worried was that i was pushing too much on the bearings. but im coming to the conclusion that I am worrying over nothing

Another way I heard was: tight enough that it leaves a mark in the palm of your hand after closing it.

I believe that's a pretty accurate torque value ;)
That's the way I was taught at the Olympic Training Center.

Here is another big QR secret: DO NOT ALIGN THE LEVER WITH THE STAYS This way if you do get it really tight you can at least get you fingers behind the lever to get it loose. I have a thin piece of pipe in the shop just for loosening QRs that people have tightened to the chain or seat stays.

Well, I dont have QR on the front :D:p, so how tight do you guys with QR20 do it?

I dont think you really need to refer to a manual for something like that. Its pretty much common sense, no offense phantom cow(since you did state thats what you thought)

I dont think you really need to refer to a manual for something like that. Its pretty much common sense, no offense phantom cow(since you did state thats what you thought)

On the contrary. Common sense isn't always the correct way.

Another way I heard was: tight enough that it leaves a mark in the palm of your hand after closing it.

I believe that's a pretty accurate torque value ;)


That is pretty much what the instructions with Shimano QR skewers say. I want the QR to be as tight as a tick when the lever is pushed closed. Anyone who has ever witnessed a QR unintended release will understand why.

Doc

Basically, the resistance should begin when the lever is sticking straight out.

That is pretty much what the instructions with Shimano QR skewers say. I want the QR to be as tight as a tick when the lever is pushed closed. Anyone who has ever witnessed a QR unintended release will understand why.

Doc
Yup :eek:

On the contrary. Common sense isn't always the correct way.
And it doesn't seem to be so common these days...

I go roughly with the Barnett's approach, except on the semi-horizontal dropouts on my Surly - these seem to require a slightly higher pressure on qr closure to ensure that the wheels doesn't move forward when I place a lot of pressure on the pedals.

Rev. Chuck - not closing against the stays is a great tip... had to be a bit creative on a ride a few months back when a friend with a flat rear tire had done exactly that, and closed too tightly to boot! Was a bastard to release... not quick at all.

Rev. Chuck - not closing against the stays is a great tip... had to be a bit creative on a ride a few months back when a friend with a flat rear tire had done exactly that, and closed too tightly to boot! Was a bastard to release... not quick at all.


That's where your friend had better hope he has a significant overbite....

The guys at Chris King suggest 1100 pounds of clamping force. How to measure that is anyones guess.

According to Parktool.

I agree with most of what has been posted. Here are a couple other tips:

1. If you can close the QR without grabbng the stay or fork, it is too loose.
2. Put the handle in a position where it cannot get opened by anything hitting or brushing by. (mainly a MTB thing) A sapling can open one right up.

I tighten mine hard enough to make my hand hurt.
If that's not enough, I can't do better... :)

Another way I heard was: tight enough that it leaves a mark in the palm of your hand after closing it.

I believe that's a pretty accurate torque value ;)

We train people to close it so it leaves a white indentation on the heel of the thumb. I don't mean to be a pedant here, but that's slightly different to the palm. You don't need to brace fingers on forks or stays.

The number of people who've presented bikes in our various activities with QR front wheels in particular done up the wrong way or too loosely is astonishing. One very experienced rider on a metric century two weeks ago couldn't understand why his rear wheel was slipping into the left chainstay. He had just done up the acorn nut really tight. I was his hero after fixing the problem.

A few other things to watch out for. Don't apply wax or polish to the dropouts. And check the condition of the serrations on both acorn nut and quick release end. They do wear.

EDIT: Just an endnote: Think who the end user is going to be and how much strength they have to undo the quick release you've just done up. It's a bit like car wheel nuts that are done up with rattle guns at the tyre place, and are next to impossible to undo on the side of the motorway in pouring rain with a poor excuse for a tyre lever.

PEDANT! PEDANT!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go look up that word . . . . ;)

"It's a bit like car wheel nuts that are done up with rattle guns at the tyre place, and are next to impossible to undo on the side of the motorway in pouring rain with a poor excuse for a tyre lever."


Most of the time that is around eighty to ninety pounds. Go to high or do it with hot brakes and you will warp the rotors.

I know I am bringing this back from the dead, but does it matter which side the release lever is facing on the front wheel?

Most of the above advice is good but remember that there may be some exceptions. For instance, the Mavic high-ratio closure on their QRs will provide higher clamping forces with less effort. It might be too easy to overtighten the QR if using the above suggestions. It's best to read the instructions manual. Incidently, Mavic does recommend aligning your QR levers with your fork legs and stays. This is probably because with their skewers, the required activation force is less so there shouldn't be a problem with reopening it from that position assuming you heeded their tightening directions.

I know I am bringing this back from the dead, but does it matter which side the release lever is facing on the front wheel?

Not really. I have heard of people with disc brakes putting the skewer on the right side to avoid such things as accidently contaminating the discs with their hands.

Convention is to put it on the left to "balance" out the bike. It doesn't actually matter, but it's one of those things that you just do, like building a wheel so that you can read the hub label through the valve hole....You know, because you're going to be spending a lot of time doing that.

Convention is to put it on the left to "balance" out the bike. It doesn't actually matter, but it's one of those things that you just do, like building a wheel so that you can read the hub label through the valve hole....You know, because you're going to be spending a lot of time doing that.

How else would you combine the two practices of wheel building and voyeurism? :D