Anyone particular about their wheel skewer positions?
07-27-14, 02:35 PM
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Anyone particular about their wheel skewer positions?
Man, sometimes I see folks with their skewer levers at all sorts of weird angles; today, a guy I rode with had his front one pointing directly down.
I guess in the scheme of things, it matters very little, but I just can't bring myself to not care. Perhaps it's due to my MTB upbringing back in the late 80s, but I always align my skewer levers parallel to, and as close to, frame tubes as possible. The front is neatly tucked against and behind the fork leg, and the rear, ideally (depending on dropout type), tucks between seat- and chainstays, or worst case, directly under chainstay.
The rationale there is that they're somewhat protected from accidental opening by reducing snag/knock risk. It just looks right, too. I also run the front lever on the Drive side of the bike, and the rear on the NDS, because I'm right handed and because the way I usually hold the bike when removing the front wheel (i.e. standing on NDS, facing front, and bending over bars) make that feel most natural, and I like to have my dominant hand doing the lever setting.
Maybe that's a little too much thought into skewer levers, but I'm just sitting here, doing laundry, bored, and that dangling lever on the morning ride really irked me.
I guess in the scheme of things, it matters very little, but I just can't bring myself to not care. Perhaps it's due to my MTB upbringing back in the late 80s, but I always align my skewer levers parallel to, and as close to, frame tubes as possible. The front is neatly tucked against and behind the fork leg, and the rear, ideally (depending on dropout type), tucks between seat- and chainstays, or worst case, directly under chainstay.
The rationale there is that they're somewhat protected from accidental opening by reducing snag/knock risk. It just looks right, too. I also run the front lever on the Drive side of the bike, and the rear on the NDS, because I'm right handed and because the way I usually hold the bike when removing the front wheel (i.e. standing on NDS, facing front, and bending over bars) make that feel most natural, and I like to have my dominant hand doing the lever setting.
Maybe that's a little too much thought into skewer levers, but I'm just sitting here, doing laundry, bored, and that dangling lever on the morning ride really irked me.
07-27-14, 02:46 PM
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OP's technique is the generally accepted one for road bikes you may ride in a pace line. The rear is protected against bei g flipped open by the front wheel just behind you.
07-27-14, 02:48 PM
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They're more aero pointed straight back, especially the Zipp ones (which are garbage, BTW).
07-27-14, 06:53 PM
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i've always been told that i should have them pointed straight back, cause like others have said you don't want someone or something unclipping your wheel during a crash and make things worse. i do agree with rpeterson though, and if an accident has gotten that bad, than someone or something unclipping your wheels should be the least of your concerns...
07-27-14, 06:59 PM
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