DougG

I'm new to this thru axles on road bikes thing so please bear with me. My Felt VR5 came with thru axles that are described front & rear as "12x100mm Maxle style" and "12x142mm Syntace style." I don't have a clue what that means, but what I'd like to do is to replace the OEM axles with ones that have some sort of lever on them so that I don't need a hex key to remove and replace them (or at least on the front). It's not a huge deal, but a bit inconvenient to have to fish out my multi-tool every time I transport the bike with the front wheel removed, and I have seen some other bikes that come with that style axle.

Any suggestions on where I can go to find what I need?

joejack951

The three most important things for spec'ing a thru axle are 1. Diameter 2. Length 3. Thread pitch. Axle Length is difficult because what matters most is the total length under the head yet this isn't always clearly specified. Often only the dropout spacing is called out but that means very little. Check before buying if unsure (measure your current axle to figure out what length you need). Thread pitch is the distance between thread crests in millimeters.

For rear axles, there are a few different styles but you already know you have the Syntace version. Make sure you get Syntace style axles which have a conical surface under the head.

DT Swiss has some really nice options with different lever styles. Fairwheel Bikes also has a variety of options from various manufacturers.