Quick releases on wheels
 

I have an old Univega Via Carisma hybrid bike.

Which side of the bike should the quick releases be on the front- and rear-wheels?

Mechanically it doesn't matter in the least.

However, it makes sense to have the rear lever on the left so you don't have to work around the derailleur. Then, since the rear is in the left, most people follow suit in front.

Thanks!

I put the front QR lever on the right, purely for aesthetic reasons. When on the left, the lever is in front of the fork leg, right down there where I can see it, and it drives me nuts. Also, then I tighten both QRs with my left hand. It appeals to my wholly undiagnosed, ever-burgeoning. aging-fueled compulsive disorder.

I have a good friend who likewise puts the front QR lever on the right. He finds it easier to hold the bike up with his right hand and work the lever with his left.

The only drawback is that he has to put up with well meaning busybodies who insist on reminding him that his QR is backwards. Or sometimes, that his front wheel is.

Once in a while, I'm tempted to try it his way, to see if it can distract folks from commenting about my missing helmet.

it also recommended that the levers point any direction except forwards - so that if you catch a stick or similar it doesn't pop the release.

If you have an older, recalled Shimano skewer with a long lever that can inadvertently be positioned where it can get caught up in the rotor, then consider always orienting with the lever on the side opposite the brake. Or replacing skewers.

You should also be aware that much of the cycling community considers it "so wrong" to have the QR levers on the right (racers have them to the left so the team mechanic can step out of team car and have immediate access to the levers. (Mechanic sits in the right hand seat. Rider pulls off to the right side of the road.) This is why QRs were invented.

So this "cult" had become so entrenched that by not following this norm, you become an outcast. Now I stick to the lever on the left just as much because I always dismount to the left and stand to the bike's left. So if I flat, that is where I will be when I reach down to remove the wheel. If I dismounted regularly to the right, I might change my habits, perhaps even investigating how to run a right-side rear lever to not interfere with the derailleur. But I am so right handed and so set in my ways, I doubt that will happen in this lifetime.

Ben

Can't you just rotate it to the rear of the fork leg? :foo:


-Tim-

Nah. Levers only close properly in one direction. And closed cam levers come off to the side of the q/r.
Rotating it won't do the trick.

Rear goes NDS. Front how you like it. QR levers should always be closed to align to seat stays on the rear and forks on the front... I am only saying that to create an argument.

If it gets too frustrating to decide, a bolt on axle will eliminate the decision and look symmetrical for those that espoused an issue with how it looked while riding.

Same with one of my bikes, and I also run the lever on the right side like you do.

Mine are both on the left side. The front runs parallel with the fork leg. The rear--straight out to the rear, level with the horizon.
Jon

Here's another variation. I bought a QR nut replacement that's a cylinder with a diameter the same as a handlebar to serve as a mounting point for a light. Since I want my front light on the left side of the wheel, the QR lever has to be on the right. (In practice I don't use this much because the light mounted so low really exaggerates the irregularities in the road surface.)
Steve

I use to do this for fun occasionally. When a newbie would tell me that my front wheel skewer was backwards, I'd tell them that that is the way the pros do it so air is deflected out and around the chainrings and rear derailleur. :)

My response (IF they gain my attention) is usually, "It's a bike designed specifically for lefties" then light goes white & off I go.

Or just get some hex bolt 'security' skewers , to replace the lever opening ones..



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