Do QR wheels suck?
 

I'm not that experienced with Quick release wheels, but a couple of times now, even though I thought it was very tight, and the wheels started out straight, the back tire has ended up scraping against the chain stay for "no good reason."

So were the invention of QRs a conspiracy between bike thieves and tire makers?

Should I tighten down the QRs with pliars? The wheel was actually very difficult to release the last time. I imagine if I had tightened it with tools, I wouldn't of been able to reset it on the road.

some QR's suck, but it's not the fault of the wheel.

Are you using them correctly?

Are your dropouts BMX style? If so drop the quick release and get a solid axle wheel. If the dropouts are vertical some is wrong with the dropout. Maybe the dropout are bent. I have a feeling you have BMX style dropouts

It sounds like you may not be using the QR properly. You do not tighten the quick release by "twisting" it shut as one would a wing-nut. The handle of the quick release folds, compressing itself onto your axle.
http://www.amclassic.com/images/Skewers.jpg
That is an image of the quick release in the closed position, open the handles are in line to the axle.
Twist the QR and then close the handle, it's right when the handle is difficult to close.
Properly used a QR should hold your wheel tight and strong.

--A

I ask the same.

(the question I held back on asking was, "is this a huge troll?" :D)

It's a troll. Next please.

But wait! ridelugs hasn't weighed in yet on their functionality versus beauty. How else can we really know whether they suck or not?

Check that the ends of the axle dont extend to or beyond the drop-outs. If they do the QR tightens against the axle end and not against the QR. This can happen either if the axle is too long, or if it is not centred on the hub. In the first case it can be fixed by grinding a bit off the ends of the axle. In the second case the bearing cones must be readjusted to move the axle across.

The possibility of the axle being too long does exist if these wheels were not originally fitted to this bike hence resulting in a feeling that he QRs are tight when in fact they are tightening down on the axles themselves and not on the dropouts. A quick and easy cure is to place flat washers on the outside of the dropouts once the wheel is in, without the QRs in place, to take up the space of the axle that sticks out past the dropouts. Option two, if option 1 works and they remain tight with the washers, is to cut down (or grind down) the axle about 2-4 mm on 1 side and readjust the cones to center the axle. The washers will just get in the way for a permanent fix. The dropouts on lower quality frames are thinner than higher end dropouts, hence the issue with the axle sticking out. This is all assuming that these wheels are replacements. So the issue is not whether or not the "QRs suck" but whether or not they are appropriate for the application.

Aw come on, we all know convenience trumps beauty when the **** hits the fan :)

Wheel Flex
 

Your wheels could be flexing. Your rear triangle could be flexing. There is nothing "flexy" about a QR axel. Let's try not to skewer them unfairly.

My problems probably resulted from tightening instead of compressing. After you compress, is it useful to wrench tighten some more?

What if the handle breaks? -- will tightening the bolt with pliars work then? -- or is a new QR (or carrying tool) absolutely necessary if you're going more than 5 miles from home?

If the QR is adjusted properly before compressing, there is no action needed after compressing.

The QR skewer should be set so that compressing just allows the lever to be pushed in all the way. If it closes too easily, then decompress, tighten a little and try again.

Edit: I have never had a QR lever break, so don't worry about that. If you are paranoid about it, carry two new QR skewers, one for the front and one for the year.

If you are having continued issues, try to find a cyclist to help you out... it is something easier to show in person than describe.

I broke one trying to compress it :( -- snapped off. was old, but prob pressed too hard. Will any rear wheel skewer adjust down to 120mm no prob?

There are different lenth skewers (quick release) make sure you buy the right length, a shop that sells you a new one should match it to your old one, they can also show you how to use it correctly.

I have had quick releases that have the same problem. I do know how to use a QR, and I love them, but my Viscount QR just won't stay put on the rear. The wheel goes all off kilter whenever I hammer it. But it's the original QR and it even has the Viscount logo on it, so I don't want to change it, even though this one doesn't work, so I just ride softly on the viscount. It may be a manufacturing problem or perhaps it's just worn. IF there's not enough assymetry in the compression mechanism (due to wear or poor manufacture/design) then there won't be enough pressure to hold the wheel in place. OR perhaps as a previous poster suggested, the QR is compressing onto the axel directly; instead of onto the frame (which should be compressed into the washers and nuts which are around the axel on the other side of the frame.

If your QR's don't hold your wheel tightly enough, even with horizontal dropouts, you're doing something wrong. There are several possibilities:

1. If your axle is too long, the QR won't hold. The axle can't extend past either dropout by even the tiniest bit. Check this first before wating your time doing anything else.

2. A QR isn't a wong nut. Many people use them improperly. Hold the QR lever parallel with the axle and tighten the nut on the opposite side until it's just finger tight. Now push the lever in perpendicular with the axle with your hand. That will be much tighter and hold better than using the QR like a wing nut. No tools are necessary.

3. All QR's aren't created equally. A genuine Shimano or Campy QR, or a clone that hides the mechanism on the inside, will hold much better than one that has an exposed cam.

I had a similar problem. The pressure of peddling on the drive side pushes the front of the rear wheel to the left. No matter how tight I made the quick release (and yes I do know how to use them) it continued to happen although the tighter I made it the less severe or less it moved. Someone suggested using a Shimano skewer, which I happened to have, and it solved the problem. I still have to make the skewer pretty tight but it works properly. If you go on ebay you can pick up a set of skewers pretty cheaply. Probably for under $20. The skewer I had around was a cheap Tiagra/105 level so you don't need a Dura Ace level. The Shimino have an internal cam system which I guess is tighter.

I'm thinking this bike has a lot sees a lot of dirt or road spray. If you have an external cam like the ones pictured above, then grit and dirt can become caught inbetween the surfaces making it feel like it is really tight, when it is actually the debris preventing the cam device from closing properly. Internal cam QRs are superior.