Front wheel problem
 

Hey everyone!

I have an old Giant Atx 760 that I got used. I recently tried to take the front wheel off to do some cleaning and even after loosening the quick release all the way I couldn't get it off. I finally figured out that the sides of the fork have two "nubs" that won't let the wheel off.

I'm not really sure what to do about this. Any help would be great! Thanks.

Can you post a picture? Some bikes have "lawyer tabs," which keep the wheel from falling off if you don't attach the quick release right. If you can get the wheel of, and that's what the things you're talking about are, you can get rid of them. Maybe pulling the fork blades apart with your hands will let the wheel slip out.
And congratulations on joining.

google image "fork lawyer tabs"
compare to your fork.

The nubs are a backup system to keep the front wheel from falling off when the QR isn't properly tightened. In order to remove the wheel you have to back off the skewer nut after opening the QR.

As AEO said, these are often called lawyer tabs, though here in NY "lawyer's lips" is the more common name. IMO the irony of these is that they actually increase problems because if the user doesn't know how to properly use a QR, he can't be expected to properly re-adjust the QR each time after mounting a wheel? Many experienced riders file these off, and some, like myself, modify the nut so it spins with the skewer and reliably retains the adjustment putting the Quick back into quick release.

Hey thanks everyone! That's the problem for sure! Appreciate the help and welcome. :D

I've done this on a few older bikes but stopped for two reasons:

1. Many fork manufacturers will refuse to honor their warranty if you do this. Kestrel and Easton both say it will void their warranty.

2. If you ever sell the bike and have removed a "safety feature" it could cause problems if the new owner has an accident.

I found it three complete turns of the nut free most front wheels so I just count turns when I remove and replace the wheel and the qr adjustment goes back to it's proper tension.

While I would never file these off on someone else's bike I admit that it's the first thing I do with any new bike of mine. It completely negates the whole point of having QR clamps.

True and I loathe the things too but I've learned to live with them for the above reasons.

One type of fork they should NEVER be filed off of is one used with disc brakes, particularly if the dropouts aren't specifically designed for disc use. Disc brakes tend to force the wheel down and out of conventional dropouts and wheel ejection was a problem when discs first appeared.

Not quite. :-) With a former non-quick release bike, I had to carry around a wrench to get the wheels off for changing flats. HillRider's tactic is the same as mine: mindlessly count to three turns or so and the wheel slips out. Much better than carrying a couple of pounds of steel in the tool bag.

Whether to file them off or not is a personal decision, which is why I stopped short of suggesting the OP does so.

While leaving them on and re-adjusting the QR each time does offer some of the benefit of QR such as not needing tools, it isn't as convenient as with the original design wherein the nut was tight enough to stay put and turn with the skewer.

If you do leave the lips on, and if the nut is thick enough, here's a way you can eat the your cake and have it too.

Trim the skewer so it ends short of the top of the nut by a few millimeters, being sure to have at least 6mm engaged (nut must be tall enough). Assemble the wheel onto the fork, adjust the skewer tension exactly where you want it and thread a small set screw in from the end until it makes contact.

Once you have everything the way you want it, locktite the set screw in place as a depth gauge, and from then on you'll have a quick reference to re-establish the setting every time you re-install the wheel.