126mm Skewer in Ti
 

By the time boutique skewers hit the market, 130 mm hubs were the norm so all the Ti and similar skewers I've ever seen were offered in 130 mm but were threaded far enough to let you use them on 126 mm hubs and cut off the extra length (or leave it in place if you preferred the "Ben Hur" look).

BTW, I trust you are going to use these on a frame with vertical dropouts. Those external cam skewers don't have the clamping force needed to reliably hold the rear wheel in position in horizontal dropouts.

Wow, I never saw one of those. However, I took it that the OP was asking about Ti shafts (some with Al end caps too) and those are relatively new. I have a pair of Specialized branded Ti/Al skewers I got from Performance a few years ago and they were very light but that was their only attraction. They now decorate my parts box.

Just curious, John: What did those Zeus' weigh in at? I can imagine that they would weigh 3 or 4 oz less than the standard, chromo variety.

Paul

I'm quoting this simply because it deserves repeating.

But in this case it'd be a tight race between the external cam and the extra elasticity of Ti as compared to steel as being the biggest concern...

Yes, that's exactly what we are saying. Horizontal dropouts do not play well with Ti skewer rods and particularly those with external cam qr's. Most boutique and untralight skewer sets do have external cams. Here is an illustration of an external cam skewer: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...Qr+Skewer.aspx Enlarge the picture and look at the end with the clamping lever.

The standard Shimano/Campy-style internal cam type with steel rods are THE way to go. Also, a steel end nut or one with a serrated steel insert should be used to be sure the nut gets a good "bite" on the dropout face. Here is a typical internal cam skewer: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...0+Skewers.aspx This is what you need.

+1

The rear skewer of a horizontal dropout bike is not the place to save a few grams. It will slip at the worst possible time (when you're hammering on it) and you could easily hurt yourself. Save the extra weight elsewhere. Maybe a new frame? Judging by the amount of money you appear to be sticking into this build.

Thank you all for saving me some heartache and buttache. Boy, I am sure glad you people warned me.
On the other hand, I do not see any functional difference between those two different types of skewers, Hill. I'll make sure I ask and research before buying, though.

Paul

The external cam surface has a larger diameter than the internal so that friction from closing the lever acts on a longer moment arm.

IOW, for a given force applied to the lever more is used to overcome friction in the open-cam design and less to clamp the wheel.

Check this out: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html