Quick Release Lever - Front - Which Side..?
12-16-18 | 10:32 AM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,638
Likes: 14
From: Maidstone, Kent, England
Bikes: 1970 Holdsworth Mistral, Vitus 979, Colnago Primavera, Corratec Hydracarbon, Massi MegaTeam, 1935 Claud Butler Super Velo, Carrera Virtuoso, Viner, 1953 Claud Butler Silver Jubilee, 1954 Holdsworth Typhoon, 1966 Claud Butler Olympic Road, 1982 Claud
QR handles on the non drive side - only exceptions are with those new-fangled disc brakey thingies - but I use Pitlock skewers with those anyway, so no handle to worry about. If you put the handle on the wrong side there is a very real danger of the Earth tilting off it's rotational axis and spiralling into the heart of the sun. I never risk it!
12-16-18 | 01:17 PM
#27
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,687
Likes: 297
I’ve seen it happen.
The sequence is as follows:
Disc brakes puts a downward force on the axle. This force can be greater than the upward force of gravity.
If a rider would ever fail to close the q/r hard enough, braking will push the axle down, then riding will push the axle up. And this sliding motion will cause the q/r to unscrew.
Eventually it can get slack enough to let the q/r lever flop into the rotor - assuming the design allows for that degree of motion.
I think I’ve noticed a change in Shimano q/rs. All my old q/rs have levers that goes past perpendicular. Maybe not enough to tuck into a rotor, but far enough to give a neat and tight assembly. Now, my latest set, the levers don’t go past perpendicular.
The old visual clue has become useless.
And I’m not sure it’s an improvement.
Sure, allowing the lever to flop into the rotor isn’t particularly useful.
But my latest levers don’t give the same feeling of ”camming over” as the old ones do.
The sequence is as follows:
Disc brakes puts a downward force on the axle. This force can be greater than the upward force of gravity.
If a rider would ever fail to close the q/r hard enough, braking will push the axle down, then riding will push the axle up. And this sliding motion will cause the q/r to unscrew.
Eventually it can get slack enough to let the q/r lever flop into the rotor - assuming the design allows for that degree of motion.
I think I’ve noticed a change in Shimano q/rs. All my old q/rs have levers that goes past perpendicular. Maybe not enough to tuck into a rotor, but far enough to give a neat and tight assembly. Now, my latest set, the levers don’t go past perpendicular.
The old visual clue has become useless.
And I’m not sure it’s an improvement.
Sure, allowing the lever to flop into the rotor isn’t particularly useful.
But my latest levers don’t give the same feeling of ”camming over” as the old ones do.
12-17-18 | 11:42 AM
#28
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 12,562
Likes: 2,738
From: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma
I almost always fit both skewer levers to the non-drive side. I always un-clip the non-drive foot when releasing my SPD shoe from the pedal. Notice I said that I usually fit the handles to the non-drive side. But...
Last year, in Jamaica, I goofed. For some reason, I fitted the front skewer with the handle to the drive side, thinking nothing of it. In fact, I did not realize that I was fitting it different from normal practice. Well...
When making a very slow speed right hand turn (difficult for me to do since breaking my neck in 2000) I started to loose my balance, falling to the drive side. I snapped my foot out of the pedal, as I was going down, intending to slap the pavement, with my forearm and cushion the landing. However, the loop of the lace on my shoe got caught in the handle of the mismounted front skewer. Down I went, jamming my elbow into my ribs, breaking one in the process. So...
From this day forward, I will always mount both skewers with levers on the non-drive side. And, from now on, the lace loops get tucked under the velcro strap.
Last year, in Jamaica, I goofed. For some reason, I fitted the front skewer with the handle to the drive side, thinking nothing of it. In fact, I did not realize that I was fitting it different from normal practice. Well...
When making a very slow speed right hand turn (difficult for me to do since breaking my neck in 2000) I started to loose my balance, falling to the drive side. I snapped my foot out of the pedal, as I was going down, intending to slap the pavement, with my forearm and cushion the landing. However, the loop of the lace on my shoe got caught in the handle of the mismounted front skewer. Down I went, jamming my elbow into my ribs, breaking one in the process. So...
From this day forward, I will always mount both skewers with levers on the non-drive side. And, from now on, the lace loops get tucked under the velcro strap.
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