About a month ago, I picked up a KHS Urban-X, which is an ideal bike for my commute. It uses quick-release skewers for the wheels. I was perusing the manual, and noticed a section about the skewers, mentioning it was really easy to over or under tighten them. It recommended taking the bike to a shop every time the skewers are removed, to ensure they're properly refitted.

To me, this seems to defeat the purpose of quick-release wheels. I'm wondering if skewers really are that sensitive/difficult to reinstall properly. My basic point is that, in the event of a flat, I'll have to remove and reinstall them, and want to know what I'm getting into.

That's just for covering their asses. Watch this:

https://bicycletutor.com/remove-install-wheels/

Yeah, the point is not to just turn the lever like a wingnut. You need to release the lever and then rely on the cam to squeeze it tight.

Ha! Ha! Ha!
Take it to a shop only if you don't understand how to use them.

And take a file to those stupid "lawyer lips" that also defeat the purpose of quick release skewers.

I disagree with this advice. For most, the benefit from a QR is not speed, it's the ability to remove and remount a wheel without having to carry around a heavy wrench. There's enough pain involved from my fork plunging into the ground sans-wheel that I'll happily live with the secondary retention mechanism.

And I have seen at least two kids in the past year or so who probably have teeth today because of those lawyer lips.

I, too, think that lawyer lips are a good thing for the average citizen riding a bike.

My son's mountain bike has QR skewers, but also has these ridiculous looking snap clasps that hold the front wheel onto the fork, and would probably work even if the skewers were removed.

The funny thing is that I almost always forget to snap those back on. They aren't needed, but we will be riding along and I will see them dangling. Then I have him stop so I can snap them in.

It seems pretty ridiculous to me, but I am not a corporate attorney. I do know when I was a kid I would take a wrench to every nut and bolt on my bicycle and I had no clue what I was doing. I can only imagine what close calls I created for myself.

Ha, ha me too.
I think ability to tighten quick release test should be a litmus test for letting someone buy a bike. I was over joyed when I found out that the fork that came with my new road bike didn't have those stupid lawyer tabs.

UD

+1

Saved my butt, and that was on a bike with 15mm nuts... We simply forgot to wrench tighten the front wheel. Wondered why there was a ticking noise when you stood on the bike.

What I despise are those little things that flip around and snap onto the front fork. They're painful to open and close...

I was always taught to tighten the quick release such that it just barely doesn't leave an indent on your palm. This way of doing it (so that pressure starts at 90 degrees) seems much easier to teach.

Lawyer lips saved my teeth this week when I rode my disk-brake equipped bike several miles (including several hard stops) with a loose QR skewer. Not sure why it loosened on me--I know how to tighten them properly, and it's been several weeks since I've had the wheel off for any reason.

My first clue that something was wrong should have been the fact that the QR lever was rotated about 90 degrees from its usual position (I generally orient it next to the fork, but figured I must have just been in a hurry the last time I put the wheel on).

My second clue should have been the non-functional speedometer, and the fact that when I checked the magnet-sensor alignment, the magnet had rotated around the spoke--as if it had hit the sensor due to, oh say, a loose wheel flopping around.

My third clue, which was finally sufficient, was the flopping of the wheel I noticed when I did further tweaking of the speedometer sensor position, after still failing to pick up the signal from the magnet.

Today, I certainly have a much prettier smile than I deserve.

On a fork without lawyer lips, when the wheel is removed and replaced, a properly adjusted quick release skewer will not need much (if any) adjustment.

Lawyer lips make skewer re-adjustment mandatory each time.

I am dismayed that so many of you have trouble properly tightening your skewers. Velcro closures for shoes must be a Godsend for you.

My advice to file off the lawyer lips requires so much effort and skill, that it ought to weed out those for whom lawyer lips were designed for in the first place.

Seen the new "Clix" skewers yet? Wifes new bike has them. Jury is still out on them for me...

Chip, ease up on the blue, will ya?

Jobst Brandt has written on this explaining that a quick release may not have the require clamping force to keep a wheel in place due to the high braking forces and there have been numerous incidents where disc wheels have come loose... with no fault of the rider.

https://yarchive.net/bike/disk_brake_qr.html

Unless, of course, your fork has the tiniest bit of incorrect spread between the legs, as every fork on every bike I've owned has had - then you still end up adjusting the skewer, even if you've filed off the tabs.

It does alarm me, though, that you consider adjusting a QR skewer such a big deal that you would recommend that people take a file to their bikes rather than risk having to do such major maintenance. I find skewers quick and easy to adjust, whether or not the bike in question has secondary retention tabs or not. I'm sure there's a 12-step program or something for skewerophobia.

Seriously, though, I would not suggest that anybody file them off without knowing EXACTLY what they're doing - not only do they serve more purpose than protecting fork manufacturers from liability (as mentioned in some of the above posts), but it's also an easy way to damage your fork beyond repair. Don't laugh - I've seen it more than once.

Hang on 'lawyer Lips" they never used to be called that! Jeez I struggle to remember my PIN!

Or instead you can buy 1Up USA's Quick-Nuts and get both the extra security the lips provide on a disc-braked wheel AND "Stop fumbling with your Q-R--Use a Quick-Nut instead".

I've seen some articles about QR/front disk problems like that before, which was why I specifically mentioned that the bike has disk brakes in my story. Despite several reasonably forceful stops with a front disk brake with a loose QR skewer (pretty much a recipe for dental work, for reasons noted in the articles I've seen), the lawyer lips did their job in this case.

I've had the bike for a year and a half and have ridden about 6500 km on it. I've never had the QR loosen like that, which makes me suspect that I didn't clamp it quite as tight as I normally do.

That's a clever solution that the Quick-Nut people came up with. I like it.

I know this is an old thread, but any verdict on the "CLIX" yet?

i have the same opinion

What's highlighted in bold is complete nonsense. Go to a local co-op and learn how to remove/reinstall a wheel. There're several little things one needs to know. How to release/retighten the brakes, re-centering the wheel, etc. Depending on the type of calipers you may need to carry needle-nosed pliers in your tookit. This was my approach years ago when I first started cycle-commuting.

Btw,one little tip. Make sure the skewer handle is parallel to the fork in the front and the same w/t chainstay in the rear. That way one can use all four fingers on the inside of the fork/frame and the palm of the hand on the lever. But, make sure you leave enough space between the lever and the outside of the fork/frame to get your fingers in to be able to loosen the skewer if/when the wheel needs to be removed.