135mm quick-release axles, deal breaker?
 

I found a low cost 2021 Fuji gravel bike at an on-line dealer. The bike has 100 front and 135 back quick-release axles. I have 2 disc brake bikes with through-axles and I like the precision of the through-axle standard.

I want a low cost bike I can keep at a vacation home and this Fuji is perfect for what I have planned. Am I going to be sorry I got a disk brake bike with quick-release axles?

My negative experience with QR and discs involved removing/replacing the front wheel. Very fiddly to get the brake alignment right. If you don't have to remove the wheel to transport the bike, that might not be an issue.

I rode Mountain Bikes with disk brakes and QR axles for years without any problems.

Perfect evaluation, thanks. I'd buy this bike to keep for local rides and to avoid having to transport a bike from my domicile. I'm patient enough to reset the alignment. Will I need to reset the caliper position after I reinstall the front wheel?

It was my experience that I had to realign the caliper after most wheel removals. This was with an inexpensive suspension fork, maybe flexy, so that may have compounded the issue.

I like thru axles, but QR works fine. more fiddly yeah maybe most of the time not always seems to depend on the drop out design.

Either way once they are on and set its fine a gravel bike I wouldn't even hesitate to go QR.

All my bikes are older and have QRs. It is not an issue but there are a couple things to keep in mind:

• QRs were not originally designed for the forces disc brakes produce, and the front QR can loosen off over time. Make sure it is tight enough initially and check the tightness occasionally
• Ensure the wheel is fully installed in the dropouts and is straight in the fork before you do final adjustments on the brake. This should prevent the problem shelbyfv described, unless there is some other problem

Otherwise it should be fine. Disc brakes and QRs existed happily together on lots of bikes for over a decade before TAs became common.

There are 2 QR disc bikes hanging in our garage right now. One hasnt had a wheel adjusted since the last time I added sealant over a year ago(if it cuts, that sealant will be useless) and the other hasnt had a wheel adjusted in 3 years as it uses tubes. My kids ride both and while they secondary bikes that dont get high use, they probably get more use than a backup bike at a vacation house. Just use internal cam QRs and have fun.

I don't think you'll be sorry. My gravel bike is QR and I don't see any problem with it at all. QR is gone on higher-end bikes, but it's apparently never going away on cheaper bikes. Which surprises me a little, because I would think the lawyers would make them use TA on all bikes.

I have QR discs on my Soma Fog Cutter and have no issues removing and installing wheels. I actually prefer it since it's faster than thru axles and I do it often with the front to transport the bike. Just make sure the wheel is seated properly, I give it a quick spin to be sure no rotor rub. I am using internal cam XT skewers.

That might've been your issue. I have a Space Horse with QRs and disc brakes and have no such problems. Insert wheel, squeeze front brake lever, then clamp down QR. Works like a charm. It works even better if you throw away the OEM QR levers, which are probably external cam, and replace the with some Shimano XT internal cam levers - which will cost about thirty bucks.

Overall I prefer TA mainly due to easier rotor alignment, but I'm always paranoid that I'll accidentally mess up the the threads when screwing in the axles. QR is a bit more tedious to align properly, but you don't have to worry about messing up your bike.

I have QR on my gravel bike, but I also have the option to go thru-axle in the future with a rear derailleur hanger swap. I like having this option since forks are easy to swap out, but having the option to change your frame from QR to TA makes it a bit more future-proof.

I'm more interested in where one goes on vacation when living in Wisconsin.

I wouldn't let the QRs stop you if the bike is otherwise perfect. Keep the skewers tight and accept the fact that you might occasionally have to re-align a caliper, which takes all of five minutes. But honestly, I've only had to do so a couple of times in many hundreds of miles of use on mine.

^^^Cool!:thumb: Surely you need a Pegoretti gravel bike (if such a thing exists.)

QR works fine in my Fuji Sportif with hydro brakes. When replacing a wheel I turn the bike on its head and make sure the wheel is All the way in before clamping the QR. That way the wheel is placed the same every time. Only issue I can envision is if the wheel is not straight when pushed all the way in. Then it might be fiddly replacing the wheel without disc brake rub. I have an other bike that is like that. I hesitate upgrading that bike to hydro with the tight tolerances of hydro disc brakes.

Which on my first disc brake equipped CX bike (with QR axles) was as simple as opening the cam lever old the wheel on the ground, and drop the fork/frame over the top of the axle, ensuring it was all the way into the dropout, and boom…perfectly aligned, every time. No different than with rim brakes.

This is by no means an endorsement for QR with disc brakes. Just saying that ensuring the hub is aligned in the dropouts is not magic.

That's incredible!
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Through Axle is definitely better, but QR was generally adequate..

I have MTBs with both and a gravel bike with QR.

TA is an improvement, but if I was otherwise happy with a gravel bike, I would not really care that it was QR.

As far as brake alignment, there are tricks to that on QR, but it has generally not been a problem for me if I am conscientious about how a place the wheel during brake setup and subsequent wheel installations.

Wow, that's awesome - glad I asked. Good luck to you both!

+1 on not a big deal; have four such bikes.

For putting the wheel back, count the full revolutions to clear the lips and remember the lever orientation. This will help keep the torque constant.

Just piling on - I had a Fuji MTB with QR/hydro discs and it was fine. The calipers were a little fiddly and required frequent alignment to prevent rubbing, but I have the same situation with my TA disc brake bikes.

My only concern would be wheel/hub compatibility - 135mm QR disc hubs are becoming more rare these days, so your aftermarket wheel options might be a bit more limited.