goplutus

Hi, I've been having a recurring issue of the rear wheel coming out of the drop outs under load (typically a hill), and having an inordinately difficult time getting it to reseat (had to slow roll home in low gear today). The only thing I can think of would be a faulty QR skewer. The spring on the non-latch side is a bit bent. Any other suggestions? If QR is likely culprit, any suggestions on replacement versions? Thanks!

FBinNY 

Let's clear away some of the foliage so we can see what's what.

I assume you have horizontal dropouts, but please confirm, along with the material the dropouts are made of.
What kind or brand of skewer?
and what are the faces that engage the drop out made of?
if you remove the wheel, what are the faces that meed the dropout made of, are they smooth or serrated/ (or what brand/model hub?)

Lastly, since you mention the spring, are the conical springs on the skewer with the small ends facing in ie. [>--------<] as opposed to [<----------->]?

Once we've cleared the obvious and know what you have we can offer suggestions that might help.

goplutus

Thanks - will do my best effort - bike is a fairly stock Fuji Touring 2015

Dropouts - Horizontal, steel frame

QR Type - Stock with bike (no labeled branding), serrated, spings wide on the outside to small as it hits the frame. I believe it's aluminum (best guess)

FBinNY 

OK, there's nothing that jumps out, except you saying the springs hit the frame.

I hope that's not true. The springs should ride ride against the ends of the axle, and accordion to a flat disc out of the why when the QR closes.

One possibility may be that the axle is long or the dropout thin, so the QR can't close properly. In a correct arrangement the end of the axle will be recessed in the slot leaving room fro the spring to tuck in. My guideline (unofficial) is that the axle should extend beyond the locknut face by 1mm less than the thickness of the dropout.

I also like to see QR and axle faces harder than the frame ans serrated so they bite into the dropout slightly rather than rely on friction.

Take a few moments to check all this, then tighten the QR nut, so it takes a decent amount of strength to throw the cam. As a rough rule, the QR should close and you should start feeling resistance at about thye halfway point in the lever's throw, after which it's adding pressure.

CliffordK

Not all QR skewers are serrated. But, the lock nut on the hub should be serrated or knurled.

I always get my QR about as tight as I can get it on the rear. Just loosen/tighten the QR nut a bit while testing the lever to take adequate closing force.

You are flipping the QR lever to tighten, not just twisting, right?

You will find some discussion about external cam vs internal cam QR skewers. The internal cam design is older, but more secure for the horizontal dropouts in particular.

Internal Cam (top) (better for horizontal dropouts)
External Cam (bottom)


Bicycle Quick-Release Mechanisms

VegasTriker

The two springs are there to make reinstalling the wheels in the dropouts easier by giving you equal spaces on both sides of the skewer. They don't have any role in keeping the wheel on the frame. Go to the bike shop and ask them to show you the proper way to tighten the skewer and if that doesn't work, buy a new one.

goplutus

Yep. I'll take it back in. This latest time it popped out was after the shop had it (~100 km later though). The bent spring might be interfering with a clean grip on the drive side. I'll see what they say.

CliffordK

You can just remove the springs (or the drive side spring) and ride it without them if you think they're causing a problem. Or if you installed them backwards.

They should be with the point of the cone towards the inside.

BlazingPedals

Two thoughts. First, I've seen many long-time users mis-use quick release skewers. To make sure you're using them right: open the lever, tighten the nut by hand until contact is made with the frame. Now throw the lever over, tightening the skewer all the way. Adjust tightness by opening the lever and adjusting the nut. DO NOT SPIN THE CLOSED LEVER LIKE A WRENCH. You should have to put enough pressure to close it, to put an indentation in your palm.

Second, with the skewer removed completely and the wheel seated in the dropouts: do the hollow axles stick out even or beyond the outside of the outer face of the dropouts? If so, you'll never tighten the wheel.

goplutus

Thanks for the help folks. A new QR did the trick.

goplutus

Another unfortunate update:this issue is back. It appears the frame is 135mm but the wheel is 130mm, which means the frame is being squeezed a lot.

Could this be causing the problem? Anything else to try short of a new wheel?

thumpism 

The faces of the dropouts must be parallel. There are tools that show this and enable you to correct it, and your shop should have them. I have not priced them lately but they might cost too much for a hobbyist, but if you work on ten different bikes a year it's worth the investment.


Sounds odd for a newish bike to be that far off on the dropout spacing.

BlazingPedals

A shop can re-space the dropouts and set them to parallel at the new spacing. But that won't cause your originally-described problem. If your hollow axles stick out beyond the dropouts, you're tightening the QR against the axle, not against the frame. A Q/R with raised serrations around the perimeter of the nut and lever ends will allow a tiny bit of this and still contact the frame; but only a tiny bit.

Since you have the wrong wheel for the frame, I presume this is a replacement wheel or a used bike, and not a new-bike warranty issue?

goplutus

It's the factory wheel straight from Fuji

SpookyReverb

This is a problem on my 2012 Salsa Casseroll (and, after trying to figure out the issue, seems to be a problem for lots of Casseroll owners out there). Same thing: Horizontal dropouts. Under a load, thestrong force of the chain rips the axle out of the dropout and pulls the wheel toward the non-drive side, smashing the tire up against the chainstay.

The only thing I've been able to do to fix this is to slam the QR lever down so hard that it is almost impossible to get back open. It is so irritating that it makes me want to get rid of the bike...

thumpism 

I'd be interested in seeing the bikes with the problem. Having worked as a mechanic for several years and having encountered this in only a couple of cases, it was usually an axle that was too long (extending to or past the outer face of the dropout) or dropouts that were not parallel. Could be something else but I do not know what that would be without investigation. I have horizontal dropouts on several bikes past and present and have not had the issue on any of these bikes and, while I'm not the most powerful of riders, have been on touring-loaded machines in granny gears on steep hills with nary a hint of such slippage.

rmfnla

Are you sure nothing jumps out..?

CliffordK

If you have a standard threaded axle, then I'd just put in a new axle with more spacers. You can do either +2.5mm on each side, and the dishing should be fine. Or, I usually need to touch up the dishing slightly, but it usually isn't a big deal.

Re-adjust your rear derailleur after changing the dishing.

If you keep the wide dropouts and narrow hub, then the trick is to screw the QR down to narrow the space, then flip the QR so it is as tight as you can get it. If it isn't tight, then screw down a bit more and try it again.

As was mentioned, with the mismatched dropouts/hub... make sure the axle isn't long. Perhaps a spacer was left out.