Interesting thread. I was at my local bike Saturday. I guy came into the shop with his kid who was holding the rear wheel from his new Trek mountain bike. His Dad followed with the rest of the bike. Im sure the guy hadn't yet mucked with the bike since he bought it as he had no idea how to slide the wheel back into the drop out. His front tooth was broken and the back of his arm looked like a butchered red velvet cake. The bike manager slid the rear wheel back in and tightened the quick release but his brake rotor was taco'd.

One of the ironies of modern bike design. BITD a rear wheel falling off would have been unheard of because he QR had to be bulletproof tight to keep the wheel from slipping.

Also, QRs and hubs had serrations to bite the frame and maximize hold so they were secure. Lastly, the QR nut had a friction system of some kind that made it hare to adjust, and kept it from moving when the wheel was off the bike.

However over time things improved.

Lawyer lips were added to the fork, which solved one possible problem, but required that the QR be readjusted each time the wheel was installed. For the life of me, I can't understand why designers assumed that someone who couldn't use a QR in the first place would magically know how to adjust it properly.

In order to save weight, and not leave objectionable tooth marks in dropouts, the steel serrated faces were replaced with smooth aluminum ones. This was made possible with the advent of vertical dropouts and layers lips on forks, both of which reduced the required holding power to work properly.

So, the combination of vertical dropouts, soft face QRs, and the need to adjust the nuts, created the real possibility that a rear wheel could be ridden with a loose QR and fall off when the bike was transported.

I understand how it could have happened, and feel sorry for the OP, but other than blaming the world and progress, he has to accept that this was likely user error and take it on the chin.

Two of my sons are presently visiting the Gettysburg battlefields. I put the word out, if they find your wheel I'll let you know.

Thanks for the mature replies up to this point. Here is an update: Tire found. Walking along the road for another look does pay off. Turns out the QR was busted. Half of it was still in the hub. I guess this explains why it fell out. LBS guy said this can happen. Lesson learned. So no matter what you do sometimes crap can happen. I already purchased a new wheel set up so this experience goes in the books.

Do you understand the difference between a wheel and a tire?

Have you considered that the QR might have been busted by impact on the road? It is really unusual for a QR to break inside the axle.

Cyccomute, you might want to change your answer now that you are WRONG once again. I think Eric0053 has it right, your tone on these forums is not someone who is trying to be helpful but someone who is always trying to be right. The man with all the answers. Take a look at your answer and read FBinNY's and notice the difference. You could learn from him.

To the OP, glad you found your wheel. The reality is all things break, it is just a matter of when. You just happen to get unlucky. As for this forum, you will learn quickly who to put on your ignore list and the ones that are helpful.

Stuff happens.
Sometimes there's a reason.
If you're real lucky, you'll find out what that reason is and be able to learn from it.
For the others, there's Bourbon.

Eric0053's rant was about finding fault outside outside of his (her?) own actions, as so many are. I stand by my point that people often use quick releases incorrectly. I see it a dozen times per shift at my local co-op.

OK...to put an end to this argument. I was never looking for fault. I was seeking understanding. In my line of work understanding is more important than fault. This way I can not have it happen again. Yes, the loss cost me some funds. No biggie there. I am very happy that the wheel did not hit another vehicle. I saw the damn thing bouncing in front of the utility truck doing work. I talked to the guy to make sure it did not hit any one. I thought I had used the QR in the correct manner but it is possible I did not. I make for damn sure that I do now. Lesson learned. I even learned there are different QR's of different quality. My LBS guy and I looked over the busted QR and I just shrugged and said "Oh Well" it happens. End of issue. I never asked for anything from him other than knowledge and a professional opinion. I do appreciate advice on this forum and the riders who welcome newbies into the adventure of riding a bike. I am a runner and know a ton about shoes, training etc. I enjoy helping new runners and slow way down and shorten distance if a new runner wants to go for a run. I always say a mile is a mile no matter how fast you go. Kind of relieves the pressure on a newer runner. I am enjoying riding and have met some really good people on road and trail. Now I need to figure out how much to spend on a rode bike. Thanks everyone for the advice and help. Hopefully someday I will know enough to help others.
And...yes....a tire is rubber....wheel is not rubber. Wheels have axels and hubs. I apologize to those that I may have offended with my incorrect use of the velocipede parts.

I was JRA last week when my bike started shifting wonky. I stopped to check the derailleur adjustment and noticed the rear wheel was loose in the dropouts and allowed to float a little. Sure enough, the skewer had opened a little.

I'd like to blame somebody but I had just replaced the rear tire an hour before and had the wheel out. I'd kick my own rear end if I thought it would help but it would be a waste of time.

Heh. Same sort of thing happened to me about a month ago. I had taken the wheels to a LBS for new tubeless tires and must not have put the rear one back on tight enough. Near the end of my ride I went to start up from a green light and the rear wheel actually came out of the dropout and locked up the chain. I nearly flipped over the bars.


Maybe we should kick each others' butts.

I'll be riding there a week from today. I'll keep an eye out, too.

Cool!

Before putting the argument completely to bed, understand the issue from my point of view. Your post was, by your own admission, a "rant". You were upset at something that happened to you and you seemed to want to affix blame. You seemed to be looking for sympathetic ears. You provided us with little to no detail and then, when it was pointed out based on that detail that it was likely user error (i.e. your fault), you got hotter under the collar. Those aren't the actions of someone who is "seeking understanding".

In the bicycle industry they even have an acronym for your kind of problem. It's a JRA or "just riding along" which is short hand for the customer saying, for example, "I was just riding along and ..." The customer will say that they never touched anything on the bike but they may have been doing 3' drops on a mountain bike or hopping curbs on a road bike or not understanding how to use the quick release or, my personal favorite, "adjusted" the derailers by getting out the screwdriver and having a go at the limit screws. JRAs do happen but more often than not, they have some help.

As to your specific issue, part of the reason for my response is that quick releases simply don't fail if used properly. I'm not saying that yours couldn't have broken but that event is so rare that it's never been posted on the BikeForums to my knowledge nor have I ever broken one in 40 years of using them nor have I seen a broken one at my local co-op. And trust me if it can be broken or messed up, I've seen it at my local co-op.

There is also the issue of nomenclature. Since you are a runner, what would you say to someone if they came to you and asked advice about tennis shoes? Would you let them continue using an improper term or would you correct them? Maybe they are looking for shoes for tennis or are they looking for shoes for running? Does not knowing the proper nomenclature help you help them? If you had a problem with the brakes on your car would you tell a mechanic that the tires aren't stopping the car? Being clear about the problem and knowing how to converse with others about it goes a long way towards understanding.

Finally to get back to your initial problem, people do lose wheels off cars occasionally. But it is a rather rare problem and 99.999999999% of the time it is due to user error. Occam's razor says that the simplest explanation the best place to start.