Oldguyonoldbike

About three weeks ago I ended up face first on the pavement. The rear wheel popped out of the dropout and the bike came to an abrupt halt, but I didn't, at least not until I was on the ground. Since I had been working on the bike before that, I just assumed that I had failed to tighten the qr skewer properly before going out for a ride. Then today I was about five miles into a ride when the rear wheel popped out again. I'm a little paranoid now, so I checked that everything was nice and tight before the ride. I was standing up on the pedals to pull away from a traffic light when the wheel came out and the bike stopped very suddenly. I would like to flatter myself that my legs are so powerful that they torqued the wheel right out, but I know that is not the case. Anyhow, this time I managed to stay upright.

So, my guess is that the skewer sucks. The wheels and skewers are run of the mill Miche "Race" wheels and the skewers are external-cam alloy jobs. Since my wife has been riding a similar set of Miche wheels with no issues for about five years and my best friend has some Miche hubs with the same skewer, again with no issues, I assume I got a defective one.

Has anyone else had similar issues?

Any recommendations for affordable yet secure internal-cam skewers, preferably steel?

mcours2006

That is crazy!

Could it be the thread on the qr is stripped? Can't think of anything else that would have caused this.

dedhed

Are the axle ends sticking out beyond the dropout?

masi61

indyfabz

Had it happen to me twice recently and once last year. What are your dropouts made of? Mine are ti. The shop that built my frame told me that you need to make sure the skewers are nice and tight to get a good grip. And make sure the skewer is truly closed all the way.

Bandera

Yep, ditch the unreliable external cam QR skewers for reliable internal cam designs, like Shimano.

-Bandera

fietsbob

I have taken to using 'security' skewers , around town, essentially , a long hex head bolt ,
rather than a QR skewer.

In addition to Campagnolo & Shimano, there is another, lower cost, [IDK brand]
the larger steel 'nut' on the other end, makes them the best with trainer-stands.

Bike shops should have a bin of them for cheap..

Left over from damaged wheel replacements on modestly priced bikes...



....

Retro Grouch 

This: ^^^^

Also, you mentioned you had been working on the bike previously. What, exactly did you do? Check to make sure the axle doesn't protrude beyond the dropout.

cyccommute 

Yep. Sheldon Brown discussed this long ago. Other internal cam choices are Campagnolo, Velocity and Paul

cyclintom

As someone else mentioned - look very carefully at axle length since the various length axles and your assortment of bikes may have left you with an axle slightly longer than the outside measurements of the drop-outs.

5teve

I had this happen a few times with horizontal dropouts back when I was a stronger rider. I used Shimano QR levers tightening them WAY down fixed the problem.

ramzilla

I've had issues with the lightweight alloy quick release levers that come on most new wheelsets. They suck. I've actually snapped the lever off of a couple just by using by my own hand effort. So, I replace these with heavier chrome steel quick release levers. You can get brand new generic ones from Niagra for a reasonable price.

bogydave

79pmooney

Affordable reliable skewers are really easy to get. The cheapest Shimano ones are excellent. Nothing wrong with the run of the mill QBP skewers. Very low-tech all steel internal cam skewers work very well in any application (except there may be frames that have dropouts not up to skewer - I cannot say as I have only owned and used steel and titanium bikes). Any bike shop can get you those skewers and you won't have to pay more than $15, probably a lot less.

Edit: Fun fact that any sophomore engineering student could prove in seconds - steel is by far the best QR skewer shaft material because its modulus of elasticity is far higher than any other available and suitable metal. Titanium makes a QR with twice the stretch and far less holding power than steel. Aluminum has 3X the stretch of steel. (Everywhere else, the additional stretch of titanium and aluminum is made up be going to a bigger diameter. Same thing is needed here but no one makes hub axles with larger diameter holes for the skewer (which would require larger axles. larger dropout slots, larger hub bearing races, and fit over those larger axles and bearings, larger cogs!

Ben

Oldguyonoldbike

First of all, thanks for all the replies.
I've checked the axle length and it does not protrude past the dropouts with the skewer removed there are about 2mm on each side between the end of the axle and the outer side of the dropout. Dropouts are steel (1990's steel frame).
I also checked the skewer. The shaft itself seems to be steel, but the release lever and nut are alloy with a flimsy serrated insert. The cam housing is plastic. Since I am sure that the skewer was secured very tightly, I have to conclude that the skewer itself simply isn't strong enough.
I'll buy a set of steel internal cam skewers, both for this bike and for my wife's. I think I'll also get some for my other two bikes, which are currently fitted with the bottom-of-the-line Campy external cam skewers. They have never given me any problems, but I've become a little paranoid.