Is there a "correct" pointing direction for the quick release when closed?

I ask because today another rider told me that mine was incorrect. I always have it pointing up parallel to the seat stay. He told me, it ALWAYS has to point down but gave me no reason.

From a quick on line search I found that I have it right. Am I missing something?

You can close it in whatever position you feel like. So long as it's closed tight, it's not coming open on its own.

If the "closed" position leaves the handle too close to one of the frame tubes, it can be hard to open again, as the frame tube interferes with getting a good grip. So I usually leave mine pointing straight back.

Straight back is more aerodynamic!!

Straight back is more dangerous if someone happens to half-wheel you.

I usually put the rear one so that it goes sort of up and forward into the triangle that is formed where the two stays meet. For the front I usually put it upwards. But as a previous poster noted anyway is OK as long as it is on good and tight.

It reallly doesn't matter, I put my front one straight back for aero and rear one along the seatstay for safety as above.

But it doesn't matter. Make sure it's tight, that is the main thing.

His whole thing was about the direction, "it must always point down". I first thought of it as a safety issue, but cant really see any when parallel to the seat stay. The only direction that I can see it as a potential problem, will be forward parallel to the chain stay, it can act as a hook.

I try not to align mine with a fram member since it can make getting it back open tough.

between the triangle for the rear, and somewhere where it won't hit my fork for the front.

I like to set mine straing back but the bike shop told me the "correct" position (referring to the front wheel) is straight up.
I have no idea why.
On an MTB there is an incorrect position and that would be straight down, otherwise I don't think it matters.

Pretty sure forward is wrong, too. It can hook up on stuff and even be pulled open, potentially.

This is how I do it as well.


That's what I was taught way back, and is also the reason I was told that velodromes don't allow QR, but I have yet to find someone who has seen a lever get hooked in a race... at least not without a crash that was going to be ugly no matter what.

+1, YUP, good point.

Whatever you do, don't put it along the fork or one of the stays. It becomes impossible to remove the QR and totally defeats the purpose

I made a post about this a long time ago with pictures and everything...

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ht=ocp+skewers

I have my front one running alongside my fork and clamped a bit behind.
My rear one is usually along my seatstay inside the triangle.

IMO parallel with the ground looks bad and is more dangerous. It doesn't do much anything for aerodynamics. Also I wouldn't want my skewer to get hooked by something.

this.

i've seen it more than once in races. so now you have

Noted.

Wherever it happens to be when I get the rim lined up between the brake pads. Generally, I shoot for the triangle between the stays in the rear and just behind the fork in the front. For looks, I like parallel to the fork and parallel to the seatstay. Pretty easy to loosen using a tire lever, but I don't always carry one of those with me.

Q: can you dangerously overtighten a skewer? I know you can make it so tight that it's difficult to get loose again by hand, but can you tighten it so hard that it strips out the threads, resulting in a loose wheel?

Hey.. good question. I want to know what everyone else thinks as well. I always point mine towards the back to make it easy to open. I do this for both the front and rear wheels.

Maybe for the fork, point the skewer lever back. and the rear wheel point the skewer lever between the seat stay and chain stay.

thanks