moonlite
Kona Fan
Here's something unexpected: upgrading the standard wheels on my '99 Kona Explosif, I removed the front one -- with Ritchey hub -- for the first time and found it had a much fatter skewer than standard (see pics below). At first I thought the axle was coming loose, but it's definitely the skewer, which is effectively the same diameter as the axle (9mm I guess).
The rear is a standard Shimano LX.
I hadn't heard of this kind of skewer before and it raises a couple of questions -- such as, does this offer any advantages over the 'standard' old-fashioned skewer design, such as greater stiffness? And if so, why didn't it catch on instead of thru-axles becoming a thing? And finally, if this is better, would replacing it with a 'standard' old-fashioned version be an upgrade at all?
The rear is a standard Shimano LX.
I hadn't heard of this kind of skewer before and it raises a couple of questions -- such as, does this offer any advantages over the 'standard' old-fashioned skewer design, such as greater stiffness? And if so, why didn't it catch on instead of thru-axles becoming a thing? And finally, if this is better, would replacing it with a 'standard' old-fashioned version be an upgrade at all?