What are the Best QR Skewers and why?

[xerxes]

Re:

I've always thought that quick release skewers are totally pointless except for road racing, where the team car will drive up and hand you a new wheel if you get a puncture. Even when I rode time trials, if you got a puncture, the race was over, the few seconds saved by a quick release wheel is no use when it still takes several minutes to change the inner tube or tubular tyre.

I use these on all my bikes:

There's no chance of inadvertently knocking the lever open on bushes etc., they're lighter than standard quick release skewers, I think they look neater and they're only £11.00: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bran ... p-prod6282

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Salsa > American Classic/Kingsberry > Campagnolo.

Function schmunction.

 

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

I've always thought that quick release skewers are totally pointless except for road racing, where the team car will drive up and hand you a new wheel if you get a puncture. Even when I road time trials, if you got a puncture, the race was over, the few seconds saved by a quick release wheel is no use when it still takes several minutes to change the inner tube or tubular tyre.

I use these on all my bikes:

There's no chance of inadvertently knocking the lever open on bushes etc., they're lighter than standard quick release skewers, I think they look neater and they're only £11.00: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bran ... p-prod6282

That's a good point, it's not exactly like the hex-key ones are "slow release" in any case. Half the time you have to undo the nut on the front q/r because of the safety dropouts on the fork.

I think Ringle "Holey" q/r's are my fave, but I refuse to pay retro Ringle prices, so got a generic £5 purple set from eBay, looks the same from a distance & works just as well!

USE Spin Stix though.... I hated them :x

 

[mattr]

Re: Re:

Even when I road time trials, if you got a puncture, the race was over, the few seconds saved by a quick release wheel is no use when it still takes several minutes to change the inner tube or tubular tyre.

You should have practiced more.

I've managed to podium two or three times after puncturing, stopping and swapping tubes, and then getting on my way again. Digging a spanner or hex key out of my saddle bag or pocket would have taken the total stopped time from under 90 seconds to well over 2 minutes. Also, i'm pretty sure some MTB forks are fat enough that a standard hex key won't allow easy spinning without clashing with the fork leg, or at least, no room to get fingers onto the key properly...... And you can get a higher end load using a good cam action, rather than a hex key.

There's no chance of inadvertently knocking the lever open on bushes etc.

I have never, ever had a properly fitted QR catch on anything and actually move, except the dipstick who rode into me on the start of a race once, and snagged the lever with a spoke. I've never heard of anyone else with a properly fitted QR do the same. Lots of people using crap skewers, or badly fitted ones, seem to have this problem.

Half the time you have to undo the nut on the front q/r because of the safety dropouts on the fork.

10 seconds with a file, gone. If you use a decent skewer, and do it up properly, you'll be fine. Can't understand why they call them "safety" dropouts anyway, they are only there as a manufacturers arse covering exercise.

Best skewers, Shimano and Campag are excellent (XTR/Dura-Ace/Record for preference!), boutique internal cam action are good, everything else, you takes your chances, Ti is even worse, especially on the front. Even nominally good ones can be made to be terrible by poor maintenance. Need to keep those mating faces clean and lubricated.
Plastic bushes are the work of the devil too, and fitted to far too many skewers.

 

[ibbz]

Re:

HGow about vintage 90ies Mavic skewers?

Or Suntour XC Pro compared to Shimano?

 

[Kona-Ian]

X-Lite, had some back in the day, have some now but Tech 9's.

 

[datmony]

Re: Re:

Nothing that i've seen in the flesh gets close to an xtr skewer (m950 to present day) in terms of functionality, longevity and smoothness.

Amen!!! I would also add in M900. Best clamping force and feel of any skewer is XTR in my view.

 

[Max P]

Re: Re:

I've always thought that quick release skewers are totally pointless except for road racing, where the team car will drive up and hand you a new wheel if you get a puncture. Even when I road time trials, if you got a puncture, the race was over, the few seconds saved by a quick release wheel is no use when it still takes several minutes to change the inner tube or tubular tyre.

I use these on all my bikes:


There's no chance of inadvertently knocking the lever open on bushes etc., they're lighter than standard quick release skewers, I think they look neater and they're only £11.00: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bran ... p-prod6282

That's a good point, it's not exactly like the hex-key ones are "slow release" in any case. Half the time you have to undo the nut on the front q/r because of the safety dropouts on the fork.

I think Ringle "Holey" q/r's are my fave, but I refuse to pay retro Ringle prices, so got a generic £5 purple set from eBay, looks the same from a distance & works just as well!

USE Spin Stix though.... I hated them :x

Ohhhhhhh, I don't know.... (and to add to mattr's post) I've never had a single issue with a QR coming loose or failing in 25+ years of using them or known anyone I've been with have an issue. I'm not 100% sure but I think you get a lot more clamping force with a Shimano QR than those allen key type skewers.

But above all I'd trust a pair of properly installed Shimano QR's a heck of a lot more than potentially monkey metal £11 jobs from CRC...... And as for £5 rip-off-Ringle-jobs?? Come on, how much do you value your face and teeth?! :shock:

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I can tell you M900 skewers when used as Bering presses for hubs, snap. The 'cam' part of the skewer rods stretch and give up. In fact that can happen with the similar designs if you like to tighten them hard.
The m950/737 and onwards are just that little bit nicer to use then the 900/730 older versions.

 

[datmony]

Sorry, when used as a bearing press? Are you installing cartridge bearings into hubs using a quick release versus using an actual press or even a socket and hammer approach?