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PSA: I keep seeing people over-tighten their quick release skewers
I was helping a friend fix a wobbly wheel last week and found the quick release lever was cranked down like a bolt. He said he thought it had to be 'really tight' to be safe. That's wrong, it just puts a ton of stress on the hub and frame. The right way is to close the lever with the palm of your hand until you feel firm resistance, not crank it with your whole fist. How do you guys explain this to customers without scaring them?
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andrew_shah1mo ago
Honestly, I used to do the same thing until my old hub made a sound like a dying animal. A firm hand close is plenty, it's a cam not a bolt. Took me a while to trust it.
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kim_mason5519d ago
Oh man, YES. I had the exact same problem with my first bike. I remember cranking that lever all the way down with my whole hand, thinking tighter was safer. Then I heard this awful creaking noise on a long ride and found my dropout was actually bending a little. Scared the heck out of me. Now I just tell people to close it with their palm until they feel solid resistance, like closing a firm car door. My rule is if you're making a fist to close it, you're going way too far. It honestly took me a few rides to trust it, but my hubs have been way happier ever since.
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