Do you check your quick-release levers when you return to your bike?

Do you check your skewers before each ride? Do you at least eyeball them to screen for obvious signs of tampering when you return to your bike after being locked in a public place?

(edit 4/16-- I realized the 89th time I looked at the subject that I meant "levers," not "skewers.")

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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on April 15, 2013 at 3:31am

Yes.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on April 15, 2013 at 3:46am

Why do you ask? Did you have an incident?  Many years ago I had this happen to me.  After riding to Hyde Park from Evanston, I had my front wheel come off the bike about half way home and I dramatically vaulted over the front bar and lived to tell about it.  Its like getting your car towed. It happens once and you resolve to never let it happen again.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 15, 2013 at 3:52am

Nope.

On my road bike I run bolted skewers to save a tiny bit of weight and clean up the look of the dropouts.  I suppose some nefarious person could have messed with them while I was away, or messed with my stem bolts (which are not self-sealing, btw) or other fasteners on the bike which could cause a dangerous condition when I rode it again.  Do people check every fastener on their bike?  I do a quick walk-around and eyeball my bike, or any other vehicle for that matter, before I get on/in and ride/drive away.  I'm one of those rare people who shovels every bit of snow & ice off of his car before driving it away in the winter the few times I drive it.   Wouldn't want snow falling off the roof to block my windows or blow off into someone's vision on the road.   I also give a bike a bit of a shake before riding it to feel for anything loose or strange feeling. 

While I don't for a minute think that bolted skewers are "security" devices, they do discourage anyone with hands from just flipping a QR and walking away with a wheel in 4 seconds flat. 

On my city bike I've got big fat Sturmey Archer oversided chrome cap nuts front & rear.  Everything I said above about bolted skewers applies for those too. 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 15, 2013 at 4:20am


The only time I ever had a stem come loose was after I got rear-ended coming home after CCM.  I didn't notice that it was loose until the next time I rode the bike.  Not loose enough to turn or come out during regular riding, but loose enough to move when I gave a similar hard yank on the bars the next time I went to ride it. 

My next build is going to use self-sealing stem bolts if I can dig up some yamok sauce to trade for them. 


Cameron 7.5 mi said:

I actually did have someone loosen my stem once. Luckily at the time the rack at my office required me to lift the front of the bike to get out of my parking spot, so I realized the stem was loose before I tried to ride. It was a quill stem supporting a very generic set of handlebars and very generic brake levers so I'm not sure what the motivation was.



Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 15, 2013 at 5:45am

I usually do a drop check every time I unlock my bike if I have been somewhere for a while.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on April 15, 2013 at 6:10am

I should, but I don't.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 15, 2013 at 6:25am

I prefer to ride a bike with low-troll geometry. 

Tricolor said:

I should, but I don't.

Permalink Reply by igz on April 15, 2013 at 6:38am

looks like a few nuts were busted

Permalink Reply by mike w. on April 15, 2013 at 12:41pm

i actually tend to undo my skewers when i leave my bike, especially when i'm on a brevet if i'm just popping in to the control for the card stamp and a cool drink. If some local yokel wants to try to ride off with the bike he hopefully won't get too far. However after looking at that GIF above (yikes!), i may try something different...  i don't carry a lock on long rides.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 17, 2013 at 4:04am

This morning in the process of fixing a flat I discovered that my front skewer was seized on the non-lever side. A wet winter and spring - combined with a lot of laziness on my part had resulted in rust or something rendering the thirty one year old part very stuck. Fortunately the flat was a very slow leak so I had the luxury of fixing it at home. A seized skewer is not something I'd want to discover in the field! Some WD-40, some time and a vice-grip solved the problem. (And yes I used a real lubricant once I got it moving.)

It is spring! It is good time to make sure that your occasionally moving parts can still move. Grease your seat-posts, check those skewers etc.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 17, 2013 at 4:18am

I helped a friend pull off a wheel where the skewer had rusted and seized deep within the hollow axle over time.   It was ugly.    VERY stuck in there.   Still I as able to get it apart, cleaned up, and save all the parts.

Grease is your friend. I'm a big fan of simple marine/boat trailer wheel bearing grease.  It withstands the moisture and salt that bikes typically see much longer than other greases.  

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on April 17, 2013 at 4:29am

Don't forget: tubes can also be patched without removing the wheel.

Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

This morning in the process of fixing a flat I discovered that my front skewer was seized on the non-lever side. A wet winter and spring - combined with a lot of laziness on my part had resulted in rust or something rendering the thirty one year old part very stuck. Fortunately the flat was a very slow leak so I had the luxury of fixing it at home. A seized skewer is not something I'd want to discover in the field! Some WD-40, some time and a vice-grip solved the problem. (And yes I used a real lubricant once I got it moving.)

It is spring! It is good time to make sure that your occasionally moving parts can still move. Grease your seat-posts, check those skewers etc.

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