Rear wheel coming loose

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

Twice now my rear wheel has come all loose & wobbly & when I've looked it has come loose in the vertical dropouts.  The bike is only 2yrs old, I've had the back wheel off a few times to fix punctures.

Google searches suggest either crap skewers (apparently the old school steel Shimano, DT Swiss and Joytech were best).  Or loose axle hub (I have no idea how to check for that).

Y'day it got so bad the chain jumped off, wedged between the spokes & cluster, locked the back wheel & it nearly ended in tears.

Any thoughts/experiences?

 

[Tyno 2,403]

Not exactly, but my front wheel does require readjusting the skewer on a semi regular basis. 
Bog standard wheel/skewer on the Talon, not exactly high end, so maybe something to the skewer option?

[rory-dognz 802]

Sell it and get one with through axles!!!😁

or, you may need to tighten the quick release more regularly and harder. On my Felt which still has a QR i force it shut, and have to often use the multi tool to get enough grip/leverage to open it.

Do you run tubeless?, once set up barely need to take rear wheel off, 

[FatPom 5,257]

4 hours ago, rory-dognz said:

Sell it and get one with through axles!!!😁

or, you may need to tighten the quick release more regularly and harder. On my Felt which still has a QR i force it shut, and have to often use the multi tool to get enough grip/leverage to open it.

Do you run tubeless?, once set up barely need to take rear wheel off, 

I wasn't aware you could even buy a mtb without thru axles, even 2 years ago.

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

5 hours ago, rory-dognz said:

Sell it and get one with through axles!!!😁

or, you may need to tighten the quick release more regularly and harder. On my Felt which still has a QR i force it shut, and have to often use the multi tool to get enough grip/leverage to open it.

Do you run tubeless?, once set up barely need to take rear wheel off, 

 

42 minutes ago, FatPom said:

I wasn't aware you could even buy a mtb without thru axles, even 2 years ago.

Front wheel is through axle (PITA IMO) & rear is QR.

I don't run tubeless, and have had to fix a few punctures!  

I've never done it up tight enough to need multis to open it though.

I've learned one thing though from my Googling.  That annoying creak I used to hear sometimes is not the seat or a cracked fame.  It means the rear wheel has come loose in the dropouts!  At least I now have an early warning system.

[FatPom 5,257]

Yeah, I can see how a wheel coming loose is way less of a PITA than learning how to set up thru axles. 😀

I have 4 bikes, 2 with QR (TT and road) and two with TA (MTB and gravel). I'd say,  IME, as long as you can access the multi or Allen key quick enough (which if you're digging out a tube anyway is usually in the same bag), it's no slower to remove/replace a TA than skewer and sure saves time when it comes to aligning it to avoid disc rub.

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

12 hours ago, FatPom said:

Yeah, I can see how a wheel coming loose is way less of a PITA than learning how to set up thru axles. 😀

I have 4 bikes, 2 with QR (TT and road) and two with TA (MTB and gravel). I'd say,  IME, as long as you can access the multi or Allen key quick enough (which if you're digging out a tube anyway is usually in the same bag), it's no slower to remove/replace a TA than skewer and sure saves time when it comes to aligning it to avoid disc rub.

My biggest beef with the TA is when I have to put the bike on the car roof rack - balancing it with one hand to line it up with the TA rack adapter, while trying to get the axle through with the other hand.  Thankfully all the strength training I've been doing lately helps.  QR is much easier here.

On the ground, getting the axle through is easier, though I still have to move the wheel about and faff about with the axle to get it to go through.

To overcome the loose rear wheel issue, I'll try tightening the QR more, and take the chain off the front cog so there is no tension at all to ensure the wheel is well aligned in the dropouts.  If that does not work, it's off to the shop - though the mechanic at the shop I bought it from does not fill me with confidence, and the owner of the other shop is prone to having an embolism if you bring him  bike you did not buy there!

[FatPom 5,257]

Yeah agree with you on the rack. It was a difficult decision but I finally relented and got one of those roof racks that clamps the frame with both wheels in. All my bikes fit in it now but I still prefer the 'clamp the for style' roof racks.  (although the one I have now has been fine)

Edited May 28 by FatPom

[ptc 5]

What Hub & QR? I had the axle on a Shimano Hub shear at one end a couple of weeks ago and it was creaking pretty badly.

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

21 hours ago, ptc said:

What Hub & QR? I had the axle on a Shimano Hub shear at one end a couple of weeks ago and it was creaking pretty badly.

 

No names on them, but I'd guess Shimano, as all the other components are.

 

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

Problem solved, and the chain coming off on fast upshifts, and the creaking noise when pushing hard on pedals also solved.

One of the springs in the rear skewer was the wrong way around (i.e. the wider end facing the hub, which caused it to unravel a bit and shift up over the end of the hub).  Re-worked the unraveled bit, reversed it, and the whole thing runs like new again.

Why didn't the local bike mechanic work this out when I told him about the chain problem? 🙄

 

[ComfortablyNumb 1,085]

Destroyed the rear deraillieur today, bent the be-Jesus out of it, stick jammed in there, also caused the rear wheel to come entirely out of the dropouts 🙈.  Luckily a slow windy uphill section through the pineforest, so no big stack involved.

Took it to the 'other' bike shop for (hopefully) a proper repair.  He was amazed the rear wheel popped out.  Also told him about the chain dropping problem, hoping he can fix that too.