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Missing the springs on the rear wheel QR

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Missing the springs on the rear wheel QR

Old 04-20-21, 09:54 AM
  #1  
vane171
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Missing the springs on the rear wheel QR

I have this bike I bought secondhand and I noticed that the rear wheel QR doesn't have those conical springs. Would there be some reason why they are not there or maybe the previous owner lost them? Otherwise the bike is all 'proper', everything on it as from a factory or a good servicing LBS.

I understand that their function is just to keep the QR 'centered' for easier slipping it on the mounting points, right?
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Old 04-20-21, 10:05 AM
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dedhed
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Not "needed" or "required" beyond a convenience. They break, get lost, bent out of shape, etc. If you want to have them check with a co-op and get them dirt cheap
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Old 04-20-21, 10:05 AM
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For whatever reason that the springs are needed, your LBS should have handfuls of them, at reasonable if any cost.

Small diameter of the springs point inboard.
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Old 04-20-21, 04:04 PM
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Bimmer69
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I’ve always wondered... what’s the purpose of these little springs?
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Old 04-20-21, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Bimmer69
I’ve always wondered... what’s the purpose of these little springs?
They knock 0.1 second off the time required to change a wheel.
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Old 04-20-21, 04:09 PM
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Crankycrank
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Originally Posted by Bimmer69
I’ve always wondered... what’s the purpose of these little springs?
OP got it right. It keeps the QR centered when dropping the wheel into the dropouts. You need one less hand with the springs in place.
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Old 04-20-21, 04:11 PM
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vane171
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I never gave those springs much thought in past, just now when I noticed they are missing, I figured out while posting that it is to keep the nuts of the QR open evenly on both sides, so you don't need to move QR left or right when inserting the wheel into the mount points, useful when changing wheel during a race, don't really need them outside of race setting.

I posted anyway since sometimes one thinks wrong and here are so many very experienced bike people to mine for info. After all, for all I know, there might be some reason why someone didn't want those springs and removed them. Can't always think of everything myself.
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Old 04-20-21, 04:14 PM
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79pmooney
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The springs keep the lever end and nut a nice uniform distance apart making sliding the wheel onto the dropouts faster. Other than that, they do nothing. Not being there is a 1-3 second handicap each wheel mounting. Very important in a race, For the rest of us, not so.
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Old 04-20-21, 05:00 PM
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You would not believe how many people come in to the shop w/ 'the brake rubbing'...and the cause is one of the q/r springs on backwards. They fit perfectly over the axle and will push a wheel off center every time.
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Old 04-20-21, 06:37 PM
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Cheap from various ebay sellers. I bought a few because they get lost in my messy garage.
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