Bustaknot

Hello,

I recently rebuilt my front wheel hub: cleaned, new bearings, new grease. I've got the wheel back on the bike but find my quick release doesn't tightly secure the wheel on. It's not a "snug" fit either. In fact, mid way through a test ride I found the quick release lever dangling down while I rode. I stopped riding worrying my front wheel could come off.

I know how the actual QR works and it seems like i run out of threaded skewer to tighten the thing anymore before throwing the QR lever. I'm wondering if it's the spacing on my axle. The QR seems to be bending the drops-outs and/or fork in when I try to tighten it. Would throwing some spacers on the axle be the right move? This would stop the dropouts/fork from having any space to bend inward. It's possible I misplaced some washers in the cleaning (was my first time doing it).

Thoughts? Help?

UPDATE: Found my missing spacers at the bottom of my jar of paint thinner, lost in the muck. Lesson learned: Keep better track of parts! QR now secures nicely and I'm not worried about my wheel coming off. Thanks for the help!

Homebrew01

Does the axle extend out beyond the fork tip, so that the qr lever touches the axle instead of the fork ?
That could be the problem. If so, you either forgot some washers, or did not center the axle, so that it's too short on 1 side and too long on the other.

chewa

It sounds like you might have missed replacing some spacers or locknuts when rebuilding the hub.

Another possibility. Are you sure that you haven't put the rear quick release on the front?

cny-bikeman

If it bends in the dropouts then there is definitely too little distance between locknuts - the problem is not using a rear skewer. You have left out parts or put in incorrect parts. We need to know if you are using the original cones and if you kept all the spacers/washers and reinstalled them.

FBinNY 

Something doesn't add up because you mention overhauling the hub, but not replacing any parts except the balls. Since axles don't magically grow or shrink something else is going on that you haven't mentioned.

Start with the obvious. Are the stubs of the axle beyond the locknut roughly 5mm long, or much longer? If longer, then either you didn't use a spacer, or used smaller balls which allowed the cones to move in farther.

Otherwise, please tell us whatever you left out earlier, so we can advise intelligently.

Bustaknot

The axle is pretty much center and the dropouts are more or less resting on the edges of the axle. I do believe i need some spacers the more I think about this. There's nothing on the other side of the QR that would secure the dropout in place. Nothing to tighten the QR against.

Damn, I must've misplaced them.

fietsbob

in addition to getting the length right..

Spring-temper hardening of external star washers will, give more teeth to dig into the metal of the dropout More.

Type seen here.. https://www.theheatxchange.co.uk/images/Regin/Q101.jpg relatively common hardware

the Light weight kind are used in Electrical assemblies ..

Wilfred Laurier

Maybe you put the springs back in backwards. Doing so will result in the QR jamming before being tight against the fork. Either that or a mistake in reassembly of the hub, as you didn't say anything was wrong before you rebuilt it.

FBinNY 

Yes, you seem to be missing the "nut" end of the QR. Back to basics, so I hope you won't be insulted.

QRs don't tighten on the axle, they float in a hollow axle and tighten against themselves, as the lever cam shortens the distance between the two ends (nut and head). (see photo)

Since the axle locknut distance is fixed, shortening the QR inner distance compresses the fork ends against the axle faces on both sides at once.

Bustaknot

They are longer than 5mm. I goofed and misplaced some spacers somehow (probably sitting at the gunky bottom of a jar full of dirty paint thinner).

Updated: I found spacers in my paint thinner jar hiding in the muck at the bottom, as I suspected. Popped them on my axle and the QR is securing the wheel nicely now. Thanks for the help. I've learned to keep better track of my parts!