robertj298 

I've noticed twice during the past month I've had to realign my Sequoia's rear wheel when it starting rubbing against the rear dropout. I thought I had tightened it pretty good.

oneclick 

Tight enough so it does not do that.

Lockwashers/axle ends that have a set of teeth or a ring to bite into the dropout help.

Piff 

Make sure that the full circumference of the quick release ends are grabbing the dropout. I once was too focused on centering the rear derailleurs upper pulley below the freewheel and ended up with only 75% of the quick release exerting pressure on the dropouts.

I've read that, as a general rule, that it should tight enough that you begin to feel resistance about halfway through the lever's throw. It's a good rule of thumb.

obrentharris 

As mentioned by oneclick the axle lock nut or the quick release should have some sort of tooth to grab the dropout otherwise, unless you are a gorilla, you won't be able to get the Q.R. tight enough to work with horizontal dropouts. I finally had to use a different Q.R. on my rear Weyless wheel for this reason.

Also internal-cam Q.R.s tend to grip better than the external cam type. The external cam skewers were introduced about the same time as vertical dropouts, which don't allow the axle to slide forward, became the norm.
Brent

blamester

If you have installed wheels regularly and never had this problem before it's likely you have problem with the wheel or frame.
How could it do it twice? Could be coincidence.
Remove the wheel and have a look.

Salamandrine 

Yes, that's the old rule of thumb. The cam should start to engage when the lever is sticking more or less straight out. It did originally apply to quick releases with straight levers, so you can fudge it in a bit to compensate for curved CPSC levers.

OP you aren't trying to use external cam QR are you? My advice is don't. It can work, if you use high quality QR and put them on pretty much as tightly as your hands can handle, but it isn't IMO worth the hassle. Stick with internal cam.

JohnDThompson 

Open cam type quick release? Replace it with an enclosed cam quick release.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/skewers.html

Charles Wahl

I'm in with the "should start tightening noticeably when the lever is about halfway into its loose-tight travel" camp; but I also use the QR as the final step in adjusting wheel bearings: slowly turning the wheel, if the basic adjustment is "correct enough" I'll find a few places where there's barely perceptible lateral play in the wheel bearings before the QR is tightened; and I incrementally tighten the QR adjustment so that when fully closed, that play has just disappeared. Maybe that's wrong, but that's what I do.

nlerner

On my commuter/hauler, which seemed to have a tendency to slip under heavy loads (e.g., with my two-wheel trailer attached), I went with DT Swiss.

Alternatively, get a bike with vertical dropouts. Problem solved.

Lascauxcaveman 

On a bike with a vertical dropout? Eh, not all that tight. :shrug:

On a bike with a horizontal dropout? Actually, pretty darn tight.

On my Merckx with the really hard, thick slippery chrome horizontal dropouts? I make it so freaking tight I'm afraid I'm going to break the QR. Because that's what it takes to keep the thing from slipping.

cudak888 

I don't think anyone has mentioned it, but - in addition to everything already stated - measure the amount of axle protruding from the locknuts of your hub. Compare this measurement with the thickness of your dropouts. If the axle protrusion is thicker than the dropout, your Q/R cam and/or locknut may be bottoming out slightly when tightened - enough so that you might think your Q/R is tight against the frame when it is actually a lot tighter against the axle. Not every combination will do this (and most QRs have a recess in the design to account for the possibility), but it's worth checking.

Even though this isn't common, it's worth checking to eliminate from the list of possibilities.

-Kurt

Iowa10Speed

h
I do this too. Whether it's right or wrong, I like that it confirms perfect adjustment.

zukahn1 

It should be fine just tight if everything is strait and tight. Things to check hub tension does the wheel wiggle side to side when jiggle side two side abou 1- 2mm it's out of adjustment needs greased with new bearings adjusted.

SalsaShark

Just get a good Shimano skewer and no more worries!

tkamd73 

When it makes a dent in my palm, it’s tight enough. Same for the front, Never any issues with movement.
Tim

oneclick 

Allow room for the spring.

And if you have an axle with a slot, put it in with the slot on the bottom, the axle bends upward (when it bends) and you put the reduced section and extra stress risers away from the tension that way.

nomadmax 

If you have trouble with the rear wheel shifting under massive torque, all you need to do is get old

Prowler 

Excellent point, well said. BTDT, especially with building frankenbikes or replacing wheel sets. The DO thickness may vary from frame to frame. And that recess in the QR design is often just enough to accommodate the compressed centering springs.

texaspandj

Make sure your skewer springs are installed correctly or in the correct direction.

Miele Man

I ONLY use closed cam quick-releases on my wheels. I put enough pressure on the lever so that it leaves an imprint on my palm. I've see people tighten their quick-release so much that it required putting something like a closed end of a box-end wrench over the lever to pry the quick-release open again. LOL

Cheers

easyupbug 

This is exactly what I told my daughters and now granddaughter for their closed cam quick releases, just not so much so that with some work they can't get them open without another tool. I have showed them in a jam the tire levers they carry can help give slightly more leverage when sandwiched along side the lever. I set bearing preload as stated above with tight releases.

Retoocs

Steel quick release on horizontal dropouts. The lever should leave an imprint on your hand after closing the lever.

SurferRosa

I barely torque my front skewers. Just make sure they're tight and the hub has no play. Unlike the rear, which should be tight enough it doesn't move under load.

Last ride 76 

Worked for me...

squirtdad

+1