lyle.coop

My rear maxle gets loose on every ride. I've got it on very tight and after a bit of riding I can feel it loosening up b/c the shifting gets wonky.

Anyone know how I can fix this?

dsbrantjr

Yes, get an internal cam skewer, like Campy or Shimano, keep it lubricated and do it up correctly; the lever should leave an impression on the heel of your hand if it is tight enough..
Those external cam skewers like yours do not generate as much holding force as the internal cam kind.
Both types need to be tightened correctly to work properly.

Trakhak

Here is one of many instructional videos on YouTube describing proper quick-release use.

Andrew R Stewart 

Maxles are not the common QR skewers that have been suggested. I have to admit that my experience with the modern through axle based systems is lacking. I know that some TAs can interchange and some are very dropout dependent.

Lyle- You say it's loosening up and that you can tell by the shifting. When this happens does the rear wheel flop about inside the frame, like a loose bearing adjustment would do? Have you looked carefully at the guide pulley and the cog it's suppose to be below to see if that alignment (what some will call the SIS adjustment) is centered and good? Is the Maxle's lever also loose in its engagement tension?

There are other possibilities like an axle end cap or cassette lockring issue that can affect shifting after a while. We assume you have checked out that common cable condition issues are not present, have you? With so little info... If your problem continues to be a problem, and you can't figure it out, I suspect NYC has at least one good shop that could help with their expertise. Andy

HillRider

Are you using the locking lever like a wing nut and just screwing the axle in with it or are you doing it correctly and snuging the axle in and then camming over the lever? Like a qr skewer, it is possible to install thru axles incorrectly.

veganbikes

Make sure everything else is properly torqued and installed and then if the skewer is being done up correctly and still coming loose maybe try a different axle Robert Axle Project makes some great stuff and if that one keeps coming loose I would use a mild threadlocking compound or better yet figure out the issue with the frame and the threading within.

Iride01 

Since many haven't picked up on the fact, this is a thru-axle of sorts. Not a QR or skewer.


https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/ax-ult-mxlr-a1

https://www.sram.com/globalassets/do...ser-manual.pdf

Leisesturm

I don't know ... the dropouts on that bike look sufficiently tight that the shifting wouldn't (shouldn't) be affected by a loose 'quick release'. Moreover, that axle has seen some abuse. What about the drive side? Has there been any trauma to the drivetrain that we should know about?

lyle.coop

Thanks for all the replies.

The wheel definitely gets loose after some riding. Whenever I stop, I tighten the axle and the wheel feels firm and the shifting improves. This gets undone after a mile or so. So I don't think it's a rear derailleur adjustment issue. The cable is new, the jockey wheel is centered under the cassette ring, etc. The cassette was installed to the proper torque.

I did a couple of things that may resolve the issue. I'll test it out this weekend on the trails.

• I lubed up the thru-axle's threads and shaft. They didn't appear to be dry but the lube maybe got me an extra quarter turn.
• There is a set screw on the maxle that needs to be tightened. It operates on clicks. Prior to this post I had tightened it a few clicks. I turned it one more click and when locking the lever down, it definitely leaves an imprint on my hand.

Red arrow points to the set screw on the maxle.

Iride01 

You might contact SRAM/RockShox support about it. Seems like an axle of theirs coming loose would get their lawyers worried.

SoSmellyAir

My bike came with the newer Maxle Iride01 linked to above, which does not have a set screw on the lever end. I can remove the Maxle, press down on the lever end, and rotate the lever relative to the number markings. The purpose of doing this is to position where the lever ends up pointing when the Maxle is tightened and closed, so that the lever does not accidentally get opened when riding. I suspect that the set screw on the older Maxle serves the same purpose.

mtnbud

Lyle, my rear Maxle does the exact same thing. As you mentioned, it's quickly noticed because the shifting gets a little wonky.

The only thing I found to fix this issue is to tighten down that allen bolt that you mention after you cinch down the lever. This works fine me, but it also means I have to loosen the allen bolt when I remove the wheel.

lyle.coop

Interesting. Your fix would work fine for me, b/c its not like I'm taking my rear wheel off all the time.

I'm going to try my current fix and if it doesn't work, I'll just tighten that allen bolt.

Is this a known issue? I wonder if SRAM will replace the axle? It's kind of a pain b/c you can't contact SRAM directly. You have to take it to a bike shop, leave the axle, bike shop will call SRAM, etc etc. And I doubt they will warranty an axle that's 6-7 years old.