Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

QR Lever Position

Old 05-08-21, 12:55 PM
  #1  
taylorgeo
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 167
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 20 Posts
QR Lever Position

Should the QR lever be in front of the fork or behind?


taylorgeo is offline  
Likes For taylorgeo:
Old 05-08-21, 01:28 PM
  #2  
Kapusta
Advanced Slacker
 
Kapusta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,187

Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2749 Post(s)
Liked 2,516 Times in 1,422 Posts
Either way is fine.

Of course, that will not prevent this thread from hitting 3 pages.
Kapusta is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 01:31 PM
  #3  
JonnyHK 
Senior Member
 
JonnyHK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: London
Posts: 2,421

Bikes: Baum Romano, Brompton S2, Homemade Bamboo!

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 474 Post(s)
Liked 204 Times in 129 Posts
It depends on the shape of the QR lever!

Some fit or look better in different places.
JonnyHK is offline  
Likes For JonnyHK:
Old 05-08-21, 02:41 PM
  #4  
AdkMtnMonster
Airplanes, bikes, beer.
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Off the front
Posts: 763

Bikes: Road bikes, mountain bikes, a cx bike, a gravel bike…

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 398 Post(s)
Liked 788 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
I place mine in front so I never have to worry about kicking it in a turn. Not that I think I would turn that sharp, but you never know. Foot comes off the pedal or something freaky?
Uh... what? You must have some seriously long toes to be able to reach the hub. And if your foot comes off the pedal that far/forcefully, I don't think worrying about kicking the front QR is in the Top 5 Things You Should Be Worrying About Mid-Crash.

Depending on the fork and the QR lever's shape, like was stated by Johnny HardKore, it depends. Just don't kick it.
AdkMtnMonster is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 02:45 PM
  #5  
cxwrench
Senior Member
 
cxwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Nor-Cal
Posts: 3,767

Bikes: lots

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1958 Post(s)
Liked 2,932 Times in 1,489 Posts
Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
I place mine in front so I never have to worry about kicking it in a turn. Not that I think I would turn that sharp, but you never know. Foot comes off the pedal or something freaky?
Wut?

Any direction is fine as long as it's not closed against the fork or frame. Never do that.
cxwrench is offline  
Likes For cxwrench:
Old 05-08-21, 03:51 PM
  #6  
Troul 
Senior Member
 
Troul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,291

Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,884 Posts
Some QR's are unable to be positioned past a 90° angle when locked out. For my benefit, I have aft the hub. If it comes loose it'll easily sweep forward, & if by dumb luck, that little movement will buy time to see it & address it.

There are other types of QRs [thru-axle] that you pull the spring tensioned lever laterally, simultaneously turn to obtain desired engagement, release the lever for it to self lock in whichever position the detent passes in thru. Most of these types are more $, likely to capture a "trend" imo.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
Troul is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 04:03 PM
  #7  
Sy Reene
Advocatus Diaboli
 
Sy Reene's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,613

Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4717 Post(s)
Liked 1,526 Times in 997 Posts
front qr behind the fork.
rear qr should be inbetween the seat and chain stays
Sy Reene is offline  
Likes For Sy Reene:
Old 05-08-21, 04:07 PM
  #8  
ridelikeaturtle
Senior Member
 
ridelikeaturtle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 1,259

Bikes: Bianchi Ti Megatube; Colnago Competition; Planet-X EC-130E; Klein Pulse; Amp Research B4; Litespeed Catalyst; Trek Y11

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 476 Times in 258 Posts
Originally Posted by taylorgeo
Should the QR lever be in front of the fork or behind?


I cannot believe no one has mentioned the obvious here:

To start, it should be on the other side of the fork (the drive side is pictured above... unless that's the craziest fork angle ever).
ridelikeaturtle is offline  
Likes For ridelikeaturtle:
Old 05-08-21, 04:42 PM
  #9  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,830

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4745 Post(s)
Liked 3,861 Times in 2,510 Posts
Originally Posted by taylorgeo
Should the QR lever be in front of the fork or behind?


A couple of comments. 1) Tradition is that the QR lever is always on the left side (NDS) of the bike. This picture shows it on the right. (Many of us right-handers dismount on the left side, so when we stop to change a flat, the lever is on the same side we are.)

2) The "good" QRs are the ones with internal cams and the lever on the outside, This means the lever is asymmetric, not centered as your picture suggests. (The internal cam QRs are simply better, more powerful QRs than the symmetrical ones with the center lever. "Good" does not mean expensive. Cheap steel Shimanos are good. Even cheaper QBP ones are quite decent though I wouldn't ride them the decades I'd happily ride a steel Shimano. QRs with non-steel skewers will never go on my bikes.

I always point my front lever back so any debris doesn't catch it but just keeps sliding back. Rear lever forward to make it harder to be hit by another bike's front tire. This is what we all did in the Boston racing circles of the '70s, probably taught by John Allis, Boston's racing guru (who spent time racing in Europe,early '70s, came back and shared what he'd learned.) I like to fold the front lever over the fork so the end is just behind and easy to get my fingers under but unlikely for anything else to grab. With fenders and racks, this gets modified a bit. Rears either forward under the chainstay or forward and coming over so I can just grab it above the chainstay.

I've had QRs open on me twice. Both front, Both crashes. First time was out of the blue. Slight downhill on an absolutely perfect California road. Wheel came out of the dropouts, jammed against the fork, spun the handlebars around and bent that blade 30 degrees. (Why the wheel came out there is completely beyond me. The road was so smooth and my riding at the moment so steady the wheel should have been just fine with no QR at all.) I crashed fairly hard to the tune of a mild concussion (I was already prone to them), road rash and bruises. Thank you, fork for absorbing so much energy. Second time it was operator error, pure and simple. I'd just barely tightened the lever enough to hang the bike the week before and forgot. This time the consequences were far higher. I was not going as fast, but the wheel and fork did not slow me. Instead they steerered me into a steel and concrete bridge railing. Collapsed lung, several broken ribs and a wrecked shoulder. Pegged the pain meter.
79pmooney is offline  
Likes For 79pmooney:
Old 05-08-21, 04:42 PM
  #10  
AdkMtnMonster
Airplanes, bikes, beer.
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Off the front
Posts: 763

Bikes: Road bikes, mountain bikes, a cx bike, a gravel bike…

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 398 Post(s)
Liked 788 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by ridelikeaturtle
I cannot believe no one has mentioned the obvious here:

To start, it should be on the other side of the fork (the drive side is pictured above... unless that's the craziest fork angle ever).
That was bugging me, too, but I figured it was only to make the illustration easier.
AdkMtnMonster is offline  
Likes For AdkMtnMonster:
Old 05-08-21, 05:20 PM
  #11  
sovende
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Western WI (USA)
Posts: 555

Bikes: TNTL (Too numerous to list)

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 184 Post(s)
Liked 147 Times in 115 Posts
Originally Posted by AdkMtnMonster
That was bugging me, too, but I figured it was only to make the illustration easier.
i
It nearly drives me crazy when I see the front wheel QR lever on the “drive side” of the bike . I know that there’s at least one “seasoned” forum member that believes it doesn’t make any difference (and perhaps it doesn’t) and “has always done it that way” . While one reply indicated it was “traditional” to have the QR levers on the non-drive side, it appears to me that the designers intended for them to be on the “NDS”. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a clear indicator of “noobness” but will concede that individuals can set their bike up the way the wish . I generally position my levers in a way that they are less likely to be inadvertently released by road/trail debris.
sovende is offline  
Likes For sovende:
Old 05-08-21, 05:44 PM
  #12  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,364
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,664 Times in 2,497 Posts
I have wondered if it might be better to have the front skewer on the drive side with discs.

My next bike is going to have skewers that don't have levers, so all this is moot
unterhausen is offline  
Likes For unterhausen:
Old 05-08-21, 05:58 PM
  #13  
genejockey 
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
 
genejockey's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 17,662

Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace

Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10247 Post(s)
Liked 11,600 Times in 5,946 Posts
Originally Posted by Sy Reene
front qr behind the fork.
rear qr should be inbetween the seat and chain stays
I prefer to put the old style off-center ones under the chainstay. They don't usually look good if you put 'em between the stays.
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."

"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
genejockey is offline  
Likes For genejockey:
Old 05-08-21, 06:06 PM
  #14  
Eric F 
Habitual User
 
Eric F's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Altadena, CA
Posts: 7,801

Bikes: 2023 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2018 Trek Procaliber 9.9 RSL, 2018 Storck Fascenario.3 Platinum, 2003 Time VX Special Pro, 2001 Colnago VIP, 1999 Trek 9900 singlespeed, 1977 Nishiki ONP

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4839 Post(s)
Liked 7,830 Times in 3,710 Posts
Rule #41.
__________________
"Swedish fish. They're protein shaped." - livedarklions
Eric F is offline  
Likes For Eric F:
Old 05-08-21, 06:10 PM
  #15  
AdkMtnMonster
Airplanes, bikes, beer.
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Off the front
Posts: 763

Bikes: Road bikes, mountain bikes, a cx bike, a gravel bike…

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 398 Post(s)
Liked 788 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by unterhausen
I have wondered if it might be better to have the front skewer on the drive side with discs.

My next bike is going to have skewers that don't have levers, so all this is moot
My CX bike has discs and QR (faster wheel changes) and it’s tempting to swap sides with the QR, but I just can’t do it.
AdkMtnMonster is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 06:57 PM
  #16  
Troul 
Senior Member
 
Troul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,291

Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,884 Posts
I could swap it around on the in-door trainer.... although, it wouldn't matter much WRT safety.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
Troul is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 07:38 PM
  #17  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
Originally Posted by Kapusta
Either way is fine.

Of course, that will not prevent this thread from hitting 3 pages.
I predict 30 pages
wolfchild is offline  
Likes For wolfchild:
Old 05-08-21, 07:44 PM
  #18  
Troul 
Senior Member
 
Troul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,291

Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,884 Posts
Originally Posted by wolfchild
I predict 30 pages
using default forum settings?
__________________
-Oh Hey!
Troul is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 07:53 PM
  #19  
mdarnton
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Chicago
Posts: 309

Bikes: nothing to brag about

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 130 Post(s)
Liked 206 Times in 116 Posts
You guys who don't like the QR on the drive side had better get on the phone, STAT, to tell TREK they know nothing about bicycles, because the QR on my FX is on the drive side and has to stay there because of their proprietary through-skewer setup.

I like it that way, too, because it means I can hold my bike up with my left arm while testing the tightness with my stronger right hand/arm. In fact, I've been doing it that way for 50+ years, and am still here to tell the tale. :-)
mdarnton is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 08:54 PM
  #20  
cxwrench
Senior Member
 
cxwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Nor-Cal
Posts: 3,767

Bikes: lots

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1958 Post(s)
Liked 2,932 Times in 1,489 Posts
Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
I'm thinking a slow turn, you know where many threads have been started about toes hitting the front wheel in a slow turn? Has never happened to me, but just in case, I keep it to the front.

Not sure if you guys ride a tandem, but dismounting, I swing my leg over the handle bars. Pretty sure it is not impossible to catch a rear positioned lever on the way up. Do you ride a tandem?
Not unless I absolutely can't avoid it.
Originally Posted by 79pmooney
A couple of comments. 1) Tradition is that the QR lever is always on the left side (NDS) of the bike. This picture shows it on the right. (Many of us right-handers dismount on the left side, so when we stop to change a flat, the lever is on the same side we are.)

2) The "good" QRs are the ones with internal cams and the lever on the outside, This means the lever is asymmetric, not centered as your picture suggests. (The internal cam QRs are simply better, more powerful QRs than the symmetrical ones with the center lever. "Good" does not mean expensive. Cheap steel Shimanos are good. Even cheaper QBP ones are quite decent though I wouldn't ride them the decades I'd happily ride a steel Shimano. QRs with non-steel skewers will never go on my bikes.

I always point my front lever back so any debris doesn't catch it but just keeps sliding back. Rear lever forward to make it harder to be hit by another bike's front tire. This is what we all did in the Boston racing circles of the '70s, probably taught by John Allis, Boston's racing guru (who spent time racing in Europe,early '70s, came back and shared what he'd learned.) I like to fold the front lever over the fork so the end is just behind and easy to get my fingers under but unlikely for anything else to grab. With fenders and racks, this gets modified a bit. Rears either forward under the chainstay or forward and coming over so I can just grab it above the chainstay.

I've had QRs open on me twice. Both front, Both crashes. First time was out of the blue. Slight downhill on an absolutely perfect California road. Wheel came out of the dropouts, jammed against the fork, spun the handlebars around and bent that blade 30 degrees. (Why the wheel came out there is completely beyond me. The road was so smooth and my riding at the moment so steady the wheel should have been just fine with no QR at all.) I crashed fairly hard to the tune of a mild concussion (I was already prone to them), road rash and bruises. Thank you, fork for absorbing so much energy. Second time it was operator error, pure and simple. I'd just barely tightened the lever enough to hang the bike the week before and forgot. This time the consequences were far higher. I was not going as fast, but the wheel and fork did not slow me. Instead they steerered me into a steel and concrete bridge railing. Collapsed lung, several broken ribs and a wrecked shoulder. Pegged the pain meter.
^Allllll of this^
cxwrench is offline  
Old 05-08-21, 10:08 PM
  #21  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,830

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4745 Post(s)
Liked 3,861 Times in 2,510 Posts
A point I forgot in my post above - I said that the "good" QRs are the asymmetric ones. What I didn't say is that a few decades ago (I'm not sure exactly when; late '80s?) Shimano came up with a better cam shape that makes for a better lock and more resistance to accidental opening. My crash with the unexpected opening was the old Campagnolo QR. (1983, long before the new shape.) So - pass on ancient QRs - always. The old Campys were made beautiful and are good structurally for many more years. But your health and welfare is better served with an $8 QBP pair. The old straight levers also could be accidentally opened by stuff that the newer curved ones won't.

And a story re: QRs and other bikes - I talked of front wheels of other bikes coming in contact with rear quick releases. True story. I lead out a town line sprint coming off a small hill. The local hotshot came past close on my right and hooked over as soon as he cleared me to shed the newbie on his wheel. So, momentarily I was on the hotshot's wheel with the newbie beside me. OK. But the newbie knew he was on "the" wheel and wasn't willing to give it up so he simply came over too. By this time, his rear wheel was beside my front and coming into my line. I steered left. But that was only a temporary cure. I had to bring the bike back under my weight or crash hard at 30+ mph (remember that hill?) with a dozen riders on my wheel.

So I steered back to straight and simply muscled my wheel into his and pushed off. There was a loud (and to my sense of time, very long! sound of tearing metal. A huge wobble started instantly. We separated and I rode the bike gently to a stop. His QR left end had cut 8 consecutive spokes out of the front wheel right side and damaged a couple more. Thank G** I was riding Weinmann Concaves so stiff the rim and tire still made it through the fork. (Taking the paint to shiny steel on my brand new custom but I wasn't complaining!)

This story isn't about lever position other than I did not open his. (Thinking to note the position he used was NOT in my mind at the time. Sorry BF. ) But it does make the point that QR levers can come in contact with other bikes before the crash happens and that position could make a very big difference
79pmooney is offline  
Likes For 79pmooney:
Old 05-09-21, 12:30 AM
  #22  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
I put mine in front of the fork, so it sticks straight up. Just because. (It really doesn’t matter.)
caloso is offline  
Likes For caloso:
Old 05-09-21, 03:26 AM
  #23  
dabac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times in 222 Posts
Originally Posted by unterhausen
I have wondered if it might be better to have the front skewer on the drive side with discs.
I’ve witnessed a crash where the q/r lever had gotten loose, tilted inwards and snagged the rotor. It wasn’t pretty.
Newer closed cam skewers - at least Shimano - have been changed not to go past 90 deg angle to prevent this. Took me awhile to readjust the visual cue to how it should look.
While I do appreciate the actual braking from discs, there are some fundamental flaws in the engineering that frankly makes me embarrassed.
dabac is offline  
Likes For dabac:
Old 05-09-21, 05:23 AM
  #24  
taylorgeo
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 167
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 20 Posts
This is from the Electra'a assembly guide manual:



...and this is from Cannondale's:
taylorgeo is offline  
Old 05-09-21, 06:15 AM
  #25  
Pop N Wood
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,379

Bikes: 1982 Bianchi Sport SX, Rayleigh Tamland 1, Rans V-Rex recumbent, Fuji MTB, 80's Cannondale MTB with BBSHD ebike motor

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 667 Post(s)
Liked 529 Times in 355 Posts
I always point them straight back mainly because they need to be somewhere and that is probably as good as any. Pointing back does reduce the chance of them hooking something when walking the bike.
Pop N Wood is offline  
Likes For Pop N Wood:

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.