Warren Young wrote:
>This appears to be a touchy subject...maybe it's been covered before quite
>extensively. However, I have to speculate again, that any comparison of a
>QR in a horizontal drop out, with a nutted axle in a track end, is
>defintitely apples and oranges.
Apples and oranges have a lot in common. They're both tree-growing
fruits, sweet and of similar size.
>The contact area between the frame and a
>QR/axle in a horizontal drop must provide substantial stability.
The relevant contact areas are those of the cone locknut or similar
feature of the axle on the inside, and the skewer's acorn nut or the
track nut's captive washer on the outside of the fork end.
>The
>drivetrain force is directed partially into the top edge of the dropout
>thus relieving much of the pressure on the axle to shift.
I agree except for the use of the word "much" in the sentence above.
>On the other
>hand, I cannot for the life of me, see how a skinny QR with it's minimal
>threaded contact area could come close to a hardened steel axle/nut/washer
>combo when EACH are used in a track end (drop out). Excuse my layperson
>terminolgy. I'm not an engineer but these things seem fairly straight
>forward.
You're comparing apples and locomotives here.
This is true if you're thinking of those chi-chi faux QR skewers that rely on turning the threaded part to tighten the skewer.
In the case of a real QR skewer, however the clamping action is provided by the cam, not by turning the screw threads, so there's no risk of stripping the threads, which are not turned while under load.
A good QR skewer, properly tightened, in a hub with a suitably serrated gripping surface on the cone locknuts (or equivalent) will hold the axle as tightly as it needs to be held.
When I say "a good QR skewer" I'm referring specifically to a Shimano skewer. The cam shape used on Shimano skewers makes them superior to all others, though Campagnolos are also pretty good.
The chi-chi boutique weight-weenie aftermarket skewers are worthless in fixed-gear applications.
Many younger cyclists who have grown up riding coasties with vertical dropouts and lawyer lips don't realize how tight a skewer should be adjusted in this application.
Sheldon "Continues To Resist The Oxymoronic Solecism 'Track Dropout'" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts +-----------------------------------------+ | Man invented language to satisfy his | | deep need to complain. -- Lily Tomlin | +-----------------------------------------+
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