QR Q&A
Ever wish you could adjust your fit, change your tire, or pop your front wheel off for locking up without ever picking up a wrench? So did the folks that invented the quick release! In today's post we'll walk-through the common first-time-QR questions, so you can roll with confidence and get swappy with speed!
What am I looking at?
If, where you'd normally see a nut and bolt, you instead see a lever/switch/toggle, you've got yourself a quick-release! First thing's first, let's identify the parts so we know what we're dealing with.
The quick release will have a lever on the outside where you'll do most of your actual futzing, an adjustment nut on the opposite side for fine-tuning, a skewer passing through the space normally occupied by a bolt, and a couple springs on either end for tension.
Note: the QR lever will have an "open" (loose) and a "closed" (tight) setting. Make sure you can identify which is which at a glance.
How do I loosen my QR?
First up, let's run through loosening your QR so you can remove that wheel, adjust your saddle height, etc...
Begin by pulling the lever into the "open position".
And you're done!
Seriously, that's all it should take to get you free. If your wheel/seatpost/etc... is still tight, hold the lever in place and give the adjustment nut a little spin counter-clockwise to loosen everything up.
How do I tighten my QR?
And how about getting everything put back together? If you're dialed in, all you'll have to do is push the lever back to "closed". Use the frame to give yourself leverage to push it all the way tight.
And, if you had to back off your QR a bit to get it off, just re-tighten it by giving the adjustment nut a turn or two back clockwise until everything's a bit more snug, and then push the lever closed.
When your QR is tight enough you should feel light resistance as you start to press the lever, increasing resistance as the lever gets to vertical and then once it's "over the hump" it should snap into the closed position fairly easily again.
How do I make sure I look cool?
And now the most important lesson, how to keep yourself looking sharp. First up, never ride with an open lever. Open is loose and loose is dangerous. Make sure all your QR levers are closed before you roll.
And when it comes to orientation, you want to make sure your QRs won't catch on anything and open themselves up. That's why your front QR should follow the plane of the fork, up and out of the way.
As for your rear QR, most Pure Cycles riders aim for right between the seat stay and the chain stay. It keeps things looking clean and keeps everything tucked away safely.
And when it comes to a seatpost clamp QR, just close it right along the clamp body and it'll keep everything looking clean and tidy.
And now you're all set! Leave the wrench at home and get riding. We'll see you out there.
