By blackmountaincycles,
Filed under: Uncategorized
While perusing bikeradar.com’s coverage of the Dauphiné, I noticed the coverage of the rider’s lightened bikes for the climbing stages. There are a lot of methods the teams employee to lighten a rider’s bike. Race leader, Bradley Wiggins, employed a couple of bikes with custom built light wheels. One element that was not employed to drop the weight on the bikes was the use of stupid light, non-functional quick releases. Instead, each wheelset used Dura Ace quick releases to secure the wheels to the bike. Lesson to be learned there. A solid wheel to frame/fork connection is vital to a secure feeling bike (and maybe pleasing the sponsors), but I prefer to go with their use as being the only acceptable QR to mechanic and rider and I’m sticking with it.
And yes, it is possible that the Dura Ace quick releases were one tool used to keep the weight above the minimum limit, but, somehow, I don’t think so. Those quick releases look well used too.
Image © James Huang/BikeRadar
(What’s playing: R.E.M. Catapult)
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5 responses to “Interesting observation…”
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Dura Ace skewers are excellent. I find Mavic skewers also to be very good. The aesthete in me can't put a DA skewer on a bike equipped with Campagnolo, so it's always good to have multiple options. I am also a mechanic, and ride a frame with chromed horizontal drop outs. Any skewer that can hold a rear wheel in place up a 20 percent grade on my bike get's my vote, and I've found many light weight options cannot do that, or even hold them in place from a good start from a stop light.
All the best from Oakland.
Adam
MontanoVelo
I'm with you on the Shimano/Campagnolo thing. Mavic's are nice but sometimes they rattle. A Mavic QR from the 80's/early 90's is a good choice too.
I think a modified Shimano QR that had the logos buffed out and a little window cut into the lever would be nice too. Hmmm.
The rattle is unfortunate, but it seems to only happen ocassionally. It is sometimes fixable with a well placed tap from a punch, and they're inexpensive enough that I don't care. I've also noticed less of them rattling in the last year or so than I did before. DT's clamp solidly as well, but I don't like that they're more of a one sided wingnut than a lever.
I like your modified shimano QR idea, run with that.
i love my salsa's 😉
regards mike/germany
Salsas are nice, but not if you are going to use them daily and not if you are running a horizontal dropout. I guess they'll work daily, if you replace the plastic cup that gets worn down with the cam on a periodic basis.