I am hovering over the "buy it now" on a set of titanium QR skewers from hong kong on Ebay.
The alternative is to get a set of deore for £5 less on CRC.
So what does the STW population think about lightweight skewers? Will they fail and leave me a bloody mess on the trail or will they be fine?
It's to go on a stumpjumper fs. I'm leaning towards the dependable shimno at the minute as I'm scared of failures.
Without running a few calcs I'd be hard pressed to give you my official opinion. My personal opinion would be that I'd not bother, for the sake of a few grams and with my teeth in mind. Disc brakes and stretchy QRs dont mix.
If you're rim-brake only then go for it.
Shimano every time for me (XTR if I'm feeling posh).
Shimano work the best. Why spend more to save a few grams and take the risk. Isn't Ti a bit stretchy?
Shimano it is then. I will same my ebay hong kong/taiwan purchases for things less critical.
I use Salsa skewers but with the same thinking behind them. I use stainless rods rather than ti
ti xlites for 2 years no probs for me..... jey xc though - anything else id use shimano
titanium front skewer with sus forks and disc brakes is a Very Bad Idea. Whatever you think of the Fox v Pinder case, sus forks flex (long forks flex more) and disc brakes put turning forces on forks which effectively stretch the Q/R. When the stress is released the Q/R will have a natural tendency to unwind. Titanium is MORE elastic than steel, so will stretch more than a steel skewer for the same load, making it more likely you'll find your front skewer coming undone and your front wheel coming out.
I wouldnt touch a Ti front skewer with a barge pole, even from a reputable manufacturer. I've had a steel Q/R front come loose on an alpine downhill. Luckily I stopped as I could hear a tinkling sound (which was the disc moving in the caliper) before I rode a jump or drop off, and now use 20mm bolt-thru..