Front tyre needs replacing so I went to remove the wheel and although I can open the qr Maxle, it will not turn.
I do remove it ever 6 months and add a dab of grease to the threads and each time it is very smooth, so I'm slightly lost as to how it has now seized.
How best to remove it ideally allowing me to carry on using the qr Maxle?
Thanks.
Amend that requirement now - qr has now snapped off...so I've the Maxle in the fork but no obvious means of removal - it looked like it has an Allen key head inside but that doesn't appear to be right as none of my Allen keys fit (and it isn't a torx).
IIRC ( and there are different variants I think) the allan key is to adjust the amount of tightening force the lever creates. If you managed to flip the QR lever that should have removed the locking effect so just a question of getting it out. Have yo a lever you can put in the slots the QR fiyts into to turn the maxle or is it time for brute force with molgrips on the remaining bit of axle?
Which type? If it’s the one that the QR lever locks in to the cutout in the outer ring then I’ve successfully got one out with mole grips on it. It’s still in use a year later (I make sure it’s well graded these days).
No idea the type but it was made on 25th Feb 2019...the qr lever and head have now sheared, I'll see if I can get something in to try to unlock the mechanism...however, I think it might need to be more medieval than that!
did you manage to flip the lever before you broke it? that will release the locking. Or loosen that allen screw - that loosens the lock
Yes, lever open d no bother at all, it just wouldn't turn...didn't move with lever open and head pushed against fork or otherwise.
I thought it was just needing a hard pull and it came away in my hand...so as far as I know, the qr mechanism is open, but just isn't turning. I don't appear to have any tool or tools suitable to get it wedged in to turn either.
Off to the bike shop for me tomorrow I think!
A useful but brute force method is to jam the largest drill bit you can in the other end and try and drill it out while unwinding it. Can occasionally work well (even if it trashes the axle!)
I recently removed one by tapping a thread in the other end, fitted a cap-screw (it's head may need to be smaller than the axle diameter) and tightened it until it unwound the axle.It's about time they had a hex broached in as standard for these occasions.
I wonder how many people reading this thread have gone to their bike to check theirs 😆
I know i did.
Had a similar situation in my mates bike and we ended up getting a drill bit on the thread end and drilling it out extremely carefully so that the threads in the fork weren't ruined. I say we, I supervised while the OH did it which is amazing as he's normally a 'smash it' person but managed to prove his job.
I had this issue and, like coatsey above, tapped a thread in the non-lever end and unscrewed it with a bolt.
If you don't want it to happen again, just fit a Maxle Stealth or similar, which is basically just a big bolt with an allen key socket.