Currently use the superstar 10mm QR but as i rarely remove the wheel not sure i need that beefy QR.
Is there a lighter alternative? Does it actually make the back end stiffer or is it all bollocks?

If you don’t mind it being bolt up rather than QR, there’s a Hadley one

http://www.nwmtb.com/product/7315/Hadley_Rear_10mm_x_135_ThruBolt

But if you need QR, there’s the FRM Task Team (a bit spendy though!)…

http://www.frmbike.biz/index.php/en/shop-2/mtb-componentsi-bikes-frames/view/productdetails/virtuemart_product_id/109/virtuemart_category_id/11

I think it makes a difference, but for my riding it’s not the kind of difference that matters!

Still like them (front and rear) though – SuperStar for now, but think the Hadley’s look good, and they’d be weenyish enough for me too – the FRM are just too pricey for where I’m at (with both riding style and money!).

£25 for a bolt seems a bit much 🙁

Superstar also do a 10mm bolt option too .

where can’t see that

DT Swiss RWS saves you about 40g…

£26 though but it is rather nice 🙂

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/dt-swiss-rws-thru-bolt-alloy/rp-prod81162

Sorry my mistake , must have been looking at the 10mm hub adapter 😕

Does it actually make the back end stiffer or is it all bollocks?

The difference on my Meta 5.5 was somewhat amazing, although the swing arms are known to be particularly flex with a QR through them.

American Classic do one, the DT Swiss ones are the best IMO super quality and feel

Made a difference to my Mondraker Dune

The difference on my Meta 5.5 was somewhat amazing, although the swing arms are known to be particularly flex with a QR through them.

This was also my experience.
I’ve since changed from the Meta to a Five but have kept the SS 10mm bolt system. It’s tough as old boots and I like it.

So these things will fit in regular qr dropouts?
I don’t knowingly need one but I like a cheap gizmo.

zippykona – it gets a bit more expensive/faffy as you’ll need to change your rear hub setup, either just the end caps (Pro2 Evo onwards? etc), the end caps and axle (Pro2 etc) or maybe even the whole hub.

I did it on my old Blur 4X. Felt absolutely no difference at all but my logic was that the rear triangle on that bike would have been pretty stiff anyway. Something with a long single swingarm like a Meta/Five-esque frame design would feel the benefit a bit more.

OP – I ran the SS one. Did the job albeit in a not particularly pretty/light/easy to undo type of way.

I’ve got the Superstar and DTSwiss RWS 10mm QR – the DT Swiss one is much nicer. Definitely worth the extra £s.

I had the Superstar 10mm QR. First time I took it out from the bike it was a rusty mess. Didn’t lock in place very well either. Get the DT Swiss one, no issues so far (2+ years) – worth the extra money.

Does the DT swiss one fit a QR hub and dropouts? Or do you need to get adaptors? (In particular CK rear hub here…)

DT swiss does fit normal QR dropouts, but you’ll need to swap out the hub axle (as all 10mm bolt-thrus are 10mm in diameter along their whole length).

For a CK hub you’ll need the 135×10 bolt-thru axle, £70 from Bromley Bikes (http://www.bromleybike.co.uk/shop/components-spares/chris-king-service-centre/chris-king-hub-spares/chris-king-heavy-duty-axle-1047971.html).

Thanks Sam. Hmmm best part of £100 for a 1mm bigger axle….

5mm bigger axle, the qr skewer is doing the clamping.

Thanks Sam. Hmmm best part of £100 for a 1mm bigger axle….

That’s not quite my understanding…

I think it goes:

Standard rear dropouts are 10mm diameter and standard front dropouts are 9mm diameter.

Then, ‘normal’ qr hubs have either 10mm (rear) or 9mm (front) stubs (for want of the proper term) that slide into these dropouts – and which the qr fits though.

The qr diameter is (at a guess) between 3mm and 5mm and slides into the hollow axle of the hub. It’s working to hold the axle clamped in the dropouts, but isn’t itself the axle – the axle work is being done by the 10mm (or 9mm) stubs that are resting in the dropouts.

The thru axle hubs that take the superstar or DT Swiss or Hadley thru axles as described above are different in that these rods become the axle as well as the thing that clamps the wheel into the dropout. Hence a front DT Swiss RWS is 9mm diameter, to fit in the dropout – and the rear is 10mm to do likewise.

The extra stiffness comes from the more solid connection between bike and wheel – the bike is more directly connected to the axle.

I think.

A 10mm bolt-through axle tightened up the back of my old hustler nicely, the SS 10mm QR seemed to work ok too, DT Swiss is much nicer though.

I’ve got a couple of the black SS 10mm QR’s going spare now if anyone wants one even cheaper than new 🙂

got a 10mm American classic on my alpine, not ridden it yet but seems confidence inspiringly thick compared to a normal QR (especially when your not the lightest of chaps…)