Hi,

I may have done something silly (unintentionally).

I can’t get a 15mm through axle to come out of the fork. I think somehow I may have slighly over tightened the QR causing the end of the axle to splay open too much. As I undo it, it is pushing the left hand fork stantion away, rather than the axle undoing from the fork, then slipping like a thread is beginning to strip.

I’ve managed to do it back up for now, but want to remove the wheel to change the tyre. What a nightmare this would be if a puncture occured on a ride.

Any helpful suggestions please?

thanks

Skyhigh_71

Can you strap around the fork legs so they can’t splay? Pull the axle at the same time as unscrewing?

thanks will try that, didn’t think of that in mynmoment of panic.

fairly regular thread this, basically youve not greased it have you, so the hub axle has siezed onto the 15mmQR. With 20mm axles there was a lot of thread so you could get the axle out with a bit of thought and a hammer, not so sure with 15mm, you might be better off having someone take a look at it.

I’m new to these through axles so am I supposed to grease/copperslip the axle and the threads or just the threads?

What fork/axle do you have?

RS Reba 15mm

grease the thread a bit but also the axle itself where it is split along it’s length – you’ll see this when you have it out….
my 20mm got stuck a couple of months ago. what happens is the maxle sticks to the hub bearing(s). undo it, lay bike down, then tw4t the hub using a piece of wood as a bar between hub and hammer. you’re trying to move the hub in relation to the maxle and fork in the direction of the threaded fork leg. you may need to go around the fork. you could try pouring a kettle of boiling water over the hub too.
it’ll come. 😉

Thanks to those who replied. I am suitably shamed. The axle was indeed seized inside the hub.

Tried a cargo strap around the fork legs but couldn’t get it low enough due to the rotor being in place.

So I undid the axle which continued to push the LH form leg out, until I heard a click that the last thread on the axle had unscrewed. I then took a rubber mallet and gave the LH dropout a couple of sharp whacks, which had the desired effect, allowing me to pull out the axle with pliers. The cause was then obvious, two bands of rust the tell tale signs.

Lesson learned the axle was cleaned up with steel wool and copiously greased before reassembly.

Cycle mechanic zen wasn’t with me last weekend. The next disaster to be overted was cleat removal with a rounded bolt head, requiring the cleat to be hack sawed through.

Cheers

Loads of us have done it don’t be a shamed and yes a hammer is the best method.

I undid the axle which continued to push the LH fork leg out

*winces*