Thru axle wheel not wanting to drop out - SORTED

[deliquium]

Deliquium is trying ever so hard to 'modernise' taking delivery of another newfangled bike. This process is ranging between pleasurable excitement and surprising satisfaction, but with plenty of confusion and some annoyance.

So here we have front boingy boingy suspension forks (Fusion MIG32) with a 15 x 110 thru (sic) axle. When one undoes and removes the axle, the wheel does not simply drop out. The ends of the axle sit inside a ~1-1.5mm closed recess milled into the inner fork ends. In order to get the wheel out one has to try and force the legs apart a tad. They are very thick stiff things and this is not easy. Firstly one side usually plops out and the wheel then flops to one side and the disc rotor complains cos it's at any angle in its caliper. That's followed by wishful wiggling trying to free the end still stuck. Getting it back in afterwards is only very slightly easier.

The rear of the frame, with 12 x 148 thru axled wheel, does indeed have a simple flush drop outs.

See photo of the recess on the inside of the right fork end.

How can this be right? Are everyone elses like this?

Is it just more of that "lawyers lips" wokery? Is every other recipient of these forks required to get a bloody file out in order to make life easier?

 The pro peletons’ wheels drop out in a flash, as does the thru axle wheel in a pair of carbon front forks on deliquium’s other foray into modern bikeworld.

 So why are these so unfriendly

Or am I just twp, or lacking ‘technique’?


[Bmblbzzz]

Is there possibly a washer that's supposed to sit in the groove?

[deliquium]

Is there possibly a washer that's supposed to sit in the groove?

There weren't any supplied with the new bike - and the forks are tightly fitting over the existing axle (without such washers)

Although, that would theoretically solve the problem but create a 15 x 112-113mm axle - and also be a thing to worry about losing when removing said wheel.

[PH]

Although I don't have that specific fork, it does seem a bit odd. The wheel is supposed to be held in by the axle, it should just drop out when that's removed. I can't se why it would vary between forks, or bikes, it is a standard, it ought to be interchangeable. If you have a decent rule, I'd suggest carefully measuring everything and reporting any discrepancy to the retailer.

[DevonDamo]

Or am I just twp, or lacking ‘technique’?


I had a possibly-related problem with a Marin mountain bike which I bought from new. After assembling it from the box, I found the front wheel sliding left and right by a few mm along the axle. I eventually discovered the problem was that the wheel is supposed to have two plastic spacers fitted into the external grooves in the hub. The reason they weren't there is that when the bike arrives boxed-up in pieces, it has two big plastic protection discs fitted to the front wheel, which resemble flat,wide, mushrooms - with their narrow stalks pushing into the axle on the wheel. The problem was that when you take these protective 'mushrooms' out, they take the spacers with them, as they've been jammed into them and it's plastic-on-plastic with no lube.

So if you built the bike yourself, it might be worth digging these mushrooms out of the bin and checking to see whether they've each got a little plastic washer thing jammed onto the end of the stalk. Or if you got it from a shop, go in and tell them you think you're missing these spacers - they might have made the same mistake when they assembled it.

[tenbikes]

I have six through axle forks and none of them look like that. Very odd.

[willcee]

Interesting... how about showing us a nice clear close up of hub of this wheel , if you are having that sort of issue removing the wheel its because theres something designed to sit in those machined grooves, I would suggest talking to the manufacturers or indeed a very experienced aftersales teck guy from either the wheel makers or the bike distributor as I would guess won't be the first time they've been asked about this problem..seasons greetings everyone..w

[deliquium]

Here's some more photos of the rear frame wheel drop out, the inside of the left fork not drop out and the front hub ends.

I can't see if there were any spacers/washers how or where they would locate.

It can't be true but its as if these Fusion MIG32 forks were built on a Friday just before the machinist or robot went home for the weekend - and they couldn't be buttocked to machine the 'U' part of the locating recess down to the bottom of the fork leg

[deliquium]

Here's the type of thru axle drop outs on my other bike, whose wheel does indeed simply fall out downwards after removal of the axle

I posted a question on the Cube Reaction Hybrid FB page - 2 answers from people with the same forks = they aslo struggle, so must have the same 360º recess design?

[PT1029]

If I had your forks, I'd wait until the warranty expired (unless it was a very long warranty), and file the raised section away so it was similar to your rear dropouts. Just make sure you file as a forward wheel removal (rather than straight down) so there is no chance that the brake could eject your front wheel - admittedly a small chance, as for that to happen the axle would have had to come out plus you not notice it had come out, or I suppose, you had put the wheel in and not fitted the axle, which would be somewhat embarressing!

If you file it, no sharp edges, smooth every thing off so there are no stress raisers.

Are the forks Cube's own brand? If not, are there any other brands with similarly retentive forks on?

[531colin]

What do they say where you bought it?

[deliquium]

What do they say where you bought it?

Waiting for a reply.

[gregoryoftours]

It is a bit strange that there is a recess. These pictures are of an Xfusion mig29 32 fork, the dropouts are fully machined as one would normally expect with no lip to overcome.

If I had your fork I'd first check where you bought it that other identical forks are made the same, if not then get a swap. If they are all the same then it's a pretty lazy design detail and I'd be taking a careful file/Dremel to the dropouts to make them like most other thru axle dropout design.

[Cowsham]

I'd file or preferably machine this lower half flush

[deliquium]

Much appreciated gregoryoftours

I've forwarded your photos to the retailer