I am seeking a supplier of quick release skewer springs.

[DaveP]

I probably wasn't very well trained - if I have problems replacing a wheel I have been known to remove the skewer altogether, replacing it once the wheel is seated in the drop out.
Promise to do better in future

[Vantage]

Another here with MickF.
Never in my life have I had a mangled spring or even heard of it. Had a few go rusty due to neglect but like many parts on a bike, a bit of oil or grease once in a while helps them stay good. I have lost one and tried making do without any but tbh, getting the wheel in and out of the dropouts while the skewer assembly slid side to side was enough to cause quite a bit of colourful language. They've always kept the spacing central too regardless of the manufacturer.

[Brucey]

...They've always kept the spacing central too regardless of the manufacturer...

well I've just spent a fairly dull and nerdy ten minutes measuring a few dozen QRs (on a mixture of new and lightly used hubs of good quality) and in no instance was the gap each side equal with the QR open. The difference was as little as 0.5mm and as much as 3.5mm, with the vast majority being in excess of 1.5mm. Given that the throw of the QR is also about 1.5mm this means that there is liable to be a clash in many cases, especially if there is no taper on the dropout.

In most cases the spring is clearly intended to sit captive in the nut recess, but it is less clear that this is ever the case with the spring at the other end. If the large end of each spring doesn't seat correctly at either end it will likely be mangled the first time the QR is used. If the small end doesn't sit right it can become lodged between the skewer and the axle. Some dropouts tangle with the spring a little every time the wheel goes in and out.

If you only take your wheels out once in a blue moon then probably you may not notice these things. But when you take them out often, or have to change wheels in a big hurry (eg when racing) you soon notice if things are not quite right!

cheers

[drossall]

YMMV was invented for this thread. I like them. YMMV.

[beardy]

I never had any problem with the springs, if they get a bit rusty I just rub them with some grease.
I also had a secondhand wheel without them once and I had no problems with that either. Though it was in a horizontal dropout without adjusters, so you had to align eveything by eye anyway.

[Mick F]

..well I've just spent a fairly dull and nerdy ten minutes measuring a few dozen QRs

I've just spent a nerdy few minutes with a steel rule measuring my Campag Chorus front QR.

QR open is 7mm both sides.
Dropout is 5mm.

The measurements aren't dead on accurate as there was no point because I knew what I was going to see.
Equal both sides - as I said.

[Brucey]

well that is one then.

Although we don't know for sure because you didn't measure accurately....

cheers

[Mick F]

Tell you what, I'll be washing Bike soon, I'll make an effort to measure. Dunno if my digi calipers will manage to get in there without moving the QR. I'll check my spare wheels too. They are 2004 Campag Mirage hubs. I think the fronts are the easiest to measure. The springs and QRs are the same front/rear, so just checking the fronts should make a good snapshot.

Back later onto this.

[Brucey]

I'm only pulling your leg, Mick!

I think that the classic campag QR design is better than most, but these days most hubs out there are not campag ones....

cheers

[Mick F]

Pulling my leg or not, I've washed my Mercian and measured the gaps.

Difficult to get accurate results because the QR skewers move very easily, but here goes:
Front wheels, 2006 Chorus and 2004 Mirage both QRs open.

Mirage Lever End 4.9mm
Mirage Nut End 6.9mm

Chorus Lever End 5.9mm
Chorus Nut End 5.9mm

Mercian Campag front dropout 5.95mm thick. Which seems rather odd! as the QRs wouldn't go on if the above figures were correct! It shows you how difficult it is to measure the QR gaps gently. Maybe the gaps are actually averaging 6mm and not 5.9mm. Error is caused by my not touching the QR for fear of influencing the measurement.

Both wheels slotted in perfectly easily with only one hand BTW. It would be impossible without both springs.

[elPedro666]

Trouble with Goodhart's Law Mick?

[Mick F]

Yeah, I agree.

The point that Brucey makes - using far more experience than I will ever amass - is that the spiral springs don't work to keep QRs centrally positioned. They are pointless?

I maintain that they do work - or at least mine always do and always have done.

Measuring this is subject to errors.

[Brucey]

Mick, I can't help but think that your QR levers may have been closed when you took your measurements. QR levers open up ~1.5mm or so.

My contention is threefold

1) that the springs don't create an even gap each side of an open QR as often as would be desirable
2) that they are easily damaged, lost etc
3) that -outside of racing- you don't actually need them anyway.

When people describe replacing a wheel without springs on the QR as
- 'requiring three hands' or
- 'impossible' ( )

it just makes me chuckle; it is obvious nonsense!

cheers

[Mick F]

Mick, I can't help but think that your QR levers may have been closed when you took your measurements. QR levers open up ~1.5mm or so.

Nope.
Open.

Just checked again too.

[Mick F]

PS
Just taken the Chorus QR completely out and opened it, sat my digi calipers inside the faces, zeroed the counter, then closed it.

1.1mm movement open to closed.